Moss v. Infinity Insurance Co.

197 F. Supp. 3d 1191, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91757, 2016 WL 3753109
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedJuly 14, 2016
DocketCase No. 15-cv-03456-JSC
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 197 F. Supp. 3d 1191 (Moss v. Infinity Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Moss v. Infinity Insurance Co., 197 F. Supp. 3d 1191, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91757, 2016 WL 3753109 (N.D. Cal. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER RE: DEFENDANTS LITHIA’S AND INFINITY’S MOTIONS TO DISMISS

JACQUELINE SCOTT CORLEY, United States Magistrate Judge

This matter involves insurance claims arising from an automobile collision. Plaintiff Arryanne Moss (“Plaintiff’) brings this action against Defendants Infinity Insurance Company (“Infinity”), Automobile Warranty Services Insurance Company (“AWS”), Lithia Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge of Santa Rosa (“Lithia”), and Charlotte Toth (“Toth”). (Dkt. No. 1.) Now pending before the Court are Lithia’s and Infinity’s motions to dismiss Plaintiffs Third Amended Complaint (“TAC”). (Dkt. Nos. 15, 31, 40.) Having considered the parties’ written submissions, and having had the benefit of oral argument on July 7, 2016, the Court dismisses Plaintiffs seventh cause of action with prejudice, and dismisses Plaintiffs eleventh and twelfth causes of action with leave to amend. Additionally, the Court GRANTS Infinity’s motion and dismisses Plaintiffs first, fifth, and eighth causes of action with prejudice, and dismisses Plaintiffs eleventh and twelfth causes of action with leave to amend.

BACKGROUND

The factual background of this matter was addressed in the Court’s Orders dismissing the earlier complaints and allowing the TAC to proceed to service. (See Dkt. No. 17 at 1-4; Dkt. No. 14 at 1-2; Dkt. No. 12 at 1-4; Dkt. No. 7 at 1-2). The Court will not reiterate the factual allegations here and instead incorporates the factual background of the earlier Orders in full.

The TAC alleges twelve causes of action against Defendants Infinity, AWS, Lithia, and Toth. (Dkt. No. 15.) The first four causes of action allege breach of contract against Infinity, AWS, Lithia, and Toth, respectively. The next three allege breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing against Infinity, AWS, and, together, Lithia and Toth, respectively. The Court previously dismissed the seventh cause of action, which alleges breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing against Lithia and Toth, without leave to amend in its Order reviewing the TAC. (Dkt. No. 17 at 4.) The eighth, ninth, and tenth causes of action allege negligence against Infinity, AWS, and Lit-hia, respectively. The eleventh cause of action makes a claim under California Business & Professions Code Section 17200—the Unfair Competition Law— against Infinity, AWS, and Lithia, collectively. The final cause of action a claim [1196]*1196under California Business & Professions Code Section 17500—false or misleading statements in advertising—against Infinity, AWS, and Lithia, collectively. Plaintiff seeks damages, including compensatory, special, and punitive damages. (Dkt. No. 15 at 23.) Lithia and Infinity now move the Court to dismiss Plaintiffs claims against them pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. (Dkt. Nos. 31, 40.)

DISCUSSION

I. Lithia’s Motion to Dismiss

Lithia moves to dismiss each cause of action that Plaintiff alleges against it. (Dkt. No. 31.) Specifically, Lithia contends that: (1) the breach of contract claim is barred by the statute of limitations; (2) the cause of action for breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing was properly dismissed by the Court in its previous order; (3) the negligence cause of action is barred by the statute of limitations and should also be dismissed because Lithia, as a car dealership and not an insurance provider, had no duty to Plaintiff regarding her insurance policies; (4) the claims for violations of California Business and Professions Code §§ 17200 and 17500 should be dismissed because Plaintiff failed to meet the specificity requirement under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 9(b); and (5) all claims against Lithia should be dismissed because Plaintiff has not established an agency relationship between Lit-hia and any of the other defendants.

A. Breach of Contract

The Court previously noted that “Plaintiffs breach of contract causes of action against Lithia and Toth sound in breach of an oral agreement.” (Dkt. No. 14 at 7 (emphasis added); see TAC ¶¶ 34-43.) Specifically, Plaintiff alleges that Lithia and Toth orally promised that AWS would pay for the loss of her vehicle to the extent there was any outstanding balance on the vehicle and that Infinity would pay Plaintiff for “any loss incurred as a result of an accident involving Plaintiffs new vehicle.” (Id. ¶¶ 35-36.) Plaintiff claims that Lithia and Toth “breached their oral promises... to cover Plaintiffs losses, in the event that there later arose any difficulty receiving the benefits of the policies which [they] actively persuaded Plaintiff to purchase” when they failed to assist Plaintiff secure the “benefits due [to] her.” (Id. ¶ 41.)

California law provides that a breach of oral contract is subject to a two-year statute of limitations. Cal. Civ. Pro. Code § 339(1). The clock starts running on a breach of oral contract at the time of the breach. Cochran v. Cochran, 56 Cal. App.4th 1115, 1124, 66 Cal.Rptr.2d 337 (1997); Parker v. Walker, 5 Cal.App.4th 1173, 1190, 6 Cal.Rptr.2d 908 (1992) (statute of limitations begins to run when the oral contract is rejected). Lithia argues that breach of the oral contact occurred around the time of the accident, September 2012, and that Plaintiffs claim for breach of contract, brought in July 2015, is thus barred by the two-year statute of limitations. (Dkt. No. 31 at 5.) However, there are no facts pled in the TAC indicating when Plaintiff sought payment from Lithia or when Lithia denied any benefits due to Plaintiff. The Court cannot conclude, based on this record, that Lithia’s breach necessarily occurred outside of the statute of limitations. Rather, because the allegations in the TAC must be construed in the light most favorable to Plaintiff, see Sprewell v. Golden State Warriors, 266 F.3d 979, 988 (9th Cir.2001), and because the TAC is silent as to when the actual breach occurred, the Court must infer for purposes of Lithia’s motion that the alleged breach occurred within two years of [1197]*1197Plaintiffs filing of this action.1 Accordingly, the Court denies Lithia’s motion to dismiss Plaintiffs third cause of action.

B. Breach of Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing

The Court previously dismissed Plaintiffs seventh cause of action for breach of implied covenant and fair dealing against Lithia and Toth. (Dkt. No. 17 at 4.) Plaintiff concedes this point. (Dkt. No. 44 at 6.) Accordingly, the Court grants Lithia’s motion to dismiss the seventh cause of action with prejudice.

C. Negligence

Plaintiff alleges that Lithia had a duty to act “competently, promptly and in the highest good faith with regard to the [insurance] application, the specific coverage provisions and exclusions and the claims process.” (TAC ¶ 97.) She argues that Lit-hia was negligent and breached its duty when it failed to explain the coverage provisions, the claims procedures, and the payment processing procedures, and this breach occurred when she made the demand for assistance. (Id.

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Bluebook (online)
197 F. Supp. 3d 1191, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91757, 2016 WL 3753109, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moss-v-infinity-insurance-co-cand-2016.