National Fire Insurance v. Lewis

898 F. Supp. 2d 1132, 2012 WL 4481403
CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedSeptember 28, 2012
DocketNo. CV-11-01220-PHX-GMS
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 898 F. Supp. 2d 1132 (National Fire Insurance v. Lewis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Fire Insurance v. Lewis, 898 F. Supp. 2d 1132, 2012 WL 4481403 (D. Ariz. 2012).

Opinion

ORDER

G. MURRAY SNOW, District Judge.

Several motions relating to insurance coverage are pending before the Court. This order attempts to dispose of all such motions. The motions resolved by this order are more specifically identified below.1

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The parties to this case are engaged in an insurance coverage dispute brought in this Court by various insurers.

Some of the Defendants to this action2 (the “Underlying Plaintiffs”) have filed eight separate complaints in Arizona Superior Court against other Defendants.3 The Defendants in the underlying actions include Richard Jay Lewis, M.D., his spouse Lisa Hara Levin-Lewis, Advanced Cardiac Specialists, Chartered (“ACS”) which employed Dr. Lewis as a cardiologist, Robert M. Siegel, M.D.,4 who was the President, sole director, and sole shareholder of ACS, and Dr. Barbara Barker-Siegel, his spouse.

The Underlying Plaintiffs allege, with some variation, that during the course of their treatment Dr. Lewis inappropriately viewed and sexually assaulted them. (Doc. 79 ¶¶ 15-28; Doc. Ill ¶¶ 15-23.) Underlying Plaintiffs Pummill, Larsen, Landsverk, and Saylor also allege that Dr. Lewis recommended and performed unnecessary pacemaker surgeries on them. (Doc. 79, Ex. 1 at 10 (Pummill Compl. ¶ 28), 110 (Landsverk Compl. ¶ 17); Doc. Ill, Ex. 12 (Saylor Amend. Compl. ¶¶ 16, 24); Doc. 165, Ex. 1 ¶ 30.)

All Underlying Plaintiffs bring claims arising from the alleged inappropriate ac[1137]*1137tions of Dr. Lewis, including: (1) Assault and Battery; (2) Negligence — Medical Malpractice; (3) Intentional or Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress and Invasion of Privacy. (Doc. 79 ¶¶ 24-35; Doc. Ill ¶¶ 24-35, Ex. 12.) The Complaints allege not only that Dr. Lewis and his wife are liable for these three counts, but that ACS, Dr. Siegel, and Dr. Barker-Siegel (collectively, “the ACS Defendants”) are vicariously liable under Arizona law for Dr. Lewis’s actions. (Doc. 79'¶¶ 25-27, 29, 30-35; Doc. Ill ¶¶ 25-27, 29, 30-35, Ex. 12.) The Complaints also state causes of action directly against the ACS Defendants for the negligent hiring, retention, and supervision of Dr. Lewis. (Id.)5 Finally, Pummill, Larsen, Landsverk, and Saylor allege separate claims for medical negligence against Dr. Lewis and the ACS Defendants for performing unnecessary pacemaker surgery on them, as well as derivative negligence claims against the ACS Defendants.

On January 6, 2010, Dr. Lewis was indicted on 46 counts of sexual abuse, 14 counts of assault, and one count of sexual assault in Arizona state court. (Doc. 139, Lexington SOF ¶ 14; Doc. 183 ¶ 14; Doc. 212 ¶ 14.) Seven of the eight Underlying Plaintiffs were among the listed victims. (Doc. 139, Lexington SOF ¶ 15; Doc. 183 ¶ 15; Doc. 212 ¶ 15.) Dr. Lewis subsequently pled guilty on May 10, 2012, to 18 counts of aggravated assault, a class 6 felony, involving the same seven Underlying Plaintiffs.6 (Doc. 169, Ex. 1 at 7-11; Doc. 165, Ex. A at 19-54; Doe. 139, Ex. 1 at 2-15.)

Plaintiffs National Fire Insurance Company of Hartford and Transportation Insurance Company (the “General Liability Insurers”) issued separate but essentially identical Businessowner Liability Insurance Policies (“the businessowner policies”) to ACS that collectively cover the period from May 1, 2007, to May 1, 2010. (Doc. 79 ¶¶ 36-37; Doc. Ill, ¶¶ 36-37.) The businessowner policies provide coverage for “bodily injury” caused by a non-excepted “occurrence”' during the policy time period. (Doc. 79 ¶ 38; Doc.. Ill ¶ 38.) The General Liability Insurers have undertaken a defense of the ACS Defendants against the underlying complaints under a complete reservation of rights. (Doc. 79 ¶ 50-51; Doc. Ill ¶ 50-51.)

Plaintiff Medical Protective Company issued consecutive claims-made professional liability policies to the ACS Defendants and Dr. Lewis for the period of May 1, 2008, through May 1, 2010. (Doc. 137, Medical Protective SOF ¶ 17, 19; Doc. 183 ¶ 17, 19.) The 2009-10 policy included an Extended Reporting Period Endorsement as to Dr. Lewis with a retroactive date of February 23, 2006. (Doc. 137, Medical Protective SOF ¶ 20; Doc. 183 ¶ 20.) Pursuant to its terms, the 2009-10 policy was cancelled with regard to the ACS Defendants as of March 1, 2010. (Doc. 137, Medical Protective SOF ¶ 21; Doc. 183 ¶ 21.) The Medical Protective policies con[1138]*1138tain two distinct insurance agreements: the “physicians” policy and the “corporate” policy. (Doc. 59, Ex. B at 5.) ACS, Dr. Lewis, Dr. Siegel, and Dr. Barker-Siegel are all named insureds under the physicians agreement. (Id. at 10-11.) ACS and its agents are insureds under the corporate agreement. (Id. at 6-7.)

Plaintiff Lexington Insurance Company (“Lexington”) issued consecutive claims-made Medical Group Professional Liability and Administrative Proceedings Insurance Policies (the “Lexington policies”) to the ACS Defendants that covered “sums that an Insured becomes legally obligated to pay others as damages resulting from a medical incident arising out of professional services.” (Doc. 139, Lexington SOF ¶¶ 17-20, 24; Doc. 183 ¶¶ 17-20, 24; Doc. 212 ¶¶ 17-20, 24.) The Lexington policies picked up where the Medical Protective policies left off and covered the period from March 1, 2010, thorough March 1, 2012. (Doc. 139, Lexington SOF ¶¶ 17-19; Doc. 183 ¶¶ 17-19, Doc. 212 ¶¶ 17-19.)

The insurers instituted the present declaratory judgment action on June 21, 2011, seeking a declaration that the businessowner policies, the Medical Protective policies, and the Lexington polices do not provide coverage for the allegations contained in the underlying complaints against the Lewis and ACS Defendants, and that the insurers therefore have no duty to defend the Lewis and ACS Defendants in the underlying actions. First, National Fire and Transportation filed a Motion for Summary of Judgment or, in the Alternative, Partial Summary Judgment. (Doc. 78.) Many of the Defendants opposed the motion and filed Motions for Partial Summary Judgment of their own with regard to the businessowner policy coverage: the Larsens (Doc. 108); the Saylors (Doc. 109); the Shooks (Doc. 113); the Landsverks (Doc. 115);' Pummill (Doc. 117); the Pipers (Doc. 119); Tupper (Doc. 121); Staley (Doc. 123); and the ACS Defendants (Doc. 125).

Second, Medical Protective filed a Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. (Doc. 136.) The relevant Underlying Plaintiffs opposed. In addition, Underlying Plaintiffs Larsen (Doc. 167) and Saylor (Doc. 184) filed cross-motions for summary judgment.

Third, Lexington filed a Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. (Doc. 138.) Once again, many of the Defendants opposed. The Saylors filed a separate Motion for Partial Summary Judgment against Lexington. (Doc. 188.) Pummill (Doc. 245) and the Landsverks (Doc. 266) have joined the Saylors’ Motion.

Finally, Medical Protective has filed a Motion to Strike (Doc. 249) arising out of a briefing dispute with the Larsens. In short, the issue of coverage for the ACS Defendants and Dr. Lewis under all of the relevant policies is before the Court.

For the following reasons, the Court grants in part and denies in part the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by National Fire and Transportation, and denies the relevant cross-motions.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
898 F. Supp. 2d 1132, 2012 WL 4481403, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-fire-insurance-v-lewis-azd-2012.