Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance v. Employers Insurance

703 F. Supp. 2d 41, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33655, 2010 WL 1348243
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maine
DecidedApril 5, 2010
DocketCV-09-238-B-W
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 703 F. Supp. 2d 41 (Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance v. Employers Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance v. Employers Insurance, 703 F. Supp. 2d 41, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33655, 2010 WL 1348243 (D. Me. 2010).

Opinion

ORDER ON CROSS-MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

JOHN A. WOODCOCK, JR., Chief Judge.

Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company (Philadelphia) sued Employers Insurance Company of Wausau (Wausau) for contribution for the cost of defending and settling a claim brought against an insured driver. Wausau counter-claimed seeking a judgment that Philadelphia is solely responsible for defense and settlement costs in excess of the driver’s primary insurance. Concluding that the Philadelphia policy is *43 essentially a primary policy and the Wausau policy a true excess policy, the Court grants Wausau’s cross-motion for summary judgment.

I. STATEMENT OF FACTS 1

Loueen Lovely sued Arnold Mushero in state court for $650,000 in damages resulting from an automobile accident that occurred on March 17, 2006 in Levant, Maine. At the time of the accident, Mr. Mushero was operating his own vehicle as a volunteer driver for Penquis C.A.P., Inc. (Penquis), a non-profit organization that provides, among other services, transportation to poor residents in Maine.

Mr. Mushero held a $100,000 personal automobile insurance policy with Concord General Mutual Insurance Company (Concord), and was also covered by policies Penquis carried with Philadelphia and Wausau. Concord and Philadelphia defended and indemnified Mr. Mushero, but Wausau refused to do either.

On June 9, 2009, Philadelphia filed suit seeking a declaratory judgment that Wausau was obligated to contribute to the cost of defense and to indemnify Mr. Mushero and a definition of the proportionate shares Wausau and Philadelphia must contribute. Compl. (Docket # l). 2 On August 7, 2009, Wausau answered and counterclaimed against Philadelphia seeking a declaration that Philadelphia is contractually obligated to defend Mr. Mushero and Penquis and to indemnify Mr. Mushero and that Wausau has no duty to do so. Answer and Counterclaim (Docket # 6). On October 29, 2009, Ms. Lovely settled her suit for $385,000, with Concord paying $100,000 and Philadelphia paying $285,000. Wausau did not contribute to the defense or the settlement. On January 5, 2010, Philadelphia amended its complaint against Wausau to specify that it sought $154,700.39 in contribution, half of its costs incurred in defending and settling Ms. Lovely’s lawsuit. Am. Compl. (Docket #13).

Philadelphia moved for summary judgment on January 15, 2010, contending that because Philadelphia’s and Wausau’s policies are both excess policies in relation to Mr. Mushero, they must pay equally towards the cost of defense and settlement over the $100,000 coverage provided by Concord. Philadelphia’s Mot. for Summ. J. (Docket # 16). Wausau moved for summary judgment on January 29, 2010, arguing that because Philadelphia was essentially a primary policy and Wausau a true excess policy, Wausau was not obligated to pay until Philadelphia’s policy was exhausted. Wausau’s Mot. for Summ. J. (Docket # 18). 3

*44 Wausau replied to Philadelphia’s summary judgment motion on February 5, 2010. Wausau’s Resp. in Opp’n to Philadelphia’s Mot. for Summ. J. (Docket # 20) ('Wausau’s Opp’n to Philadelphia’s Mot.). On February 18, 2010, Philadelphia responded to Wausau’s motion for summary judgment and replied to Wausau’s response to its own motion for summary judgment. Philadelphia’s Resp. in Opp’n to Wausau’s Mot. for Summ. J. (Docket #22) (Philadelphia’s Opp’n to Wausau’s Mot.); Philadelphia’s Reply to Wausau’s Resp. in Opp’n to Philadelphia’s Mot. for Summ. J. (Docket #24) (Philadelphia’s Reply to Wausau’s Opp’n). On February 24, 2010, Wausau replied to Philadelphia’s response to its motion for summary judgment. Wausau’s Reply to Philadelphia’s Resp. in Opp’n to Wausau’s Mot. for Summ. J. (Docket # 28) (Wausau’s Reply to Philadelphia’s Opp’n).

A. Philadelphia’s Policy

Philadelphia’s policy provides Penquis up to $1,000,000 in coverage for “all sums an insured’ legally must pay as damages because of ‘bodily injury’ or property damage’ to which this insurance applies, caused by an ‘accident’ and resulting from the ownership, maintenance or use of a ‘covered auto’.” Philadelphia Policy, Attach. A, “Business Auto Coverage Form” at 2 (Docket # 17). For purposes of liability coverage, “any auto is a ‘covered auto.’ ” Mot. for Summ. J. at 5.

As a volunteer driving a non-Penquisowned vehicle, Mr. Mushero was covered by endorsement: “Anyone volunteering services to [Penquis] is an ‘insured’ while using a covered ‘auto’ [that Penquis doesn’t] own, hire or borrow to transport [Penquis’] clients or other persons in activities necessary to [Penquis’] business.” Philadelphia Policy, Attach. A, “Social Service Agencies — Volunteers as Insureds.”

Although Philadelphia provided primary coverage to Penquis-owned vehicles, it provided only excess coverage to Mr. Mushero’s vehicle: “For any covered auto’ you own, this Coverage Form provides primary insurance. For any covered ‘auto’ you don’t own, the insurance provided by this Coverage Form is excess over any other collectible insurance.” Philadelphia Policy, Attach. A, “Business Auto Coverage Form” at 8.

Philadelphia’s policy further specifies that

When this Coverage Form and any other Coverage Form or policy covers on the same basis, either excess or primary, we will pay only our share. Our share is the proportion that the Limit of Insurance of our Coverage Form bears to the total of the limits of all Coverage Forms and policies covering on the same basis.

Id. at 9.

B. Wausau’s Policy

Wausau’s policy provides $500,000 worth of coverage for Volunteers Insurance Service Association Inc. (VISA), a nationwide organization. Wausau’s Policy, Attach. C. at 1 (Docket # 19). Because Penquis is a member of VISA, all registered volunteers are insured by Wausau. Under the heading “Volunteer Excess Auto Liability,” Wausau specifies that

We will pay all sums in excess of the “retained limit” that the insured be *45 comes legally obligated to pay as damages because of “bodily injury,” “property damage,” or “personal injury” to which this insurance applies.

Wausau’s Policy, Attach. C., “Volunteers Insurance Service Combined Excess Liability Policy” at 1. “Retained limit” means the greater of:

1. An amount equal to the applicable limits of insurance of any other insurance collectible by the insured; or
2. An amount equal to the minimum limit of insurance required under the motor vehicle financial responsibility law of the state or province in which the “accident” occurs or $50,000 whichever is less.

Id. at 13.

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703 F. Supp. 2d 41, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33655, 2010 WL 1348243, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/philadelphia-indemnity-insurance-v-employers-insurance-med-2010.