Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance v. Lakeside Heights Homeowners Ass'n

110 F. Supp. 3d 965, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 80033, 2015 WL 3799576
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedJune 18, 2015
DocketCase No. 14-cv-04450-WHO
StatusPublished

This text of 110 F. Supp. 3d 965 (Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance v. Lakeside Heights Homeowners Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California 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. Lakeside Heights Homeowners Ass'n, 110 F. Supp. 3d 965, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 80033, 2015 WL 3799576 (N.D. Cal. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

WILLIAM H. ORRICK, District Judge

Plaintiff Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co. (“Philadelphia”) contends that the “subsidence exclusion” in the insurance policy between it and defendant Lakeside Heights Homeowners Association (“the HOA”) means that it is not obligated to defend or indemnify the HOA in an underlying state court action in which the County of Lake brought counterclaims for negligence and loss of lateral support, among other things. The crux of the dispute is over the breadth of the term “operations” in the subsidence exclusion. The evidence submitted with Philadelphia’s motion, including especially the HOA’s Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC & R’s) establishes, that the HOA’s “operations” include maintenance of its landscape, construction activities on its property, and its irrigation and drainage systems. All possible theories of liability against the HOA in the underlying state court action, including those based on negligence, arise from those operations. Accordingly, Philadelphia’s motion for summary judgment is GRANTED.

BACKGROUND

The HOA and owners of property within the HOA asserted claims against Lake County in the Lake County Superior Court for inverse condemnation, dangerous condition of public property, and negligence in Lakeside Heights Homeowners Association v. County of Lake, Lake County Superior Court Case No. CV-413185. See Dkt. No. 33-2, Ex. A. That lawsuit arose out of a landslide, subsidence, and earth movement that occurred in 2013 and damaged the HOA’s and owners’ property. Id. ¶ 9. In response, Lake County filed a cross-complaint against the HOA and owners (collectively, “HOA”) for negligence, equitable and comparative indemnity, declaratory relief, and failure of lateral support (negligence). Dkt. No. 33-2, Ex. B. The cross-complaint advances several theories against the cross-defendants involving the HOA’s irrigation system, land development, and purported knowledge of a potential subsidence.

The HOA tendered the defense to Philadelphia, and Philadelphia agreed to defend the HOA with a full reservation of rights. Dkt. No. 30-3, Ex. 6, Ex. 9. Philadelphia subsequently filed a complaint for declaratory judgment in this Court on October 3, 2014. Compl. (Dkt. No. 1). Philadelphia seeks a declaration that it does not owe a duty to defend or indemnify the HOA in the underlying action.

The HOA moved to dismiss the action in November 2014, arguing alternatively that because the same facts are at issue in both the underlying state court action and in this action, the case should not proceed until the underlying action is resolved. See Dkt. No. 14. Philadelphia countered that the motion should be considered as one for summary judgment that should be decided in its favor. See Dkt. No. 16.

I heard the matter and denied both parties’ motions. See Order at 1 (Dkt. No. [968]*96824). I declined to treat the matter as a motion for summary judgment and found that more documents — such as articles of incorporation or bylaws — -were needed to determine whether the subsidence exclusion applies in this case. Id. at 4-6. I noted that “the duty to defend in this matter is not so clear” as the HOA suggested, and that the term “operations” in the subsidence exclusion did not appear to differ significantly from the term “work.” Id. at 5. I concluded that I needed more information about Lake County’s lateral support claim and Lake County’s theory of liability for pre-development and development activities in order to determine whether the subsidence exclusion applies. Id. at 6-7. And I permitted discovery on “the scope of the HOA’s operations as determined by its governing documents or state law, the contours of the County’s failure of lateral support claim, and the responsibility of the HOA for pre-development and development activities as determined by its governing documents or state law.” Id. at 7.

With its motion for summary judgment, Philadelphia submitted the HOA’s maintenance bid to landscapers, landscaping maintenance instructions, a “Final Subdivision Public Report,” and various discovery responses in the underlying action, as well as the HOA’s by-laws, CC & Rs, corporate grant deed, and several public reports. See Dkt. Nos. 30-1, 30-2. I heard argument on May 27, 2015.

LEGAL STANDARD

A court will grant a motion for summary judgment where the pleadings, discovery and affidavits show that there is “no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A dispute as to a material fact is genuine if there is sufficient evidence for a reasonable jury to return a verdict for the nonmoving party. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). “Where the moving party will have the burden of proof on an issue at trial, it must affirmatively demonstrate that no reasonable trier of fact could find other than for the moving party.” Noriga v. Ahmed, No. CV 12-0889 WHO (PR), 2013 WL 3461931, at *1 (N.D.Cal. July 9, 2013).

If the moving party meets its initial burden, the nonmoving party must then go beyond the pleadings and “set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Id.; Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). The court will consider only material facts and not “factual disputes that are irrelevant or unnecessary.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505. In order to prevail, the nonmoving party must demonstrate with reasonable particularity that the evidence precludes summary judgment. No-riga, 2013 WL 3461931, at *1. Absent such a showing “the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986) (internal citations and quotations omitted).

DISCUSSION

Philadelphia’s argument relies on the “subsidence exclusion” contained in the insurance policy between it and the HOA1 which provides that This insurance does not apply to:

“Bodily injury”, “property damage”, “personal injury” or “advertising injury” caused by, resulting from, attributable or contributed to, or aggravated by the subsidence of land as a result of land[969]*969slide, mudflow, earth sinking or shifting, resulting from operations of the named insured or any subcontractor of the named insured.

Compl. ¶7; Dkt. No. 1.4-1, Ex. C at 28. As discussed in my prior order, this case hinges on whether the cross-claims brought by Lake County involve the “operations” of the HOA. Order at 5.

I. EVIDENTIARY OBJECTIONS

I first address the HOA’s argument that Philadelphia has failed to present sufficient evidence of its position because its supporting documents are not made with personal knowledge, lack foundation, or are not authenticated. Oppo. 14-16 (Dkt. No. 33).

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Bluebook (online)
110 F. Supp. 3d 965, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 80033, 2015 WL 3799576, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/philadelphia-indemnity-insurance-v-lakeside-heights-homeowners-assn-cand-2015.