Offshore Recruiting Services, Inc. v. New Hampshire Insurance Company, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 724, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 2724, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 1183, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 2183, London and Edinburgh Insurance Company Ltd., AXA Global Risk (UK) Ltd., and McGrif

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 29, 2011
Docket01-10-00946-CV
StatusPublished

This text of Offshore Recruiting Services, Inc. v. New Hampshire Insurance Company, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 724, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 2724, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 1183, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 2183, London and Edinburgh Insurance Company Ltd., AXA Global Risk (UK) Ltd., and McGrif (Offshore Recruiting Services, Inc. v. New Hampshire Insurance Company, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 724, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 2724, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 1183, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 2183, London and Edinburgh Insurance Company Ltd., AXA Global Risk (UK) Ltd., and McGrif) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Offshore Recruiting Services, Inc. v. New Hampshire Insurance Company, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 724, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 2724, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 1183, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 2183, London and Edinburgh Insurance Company Ltd., AXA Global Risk (UK) Ltd., and McGrif, (Tex. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

Opinion issued December 29, 2011   

In The

Court of Appeals

For The

First District of Texas


NO. 01-10-00946-CV


OFFSHORE RECRUITING SERVICES, INC., Appellant

V.

NEW HAMPSHIRE INSURANCE COMPANY, LLOYD’S OF LONDON SYNDICATE # 724, LLOYD’S OF LONDON SYNDICATE # 2724, LLOYD’S OF LONDON SYNDICATE # 1183, LLOYD’S OF LONDON SYNDICATE # 2183, LONDON AND EDINBURGH INSURANCE COMPANY LTD., AND AXA GLOBAL RISKS (UK) LTD., Appellees


On Appeal from the 269th District Court

Harris County, Texas

Trial Court Cause No. 2008-75676


MEMORANDUM OPINION

Appellant, Offshore Recruiting Services, Inc. (“Offshore”), challenges the trial court’s rendition of summary judgment in favor of appellees, New Hampshire Insurance Company, Lloyds’s of London Syndicate # 724, Lloyds’s of London Syndicate # 2724, Lloyds’s of London Syndicate # 1183, Lloyds’s of London Syndicate # 2183, London and Edinburgh Insurance Company Ltd., and AXA Global Risks (UK) Ltd. (collectively, “the London Insurers”), in Offshore’s suit against the London Insurers for breach of contract, violations of the Texas Insurance Code, violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act,[1] civil conspiracy, and fraud.  In seven issues, Offshore contends that the trial court erred in granting the London Insurer’s summary judgment motion on all of its causes of action.    

We affirm.   

Background

          Petrodrill Engineering N/V, Inc. (“Petrodrill”), which managed the construction and commissioning of six offshore oil drilling units, entered into an agreement with Offshore for Offshore to provide Petrodrill with personnel for a Petrodrill-managed semi-submersible drilling vessel construction project (the “Personnel Agreement”).  The Personnel Agreement required Offshore to maintain with Lombard Canada Limited (“Lombard”) an “Employers Liability Insurance” policy (the “Lombard Policy”), and it required Offshore and Petrodrill to “indemnify, defend, and hold the other harmless from and against any and all claims, losses, costs, damages and expenses . . . in respect of injury to . . . or death of any person employed by itself or its other contractors or subcontractors . . . arising out of or in connection with” the Personnel Agreement.

          During the construction project, an accident occurred in which one Offshore worker was killed and two Offshore workers were injured.   The injured workers and the estate of the deceased worker sued Petrodrill, and it requested that Offshore, pursuant to the indemnity provision in the Personnel Agreement, defend it against the workers’ claims.  Offshore refused, and Petrodrill, after it later settled the workers’ claims for $912,000, sued Offshore in a Maine court for indemnification for the settlement amounts and its legal expenses.[2]   Offshore challenged the jurisdiction of the Maine court, contending that Petrodrill’s claim was subject to arbitration, and Petrodill submitted its indemnification claim to arbitration in England.  

In the arbitration, Offshore disputed that the indemnity provision applied and it had “employed” the injured and deceased workers within the meaning of the Personnel Agreement’s indemnity provision.  However, the arbitrator disagreed and issued a detailed award order, concluding that Petrodrill was entitled to indemnification for the settlement amounts pursuant to the indemnity provision in the Personnel Agreement.    

Within the award order, the arbitrator also addressed an application to amend that Offshore had filed during the arbitration proceedings.  The arbitrator noted that Offshore had asserted in its application that it was entitled to insurance coverage under a “general maritime and construction liability insurance policy” issued by the London Insurers to Petrodrill. The London Policy identified Petrodrill as the “Principal Assured” and described “Additional Insureds” and “Other Assureds.”  Offshore contended that it qualified as a “co-assured” under the London Policy and the London Insurers had waived their subrogation rights against it.  The arbitrator did not directly address the merits of Offshore’s arguments.  Instead, the arbitrator concluded that Offshore’s application to amend was made “too late,” Offshore could have sought application of the London Policy earlier in the arbitration proceedings, there was “no evidence that [the London Policy] would have been refused,” and the “lateness” of Offshore’s application could not be “justified” on the basis of discovery complaints made by Offshore. Thus, the arbitrator denied Offshore’s application to amend. 

After the entry of the arbitration award, Offshore sent to the London Insurers a letter, demanding that they defend and indemnify it against the claims made by Petrodrill in the arbitration on the basis that Offshore was an “additional insured” under the London Policy.  Subsequently, Offshore filed, against the London Insurers, the instant suit, alleging that they had breached the London Policy by bringing, through Petrodrill

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Offshore Recruiting Services, Inc. v. New Hampshire Insurance Company, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 724, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 2724, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 1183, Lloyd's of London Syndicate 2183, London and Edinburgh Insurance Company Ltd., AXA Global Risk (UK) Ltd., and McGrif, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/offshore-recruiting-services-inc-v-new-hampshire-insurance-company-texapp-2011.