Nautilus Insurance v. 3 Builders, Inc.

955 F. Supp. 2d 1121, 2013 WL 3223643
CourtDistrict Court, D. Hawaii
DecidedJune 24, 2013
DocketCivil No. 11-00303 LEK-RLP
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 955 F. Supp. 2d 1121 (Nautilus Insurance v. 3 Builders, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Hawaii primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nautilus Insurance v. 3 Builders, Inc., 955 F. Supp. 2d 1121, 2013 WL 3223643 (D. Haw. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

LESLIE E. KOBAYASHI, District Judge.

Before the Court is Plaintiff/Counter Defendant Nautilus Insurance Company’s (“Nautilus”) Motion for Summary Judgment (“Motion”), filed on November 12, 2012. [Dkt. no. 42.] Defendant/Counter Claimant 3 Builders, Inc. (“3 Builders”) filed its memorandum in opposition on April 29, 2013, and Nautilus filed its reply on May 3, 2013. [Dkt. nos. 59, 60.] This matter came on for hearing on May 20, 2013. Appearing on behalf of Nautilus was Leah Reyes, Esq., and appearing on behalf of 3 Builders was Paul Herran, Esq. After careful consideration of the Motion, supporting and opposing memoranda, and the arguments of counsel, Nautilus’s Motion is HEREBY GRANTED for the reasons set forth below.

BACKGROUND

Nautilus filed its Complaint for Declaratory Judgment on May 9, 2011. Nautilus filed its First Amended Complaint for Declaratory Judgment (“First Amended Complaint”) on September 25, 2012. [Dkt. no. 37.] Nautilus seeks a judicial determination that it has no duty to defend or indemnify 3 Builders either in Association of Apartment Owners of Mililani Pinnacle v. Certified Ass’n Services, Inc., Civil No. 11-1-2736-11 KKS, Circuit Court of the First Circuit, State of Hawai’i (“Underlying Action”), or in an arbitration proceeding before Dispute Prevention & Resolution titled The Matter of Arbitration Between Certified Ass’n Service, Inc. v. Association of Apartment Owners of Mililani Pinnacle, Arbitration No. 98-0308-A (“Underlying Arbitration”, both collectively “Underlying Proceedings”).1

3 Builders filed its answer to the original complaint, with a counterclaim, on November 9, 2011. [Dkt. no. 11.] 3 Builders filed its answer to the First Amended Complaint (“First Amended Answer”), which included the First Amended Counterclaim for Declaratory Judgment (“First Amended Counterclaim”). [Dkt. no. 39.] In the First Amended Counterclaim, 3 Builders seeks: a declaratory judgment that Nautilus has a duty to defend and a duty to indemnify 3 Builders in the Underlying Proceedings; attorneys’ fees and costs pursuant to Haw.Rev.Stat. § 431:10-242 and any other applicable authority; and any other appropriate relief. [First Amended Counterclaim at pgs. 4-5.]

1. Factual Background

Nautilus issued three commercial general liability (“CGL”) insurance policies, policy numbers NC754585, NC861241, and NC974362, to 3 Builders that were in effect from January 24, 2008 through January 24, 2011 (collectively “the Policies”). [Nautilus’s Separate Concise Statement of Facts in Supp. of Motion (“Nautilus CSOF”) at ¶ 18 (citing First Amended Complaint, Exhs. D-F).2]

A. Underlying Action

3 Builders is named as one of the defendants in the Underlying Action. [Nautilus [1123]*1123CSOF at ¶ 2.] The complaint in the Underlying Action (“Pinnacle Complaint”3) alleges that, in 2008, Certified Management, Inc. (“Certified”), the management company for the Association of Apartment Owners of Mililani Pinnacle (“Pinnacle”), recommended that Pinnacle re-roof all of its buildings (“the Project”). Pinnacle and Certified entered into contracts for Certified to provide construction management services for the Project. [Pinnacle Complaint at ¶¶ 6-13.] Lance Luke, Certified’s president, recommended that Pinnacle select 3 Builders as the contractor for the Project. Luke cited 3 Builders’ experience, and the fact that 3 Builders had the best price offer. The Pinnacle Complaint, however, alleges that Luke failed to disclose to Pinnacle that Certified and 3 Builders had a close relationship and had worked together on a number of previous projects. In reliance on Luke’s and Certified’s representations, Pinnacle agreed to have Certified enter into a contract with 3 Builders, and Pinnacle entered into a Construction Contract with 3 Builders.4 The Construction Contract called for 3 Builders to replace each of the Pinnacle building roofs with a metal roofing system manufactured by Classic Metal Roofing (“CMR”). The contract price was $1,505,182.60. Certified, Luke, and 3 Builders did not disclose to Pinnacle that neither 3 Builders nor 3 Builders’ subcontractor, M & R, had installed a CMR roof before the Project. They also failed to provide Pinnacle with a copy of the subcontract. {Id. at ¶¶ 3,14-25.]

Pinnacle experienced numerous problems with the performance of Certified, Luke, 3 Builders, and M & R (collectively, “the Contractors”). Pinnacle requested a meeting with the Contractors because it was concerned about the Contractors’ failure to address these problems. They discussed, inter alia, the failure the secure a bond, the failure to disclose certain information, duplication of work, and the status of the Project. Pinnacle ultimately terminated its agreement with Certified and halted work on the Project because of these problems. At the time of the termination, the roof on Building 9 and a portion of the roof on Building 8 had been completed. Pinnacle paid 3 Builders $247,611.55 for the work that 3 Builders and/or M & R had done. At the time of the termination, Pinnacle was not aware of any substantive defects in the roofs. Certified demanded more money for the work, but Pinnacle refused. [Id. at ¶¶ 26-35.] Certified filed an arbitration demand seeking the amount it alleged that Pinnacle owed it pursuant to their agreements. [Id. at ¶ 37.]

On May 7, 2009, CMR inspected the roofing work that the Contractors had completed, and in August 2009, CMR provided Pinnacle with a report stating that the completed roofs were not properly installed. Pinnacle was concerned that CMR would not issue warranties for the roofs that the Contractors installed. Pin[1124]*1124nade notified the Contractors of the report and retained Trinity, ERD (“Trinity”) as a consultant to examine the roof work and assess the situation. Trinity determined there were numerous defects in the construction and issued a report in November 2010 stating that the only viable alternative was to replace the roofs on Buildings 8 and 9.5 The Contractors did not offer to replace the roofs, nor did they offer any other remedy. Pinnacle therefore hired Aluminum Shake Roofing, Inc. (“ASRI”) to replace the roofs that the Contractors installed. [Id. at ¶¶ 36, 38, 40-41, 43-44, 47.] As of June 2010, Pinnacle had paid $247,611.55 to 3 Builders for the original, allegedly faulty, installation, and $231,222.92 to ASRI for the remediation work. [Id. at ¶¶ 53-54.]

The Pinnacle Complaint alleges the following claims: breach of contract against Luke and Certified; breach of contract against 3 Builders; breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing by the Contractors; negligent and intentional misrepresentation, negligent and intentional nondisclosure, and fraudulent inducement against the Contractors; quantum meruit and unjust enrichment against the Contractors; negligence against Luke and Certified; negligence against 3 Builders and M & R; fraud by the Contractors; unfair and deceptive business practices (“UDAP”) against Luke and Certified; and UDAP against 3 Builders and M & R.

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955 F. Supp. 2d 1121, 2013 WL 3223643, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nautilus-insurance-v-3-builders-inc-hid-2013.