National Union Fire Insurance v. Xerox Corp.

6 Misc. 3d 763
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 10, 2004
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 6 Misc. 3d 763 (National Union Fire Insurance v. Xerox Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Union Fire Insurance v. Xerox Corp., 6 Misc. 3d 763 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2004).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Charles Edward Ramos, J.

This is a declaratory judgment action brought to resolve a controversy regarding insurance coverage for numerous securities fraud lawsuits brought by individuals, classes of individuals and regulators against the Xerox Corporation and many of its present and former directors and officers based on their alleged fraudulent reporting of Xerox’s finances from 1997 through 2000.1 In this action, plaintiff National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa. contends that the directors and officers insurance policy it issued to Xerox does not afford coverage to defendants with respect to these lawsuits, and/or that the policy should be rescinded based on the failure to satisfy a condition precedent, fraudulent inducement and/or the doctrine of good faith and fair dealing.

Defendants each seek an order, pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a) (1) and (7) and 3016 (b), dismissing the complaint, dated October 24, 2003, on the grounds that it fails to state a cause of action, is barred by the documentary evidence and that the allegations are not pleaded with requisite particularity. The lead[765]*765ing motion and the primary arguments in support of the motions are made by Xerox (motion sequence 002). Separate motions were also filed on behalf of inside directors Thoman and Fishbach (motion sequence 003), by inside directors Allaire, Romeril, Buehler and Tayler (motion sequence 004), by inside directors Mulcahy and Filter (motion sequence 001), and by current and former outside directors, Inman, Johnson, Jordan, Kobayashi, Kopper, Larsen, Macomber, Mitchell, Nicholas, Pepper, Russo, Seger and Theobald (motion sequence 005). All of the individual defendants adopt Xerox’s arguments, and some have added additional arguments. These five motions are consolidated for disposition.

Background

National Union is a leading provider of directors and officers liability and fiduciary insurance, and is a member of American International Group, Inc. The defendants named in this action are Xerox and several of its current and former directors and officers.

On September 17, 1999, nonparty Federal Insurance Company issued an executive protection primary insurance policy to Xerox (the Primary Policy).

National Union issued an excess policy supplementing the Primary Policy (the Policy). The Policy covered the three-year term commencing June 25, 1999, and provided excess insurance up to $25 million to the extent that the $25 million coverage under the Primary Policy is exhausted. The Policy was a renewal of a prior excess insurance policy in effect for the period from June 25, 1996 to June 25, 1999.

The Policy adopts and “follows form” with the terms and conditions of the Primary Policy, with certain exceptions not relevant to this action. The Primary Policy is a “claims-made” policy, i.e., it covers claims made during the policy period. It contains three coverage sections, including the executive liability and indemnification coverage section, the fiduciary liability coverage section and the crime coverage section. Both the executive liability and the fiduciary liability sections provide coverage for claims made during the policy period based on conduct occurring before and during the policy period.

At least two provisions in the Primary Policy pertain to “application[s]” for coverage. The executive liability and the fiduciary liability provisions both contain a section which provides:

“In granting coverage to any one of the Insureds, [766]*766the Company has relied upon the declarations and statements in the written application for this coverage section and upon any declarations and statements in the original written application submitted to another insurer in respect of the prior coverage . . . All such declarations and statements are the basis of such coverage and shall be considered as incorporated in and constituting part of this coverage section.”2

Additionally, section 10 of the general terms and conditions, as amended by endorsement 3, of the Primary Policy, provides in relevant part that “[t]his policy, together with any application and endorsements, shall constitute the entire contract of insurance.” According to Xerox, and not denied by National Union, Xerox did not submit an application, or any of its financial statements, to either National Union or Federal, in connection with the issuance of the Primary Policy or the Policy.

Six months prior to the effective date of the Policy, on January 12, 1999, National Union issued a “Binder” of coverage to Xerox. The binder provides:

“A condition precedent to coverage afforded by this binder is that no material change in the risk occurs and no submission is made to the Insurer of a claim or circumstances that might give rise to a claim between the date of this binder indicated above and the effective date [June 25, 1999].”

Xerox did not apprise National Union of any change in circumstances during the term of the binder, and the Policy, as thereafter issued by National Union, does not contain any condition precedent language analogous to that contained in the binder.

Subsequent to the issuance of the Policy, it was discovered that Xerox’s 1997 and 1998 10-K reports and its March 31, 1999 report, filed with the SEC, contained material misstatements regarding Xerox’s financial condition for the reporting periods in question.

Xerox’s alleged fraudulent actions were the basis of the SEC’s enforcement action against Xerox, which Xerox ultimately settled, without admitting or denying the allegations in the complaint, by agreeing to, among other things: (a) restate its financial statements for the years 1997 through 2000 by more than $2 billion, (b) pay a $10 million fine, and (c) “the entry of an injunction for violations of the antifraud, reporting and record-keeping provisions of the federal securities laws.”

[767]*767A separate SEC enforcement action was brought against several former high-ranking Xerox officers and directors in connection with these alleged fraudulent financial filings. These individuals, namely, defendants Allaire (former chairman and CEO), Thoman (former president and CEO), Romeril (former CFO), Fishbach (former controller), and Tayler (former treasurer and controller), have settled the SEC action against them by consenting to the entry of a final judgment: (a) that permanently enjoins each of them from violating various sections of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules promulgated thereunder (including, among others, section 10 [b] [15 USC § 78j (b)], and rule 10b-5 [17 CFR 240.10b-5] thereunder); (b) that imposes an officer and director bar against Allaire (five years), Thoman (three years), Romeril (permanent) and Fishbach (five years); (c) agreeing to the payment of civil penalties — Allaire ($1 million), Thoman ($750,000), Romeril ($1 million), Fishbach ($100,000), and Tayler ($75,000); and (d) agreeing to pay disgorgement and prejudgment interest thereon in the following approximate amounts — Allaire ($6 million, $2 million), Thoman ($4.5 million, $1.5 million), Romeril ($3 million, $1.2 million), Fishbach ($650,000, $300,000), and Tayler ($100,000, $30,000).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
6 Misc. 3d 763, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-union-fire-insurance-v-xerox-corp-nysupct-2004.