Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance v. Kansas City Home Care, Inc.

139 F. Supp. 2d 1194, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6024, 2001 WL 392453
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedApril 11, 2001
Docket00-2391-JWL
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 139 F. Supp. 2d 1194 (Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance v. Kansas City Home Care, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas 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. Kansas City Home Care, Inc., 139 F. Supp. 2d 1194, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6024, 2001 WL 392453 (D. Kan. 2001).

Opinion

*1196 MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

LUNGSTRUM, District Judge.

This case comes before the court on the plaintiffs motion for summary judgment (Doc. 13), the plaintiffs motion for leave to file an amended complaint (Doc. 15) and defendant Lynda Moore’s motion for partial summary judgment (Doc. 43). For the reasons set out below, the plaintiffs summary judgment motion is granted, thus mooting its motion to amend, and the defendant’s motion for partial summary judgment is denied.

• Undisputed Facts

Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company (“Philadelphia Insurance”) entered into an insurance contract with Kansas City Home Care, Inc. (“KCHC”) and Kansas City Home and Health Services, Inc. (“KCHHS”) effective October 30, 1997 to October 30, 1998. The contract provides coverage in two parts, the Commercial General Liability (“CGL”) section and the Social Service Organization Professional Liability (“SSOPL”) section. The CGL section provides coverage for “bodily injury,” “property damage,” “personal injury” and “advertising injury” if caused by an “occurrence.” An “occurrence” is defined as “an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions.” The SSOPL section provides coverage for “damages” resulting from a “professional incident.” A “professional incident” is defined as “any actual or alleged negligent” act, error or omission “in the actual rendering of professional services to others, including counseling services, in your capacity as a social service organization.” According to the contract, “[professional services inelude[ ] the furnishing of food, beverages, medications or appliances in connection therewith.” Both sections cover employees, “but only for acts within the scope of their employment” or while “performing duties related to the conduct” of the insured’s business.

On December 13, 1999, Mark Toliver, Katherine Bruni and Christian Toliver (the “Toliver children”) filed a counterclaim in a lawsuit before Judge VanBebber of this court. 1 The counterclaim defendants include KCHC, KCHHS and Lynda Moore. The counterclaim alleges that in February of 1998, the Toliver children contracted with KCHC and KCHHS for nursing, home health and personal services for Mariza Toliver at her home in Johnson County, Kansas. According to the counterclaim, KCHHS assigned an employee, Lynda Moore, to provide the contracted services to Mariza Toliver. The counterclaim alleges that Ms. Moore conspired with two other care givers to obtain an interest in the jewelry of Mariza Toliver and in a trust created by Mariza Toliver (the “Toliver Trust”). Ms. Moore allegedly used “improper or wrongful means” to influence Mariza Toliver, who suffered from “mental and physical impairments,” to name Ms. Moore and another care giver as beneficiaries of Ms. Toliver’s estate and the Toliver Trust. Mariza Toliver died on April 15, 1998, after executing a new will and trust documents naming Ms. Moore and another care giver as beneficiaries in place of the Toliver children. The counterclaim lists numerous causes of action, including breach of contract, fraud, conspiracy, violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, and negligent hiring and supervision.

KCHC, KCHHS and Ms. Moore demanded that Philadelphia Insurance pro *1197 vide a defense and indemnity against the counterclaim. Philadelphia Insurance refused to defend or indemnify Ms. Moore and is defending KCHC and KCHHS un(der a reservation of rights. Philadelphia Insurance brought this lawsuit seeking declaratory judgment that it owes no duty to defend or to indemnify KCHC, KCHHS or Ms. Moore. Ms. Moore filed a counterclaim for declaratory judgment and damages for breach of the insurance contract. Philadelphia Insurance has moved- for summary judgment and Ms. Moore has moved for partial summary judgment.

• Standards

Summary judgment is appropriate if the moving party demonstrates that there is “no genuine issue as to any material fact” and that it is “entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). The parties’ papers do not identify any material questions of fact to be resolved. The only question presented by the summary judgment motions is the meaning of the insurance contract.

A federal court exercising diversity jurisdiction must apply the choice of law rules of the state in which it sits. Klaxon Co. v. Stentor Elec. Mfg. Co., 313 U.S. 487, 496, 61 S.Ct. 1020, 85 L.Ed. 1477 (1941). In Kansas, the construction of a contract is governed by the law of the state in which the contract was made. Simms v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 9 Kan.App.2d 640, 642, 685 P.2d 321 (1984). KCHC, KCHHS and Philadelphia Insurance agree that the insurance contract in issue was made in Missouri.

Under Missouri law, the interpretation of a contract is a matter of law. Caldwell v. Heritage House Realty, Inc., 32 S.W.3d 773, 775 (Mo.Ct.App.2000). Courts must interpret an insurance contract by its plain meaning. Marchand v. Safeco Ins. Co. of America, 2 S.W.3d 826, 829 (Mo.Ct.App.1999) “We cannot distort unambiguous language to create an ambiguity.” American Motorists Ins. Co. v. Moore, 970 S.W.2d 876, 878 (Mo.Ct.App.1998).

“An insurer’s duty to defend under an insurance policy is broader than its duty to indemnify.” Valentine-Radford, Inc. v. American Motorists Ins. Co., 990 S.W.2d 47, 51 (Mo.Ct.App.1999). The duty to defend arises when a complaint alleges facts that give rise to a claim potentially within the contract’s coverage. Auto Club Family Ins. Co. v. Jacobsen, 19 S.W.3d 178, 183 (Mo.Ct.App.2000). The duty to defend is determined by comparing the language of the insurance policy with the allegations in the complaint. Id. “In addition to the plaintiffs allegations, facts known to the insurer' ■ or ascertainable through reasonable investigation can also create a duty to defend.” Valentine-Radford, 990 S.W.2d at 51.

The insured carries the burden of proving that there is coverage under the insurance contract. Id. The insurer, however, carries the burden of proving that an exclusion applies. Id.

• Discussion

Philadelphia Insurance argues in its motion for summary judgment that neither the CGL nor the SSOPL sections of the insurance contract provide coverage for the allegations made in the counterclaim.

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139 F. Supp. 2d 1194, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6024, 2001 WL 392453, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/philadelphia-indemnity-insurance-v-kansas-city-home-care-inc-ksd-2001.