Northbrook Excess & Surplus Insurance v. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies

113 A.D.2d 319, 496 N.Y.S.2d 430, 1985 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 52373
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedDecember 19, 1985
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 113 A.D.2d 319 (Northbrook Excess & Surplus Insurance v. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Northbrook Excess & Surplus Insurance v. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, 113 A.D.2d 319, 496 N.Y.S.2d 430, 1985 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 52373 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Sandler, J.

In this declaratory judgment action the court is once again required to address the often knotty question as to whether a policy providing excess insurance comes within an exception to the general rule that "where there are multiple policies covering the same risk, and each generally purports to be excess to the other, the excess coverage clauses are held to cancel out each other and each insurer contributes in proportion to its limit amount of insurance”. (Lumbermens Mut. Cas. Co. v Allstate Ins. Co., 51 NY2d 651, 655.)

The issue arises in this case in the frequently litigated situation in which one of the policies, the policy of Chubb Group of Insurance Companies (Chubb), is primary as to an owned vehicle but excess as to a nonowned vehicle, and the second policy, that issued by Northbrook Excess and Surplus Insurance Co. (Northbrook), is an umbrella policy covering multiple risks without offering primary coverage as to any of them, and provides that it shall not contribute until all other collectible insurance covering the loss has been exhausted.

Whatever doubts may previously have existed in this situation because of differences between the phrasing of the North-brook umbrella policy and the policy found by the Court of Appeals in Lumbermens Mut. Cas. Co. v Allstate Ins. Co. (supra) to constitute a final tier of coverage, have been resolved by the recent decision of the Court of Appeals in State [321]*321Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v LiMauro (65 NY2d 369). Both in result and in analysis, notwithstanding inevitable variations in facts and language, the opinion in LiMauro, decided after the Special Term judgment here appealed from, clearly establishes that the umbrella policy in this case represents a final tier of coverage and is not required to contribute ratably with the Chubb excess policy.

On March 23, 1981, DRAG (Dealer Rent-A-Car) Chrysler Corporation (DRAG) rented one of its owned vehicles to Belts, Inc., also known as Galaxy Trimming and Accessories, Inc. (Galaxy). On March 24, the rented van, while being driven by a Galaxy employee, was involved in an accident which caused the death of Juan Gonzalez. The Gonzalez estate brought a tort action in Supreme Court against DRAG, Galaxy and the driver, which was settled for $650,000. The stipulation of settlement required Continental Insurance Company (DRAC’s primary insurer on its owned vehicles) to pay its full policy coverage of $500,000, and Chubb and Northbrook to pay $75,000 each, without prejudice to the commencement of a declaratory judgment action to determine the next layer of coverage over Continental’s $500,000 primary coverage.

Chubb had issued to Galaxy a $500,000 "Business Auto Policy” which provided in pertinent part: "For any covered auto you own this policy provides primary insurance. For any covered auto you don’t own, the insurance provided by this policy is excess over any other collectible insurance.”

The policy issued by Northbrook to Chrysler Corporation provided $10 million excess coverage per occurrence not only for DRAC’s automobile liability, but also for Chrysler’s general liability, corporate automobile liability, workers’ compensation, garage liability, automobile products liability, general liability for a housing project, aircraft liability, and worldwide comprehensive liability. As here pertinent, the policy provided:

"The Company’s limit of liability for Personal Injury or Property Damage or both combined, shall be only for the ultimate net loss in excess of the limits of the Underlyings as set out in the attached schedule and then only up to an amount not exceeding $10,000,000 for each occurrence * * *
"It is further provided, however, that if other valid and collectible insurance is available to any interest such interest shall not become an Insured with respect to this coverage until all other applicable coverage available to them has been [322]*322exhausted and then the Company shall be liable for the ultimate net loss in excess of such insurance and then up to but not exceeding the limit of liability as aforesaid.”

As contemplated by the stipulation of settlement, North-brook brought this action for declaratory judgment and indemnification against Chubb alleging that its policy was excess to Chubb’s and that it should be reimbursed for its $75,000 contribution to the underlying settlement. Both parties moved for summary judgment. Concluding that the North-brook policy did not adequately convey an intent to make it excess to policies not listed in the appended schedule of underlying policies, Special Term determined that both policies should contribute to the liability not covered by the primary carrier, and should contribute proportionately to the base amounts of their respective policies. In view of the decision in State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v LiMauro (65 NY2d 369, supra), it is clear that the judgment should be reversed to declare that the Northbrook policy is not required to contribute to the payment of the judgment and summary judgment should be granted to Northbrook in the amount of $75,000, with interest and costs.

Analysis of the issue presented appropriately starts with a consideration of the Court of Appeals opinion in Lumbermens Mut. Cas. Co. v Allstate Ins. Co. (51 NY2d 651, supra). The Court of Appeals determined that the general rule providing for ratable contribution by excess insurers was inapplicable with regard to two of the excess policies before it "because its use would effectively deny and clearly distort the plain meaning of the terms of the policies of insurance here involved” (supra, at p 655).

The rule was found inapplicable to one of the two Allstate policies providing excess coverage, because that policy, denominated an executive policy, "was designed specifically to provide coverage in excess of that provided by” (51 NY2d 651, 655, supra) the other Allstate excess insurance policy, which had been listed in an attached schedule as an underlying policy.

In addition, the court held, with regard to a "Catastrophe Policy” issued by Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, that the parties did not bargain for a ratable contribution with the Allstate policies, the Lumbermens policy specifically providing "coverage in excess of all other coverage available, including excess coverage” (51 NY2d 651, 656, supra). In [323]*323pertinent part, the Lumbermens policy provided for coverage in excess of "any other valid and collectible insurance available to the insured, whether such other insurance is stated to be primary, contributing, excess or contingent” (at p 655). The court went on to state: "The plain meaning of the language embodied within the terms of these contracts compels the conclusion that the rule of ratable contribution is inapplicable in this case * * * [W]e also observe that to force a ratable contribution among the nonprimary insurers in this case, in contravention to the plain meaning of the insurance contracts, would serve to prevent the insurance buyer from purchasing additional coverage at a premium reduced to reflect the lesser risk to the insurer” (at pp 656-657).

In State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v LiMauro (65 NY2d 369, supra)

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

WCHCC (Bermuda) Ltd. v. Granite State Insurance
564 F. App'x 615 (Second Circuit, 2014)
Bovis Lend Lease LMB, Inc. v. Great American Insurance
53 A.D.3d 140 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2008)
Liberty Mutual Insurance v. Hartford Insurance of the Midwest
25 A.D.3d 658 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2006)
Argonaut Insurance v. U.S. Fire Insurance
728 F. Supp. 298 (S.D. New York, 1990)
Argonaut Ins. Co., Inc. v. US Fire Ins. Co.
728 F. Supp. 298 (S.D. New York, 1990)
United States Fire Insurance v. Federal Insurance
858 F.2d 882 (Second Circuit, 1988)
Liberty Mutual Insurance v. Fireman's Fund Insurance Companies
140 Misc. 2d 53 (New York Supreme Court, 1988)
Home Insurance v. Liberty Mutual Insurance
678 F. Supp. 1066 (S.D. New York, 1988)
HOME INS. CO., INC. v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co.
678 F. Supp. 1066 (S.D. New York, 1988)
United States Fire Insurance v. Federal Insurance
670 F. Supp. 1191 (S.D. New York, 1987)
Northbrook Excess & Surplus Insurance v. Chubb Group of Insurance
494 N.E.2d 448 (New York Court of Appeals, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
113 A.D.2d 319, 496 N.Y.S.2d 430, 1985 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 52373, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/northbrook-excess-surplus-insurance-v-chubb-group-of-insurance-companies-nyappdiv-1985.