Neidenbach v. Amica Mutual Insurance

96 F. Supp. 3d 925, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28903, 2015 WL 1040228
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedMarch 10, 2015
DocketNo. 4:13-CV-1604 CAS
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 96 F. Supp. 3d 925 (Neidenbach v. Amica Mutual Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Neidenbach v. Amica Mutual Insurance, 96 F. Supp. 3d 925, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28903, 2015 WL 1040228 (E.D. Mo. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

CHARLES A. SHAW, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on defendant’s motion for summary judgment. The motion is fully briefed and ready for disposition. For the following reasons, defendant’s motion for summary judgment is granted.

I. Background

Plaintiffs Dale and Kim Neidenbach allege in their first amended complaint that on or about October 10, 2012, a fire started on their property, and they sustained damage amounting to the total loss of their home and personal belongings. They claim that defendant Arnica Mutual Insurance Company (“Arnica”) had issued them an insurance policy covering this damage, which was in full force and effect at the time. They also claim that they satisfied all conditions precedent under the policy. Plaintiffs contend they made a demand for coverage under the policy, which defendant failed to pay. Plaintiffs allege that they have been damaged in excess of $612,000.00, and without specifying what type of claim they are bringing, they request in their amended complaint that the Court enter judgment in their favor against defendant Arnica in excess of $25,000.00.

Defendant Arnica filed an answer in response to the amended complaint, in which it asserted a number of affirmative defenses and a counterclaim against plaintiffs. Defendant alleges in its affirmative defenses, among other things, that plaintiffs are barred from recovery and there is no coverage under the policy at issue because the loss arose out of an intentional act by the insured, and that plaintiffs intentionally concealed and/or misrepresented material facts about the circumstances of the fire and the extent of the loss. Arnica asserts a counterclaim for declaratory judgment. Arnica requests, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2201 and Rule 57 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, that the Court declare the Neidenbachs are barred from recovery and there is no coverage under the policy at issue.

In the motion presently before the Court, defendant Arnica moves that the Court enter judgment in its favor as to [927]*927plaintiffs’ claims against the company.1 Arnica argues that the Neidenbachs are barred from recovering under the policy due to a number of material misrepresentations they made during the claims process. More specifically, Arnica argues that the amount plaintiffs claimed in their proof of loss differs dramatically from the amount they valued their personal property in connection with a bankruptcy petition they filed just one year prior to the fire. Arnica also argues that the Neidenbachs failed to inform Arnica about the existence of financial documents and other property items that they had moved to two storage units following the fire. Arnica further argues that the Neidenbachs concealed their involvement in the demolition of their home and the removal of their underground swimming pool before Arnica had completed its investigation. Finally, the company argues that the Neidenbachs failed to cooperate in Arnica’s investigation and filed suit prematurely, before Arnica had made any coverage decision. Plaintiffs oppose the motion for summary judgment, which is fully briefed.

II. Summary Judgment Standard

The Eighth Circuit has recently articulated the appropriate standard for consideration of motions for summary judgment, as follows:

Summary judgment is proper if the pleadings, the discovery and disclosure materials on file, and any affidavits show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The movant bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and must identify those portions of the record which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. If the movant does so, the nonmovant must respond by submitting evidentiary materials that set out specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. On a motion for summary judgment, facts must be viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party only if there is a genuine dispute as to those facts. Credibility determinations, the weighing of the evidence, and the drawing of legitimate inferences from the facts are jury functions, not those of a judge. The nonmovant must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts, and must come forward with specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. Where the record taken as a whole could not lead a rational trier of fact to find for the nonmoving party, there is no genuine issue for trial.

Torgerson v. City of Rochester, 643 F.3d 1031, 1043 (8th Cir.2011) (en banc) (internal citations and quotation marks omitted). “Although the burden of demonstrating the absence of any genuine issue of material fact rests on the movant, a nonmovant may not rest upon mere denials or allegations, but must instead set forth specific facts sufficient to raise a genuine issue for trial.” Wingate v. Gage Cnty. Sch. Dist., No. 34, 528 F.3d 1074, 1078-79 (8th Cir.2008) (cited case omitted).

With this standard in mind, the Court accepts the following facts as true for purposes of resolving the parties’ motions for summary judgment.

III. Facts

Dale and Kim Neidenbach were named insureds on a homeowners insurance policy issued by Arnica, Policy number 630524-[928]*92820HX (“the Policy”), with effective dates May 8, 2012, through May 8, 2013. On October 10, 2012, a fire occurred at the Neidenbaehs’ residence, located at 991 Decker Road, Labadie, Missouri 63055.2 After the fire was extinguished, portions of the home remained standing, but there was considerable damage. The parties dispute whether the fire resulted in a total loss of the dwelling and personal property.

Following the fire loss, the Neidenbaehs made a claim under the Policy. They submitted a Sworn Statement Proof of Loss (“Proof of Loss”) claiming their dwelling and garage suffered a total loss, and seeking $375,000.00 in alleged damage to the dwelling and garage. They also sought $262,500.00 for fire damaged personal property items, such as household goods, furnishings, clothing, tools, firearms, and other hobby equipment. In the record submitted to the Court, there is an inventory of the Neidenbach’s personal property attached to the Proof of loss.3 Doc. 50, Ex. U at 2-36.

Approximately one year prior to the fire loss, the Neidenbaehs had filed for bankruptcy in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division, Case No. 11-46383-399. In signing and filing their 2011 Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Petition, the Neidenbaehs attested that the value of their house was $300,000.00.

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Bluebook (online)
96 F. Supp. 3d 925, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28903, 2015 WL 1040228, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/neidenbach-v-amica-mutual-insurance-moed-2015.