Pelzer v. ARMtech Insurance Services

928 F. Supp. 2d 1071
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Arkansas
DecidedMarch 4, 2013
DocketNos. 4:11CV00108 JLH, 4:12CV00346 JLH
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 928 F. Supp. 2d 1071 (Pelzer v. ARMtech Insurance Services) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pelzer v. ARMtech Insurance Services, 928 F. Supp. 2d 1071 (E.D. Ark. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

J. LEON HOLMES, District Judge.

The plaintiffs, who farm land in Arkansas, allege that an agent of their crop insurance company, ARMtech Insurance Services, falsely told them that certain crops would be covered by their federally reinsured policies. ARMtech, in turn, has filed a third-party complaint against the agent, Larry Church, and his agency, LDC, III, Inc. ARMtech has now moved for summary judgment on all claims, the plaintiffs have moved to amend their complaints, and Church has moved for summary judgment on ARMteeh’s third-party complaint. For the following reasons, ARMteeh’s motions for summary judgment are granted in part and denied in part, the plaintiffs’ motion to amend is denied, and Church’s motion for summary judgment is denied.

I.

A court should enter summary judgment if the evidence demonstrates that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ.P. 56(a); see also Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249-50, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2511, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The moving party bears the initial responsibility of demonstrating the absence of a genuine dispute of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2553, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). If the moving party meets this burden, the nonmoving party must respond by coming forward with specific facts establishing a genuine dispute for trial. Torgerson v. City of Rochester, 643 F.3d 1031, 1042 (8th Cir.2011) (en banc). In deciding a motion for summary judgment, a court views the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party and draws all reasonable inferences in that party’s favor. PHL Variable Ins. Co. v. Fulbright McNeill, Inc., 519 F.3d 825, 828 (8th Cir.2008). A genuine dispute exists only if the evidence is sufficient to allow a jury to return a verdict for the nonmoving party. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249, 106 S.Ct. at 2511. When a nonmoving party cannot make a showing sufficient to establish a necessary element of the case on which that party bears the burden of proof, the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Celotex Corp., 477 U.S. at 322-23, 106 S.Ct. at 2552.

II.

In 1938, Congress enacted the Federal Crop Insurance Act (FCIA) “to promote the national welfare by improving the economic stability of agriculture through a sound system of crop insurance and providing the means for the research and experience helpful in devising and establishing such insurance.” Alliance Ins. Co. v. Wilson, 384 F.3d 547, 549 (8th Cir.2004) (quoting 7 U.S.C. § 1502). Originally, the FCIA permitted only the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) to issue crop insurance policies and handle claims on those policies. Id. That changed in 1980, when Congress amended the FCIA and authorized the FCIC to allow private insurance companies such as ARMtech to sell and service crop insurance policies to farmers. Id.; see also Williams Farms of Homestead, Inc. v. Rain & Hail Ins. Servs., Inc., 121 F.3d 630, 633 (11th Cir. 1997). These policies are then fully reinsured by the FCIC so long as the insurance companies use the standard policy guidelines, including terms and conditions, established by the FCIC. Williams Farms, 121 F.3d at 633; Nobles v. Rural [1074]*1074Cmty. Ins. Servs., 122 F.Supp.2d 1290, 1292 (M.D.Ala.2000).

The plaintiffs consist of two groups, the Pelzers and the Hunts.1 The Hunts farm land in Miller County, Arkansas, and the Pelzers farm land in Desha County and Drew County, Arkansas.2 In the spring of 2007, the Hunts asked Church if planting non-irrigated corn as a second crop behind winter wheat would be insurable. Church advised the Hunts that this double-cropping would be insurable. Church says that this advice was based on two conversations he had with Buckles Bryant, ARM-tech’s national claims manager, in which Bryant affirmed the insurability.3 Several weeks later, Church advised the Pelzers that they also would be insured for non-irrigated corn planted behind wheat. Thereafter, both the Hunts and the Pelzers applied for and were issued, by ARM-tech, multiple peril crop insurance policies for the 2007 crop year that were “reinsured by the [FCIC] under the authority of section 508(h) of the [FCIA].” See Document # 53-2, at 1.4

The coverage provisions of the insurance policies stated that the plaintiffs were protected against “unavoidable loss” that directly resulted from a specified “naturally occurring event.” Document # 53-2, at 15 (Basic Provisions § 13). The plaintiffs would not be covered, however, if they failed to follow “recognized good farming practices for the insured crop.” Id. (Basic Provisions § 13(b)); see also 7 U.S.C. § 1508(a)(3)(A)(iii). The policies defined “good farming practices” as:

production methods utilized to produce the insured crop and allow it to make normal progress toward maturity and product at least the yield used to determine the revenue guarantee, ... [which are,] for conventional or sustainable farming practices, those [methods] generally recognized by agricultural experts for the area.

Document # 53-2, at 3 (Basic Provisions § 1: Good farming practices). The policies further stated that “We [ARMtech] may, or you [the insured] may request us to, contact FCIC to determine whether or not production methods will be considered to be ‘good farming practices.’ ” Id.

With their policies in hand, the plaintiffs, with the exception of H & D Farms, then planted non-irrigated corn behind winter wheat on several parcels of their land, and they certified to ARMtech in writing that they were doing so. ARMtech issued schedules of insurance to the plaintiffs based on these certifications. David Pelzer planted 375.7 acres of non-irrigated corn behind harvested wheat in Desha County. David & Matthew Pelzer, LLC did the same for 175 acres in Desha County and 62.7 acres in Drew County. David [1075]*1075& Ruth Pelzer, LLC, did the same for 24 acres in Desha County and 120 acres in Drew County. Finally, Larry Hunt planted 1,543.9 acres of non-irrigated corn behind harvested winter wheat in Miller County. H & D Farms, however, certified to ARMtech that, due to adverse weather conditions, it had been prevented from planting corn as a second crop on 417.1 acres in Miller County. The other plaintiffs eventually reported to ARMtech that bad weather had destroyed their double-cropped corn.

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928 F. Supp. 2d 1071, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pelzer-v-armtech-insurance-services-ared-2013.