Ora Catering, Inc. v. Northland Insurance

57 F. Supp. 3d 102, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157592, 2014 WL 5776158
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedNovember 5, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 14-12618-NMG
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 57 F. Supp. 3d 102 (Ora Catering, Inc. v. Northland Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ora Catering, Inc. v. Northland Insurance, 57 F. Supp. 3d 102, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157592, 2014 WL 5776158 (D. Mass. 2014).

Opinion

[104]*104MEMORANDUM & ORDER

GORTON, District Judge.

This case arises out of a dispute over the coverage of a commercial insurance policy issued to Ora Catering, Inc. (“Ora” or “plaintiff’) by Northland Insurance Co. (“Northland” or “defendant”). Ora contends that Northland wrongfully denied coverage of a submitted claim for “extra expenses” incurred after its rental kitchen facilities were destroyed by fire. Plaintiff had sought reimbursement for the costs associated with equipping and bringing its replacement kitchen facilities up to code. It brought both common law and statutory claims based on defendant’s alleged misconduct. Pending before the Court is Northland’s motion to dismiss all claims. For the reasons that follow, that motion will be allowed.

I. Background

A. Factual Background

Ora is a Boston-based kosher food catering company. Northland is a Connecticut corporation with a principal place of business in St. Paul, Minnesota. North-land issued a commercial property insurance policy (“the policy”) to Ora that provided coverage for Ora’s business personal property (i.e., kitchen equipment), food spoilage, business income losses and extra expense losses. The term policy was in effect from November 9, 2011 to November 9, 2012.

On February 12, 2012, plaintiffs rented kitchen facilities in Brighton, Massachusetts were destroyed in a large fire. The fire started in a neighboring restaurant and damaged plaintiffs facilities after being fueled by chemicals stored in an adjacent cleaning supply store.

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, Ora managed to secure kosher kitchen facilities at two local religious congregations. The use of those two temporary kitchen facilities enabled plaintiff to continue to operate its kosher catering business. Ora utilized the facilities at (1) Young Israel of Brookline from February, 2012 to August, 2013 and (2) Congregation Chai Odom in Brighton from February, 2012 to July, 2013. Neither congregation charged plaintiff for the use of its kitchen facilities.

Sometime during 2012 or early 2013, Ora eventually located a desirable permanent replacement facility and incurred $95,631 of expenses to equip and “up-fit” the location to meet local city code requirements for a kitchen facility. Plaintiff operated out of the two temporary locations while the new permanent facility was being equipped and brought up to code. As such, it managed to avoid any interruption to its business after the fire.

Ora subsequently submitted proof of claim documentation to Northland. Northland paid Ora $39,517 in order to cover damages related to its business personal property and corresponding food spoilage costs. Plaintiffs complaint does not allege that the amount paid by defendant failed to cover that portion of its claim.

Additionally, as part of its claim, Ora submitted documentation that detailed the more than $95,631 in expenses that it incurred to equip and “up-fit” its new permanent facility. Plaintiff contends that those expenses are compensable as “extra expenses” under its policy with defendant. Northland declined, however, to cover Ora’s claim for the expenses it incurred that related to the improvements made to its permanent replacement kitchen facility. Accordingly, in a four-page letter dated February 28, 2013, defendant denied the “extra expenses” portion of plaintiffs claim.

[105]*105In its denial of coverage letter, North-land quoted verbatim from a portion of the “Business Income (And Extra Expense) Coverage Form” included in Ora’s policy. Defendant first reproduced the policy language regarding extra expenses, which read in relevant part as follows:

Extra Expense means necessary expenses you incur during the “period of restoration” that you would not have incurred if there had been no direct physical loss or damage to property caused by or resulting from a Covered Cause of Loss.
We will pay Extra Expense (other than the expense to repair or replace property) to:
(1) Avoid or minimize the “suspension” of business and to continue operations at the described premises or at replacement premises or temporary locations, including relocation expenses and cost to equip and operate the replacement location or temporary location.
(2) Minimize the “suspension” of business if you cannot continue “operations”.
We will also pay Extra Expense to repair or replace property, but only to the extent it reduces the amount of loss that otherwise would have been payable under this Coverage Form.

Northland’s denial letter then reproduced the policy language regarding the “period of restoration” referred to in the extra expenses section. The relevant “period of restoration” was defined as beginning “72 hours after the time of direct physical loss” and ended on “[t]he date when business is resumed at a new permanent location.”

Northland’s letter explained its denial of Ora’s extra expenses claim as follows:

As a result of the fire damage you have made a claim for damages that you considered to be extra expenses under your loss of income coverage. During the period of restoration, which ends the day you move into the new [permanent] location, you were able to conduct and maintain your business at no additional costs. We have never received a claim for loss of income or for extra expenses that were incurred to continue your business. The only expenses presented were for build out expenses at a new location. These expenses were not incurred to continue your operation.

As such, defendant concluded that plaintiffs claimed expenses were not covered because they

were not extra expenses incurred during the “period of restoration” that were incurred to avoid or minimize the “suspension” of [plaintiffs] business.

In September, 2013, Ora sent Northland a Chapter 93A demand letter requesting payment of the $95,631 in incurred expenses. In that letter Ora contended that Northland’s denial of its claim (1) was “based upon an egregious misrepresentation of the policy,” (2) “omitted key policy language” and (3) constituted unfair and deceptive insurance practices. Defendant failed to respond with an offer of settlement.

B. Procedural History

Based on defendant’s purported misconduct, plaintiff subsequently filed suit in the Massachusetts Superior Court for Suffolk County on April 25, 2014, alleging both common law and statutory violations in a six-count complaint. Plaintiffs complaint raises common law claims against defendant for breach of contract (Count I), breach of implied contract (Count II), unjust enrichment (Count III) and the right to recompense of mitigated expenses un[106]*106der the insurance policy (Count IV). Plaintiff also seeks a declaratory judgment against defendant (Count V) and raises a statutory claim against defendant for its alleged violation of both M.G.L. c. 93A, § 11 and M.G.L. c. 176D, § 3(9) (Count VI).

Defendant timely removed the case to this Court in June, 2014, based on complete diversity of the parties. Defendant then filed a motion to dismiss plaintiffs suit for failure to state a claim pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12

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57 F. Supp. 3d 102, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157592, 2014 WL 5776158, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ora-catering-inc-v-northland-insurance-mad-2014.