Premier Pools Mgmt. Corp. v. Colony Ins. Co.

328 F. Supp. 3d 1075
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJuly 25, 2018
DocketNo. 2:13-cv-02038-JAM-EFB
StatusPublished

This text of 328 F. Supp. 3d 1075 (Premier Pools Mgmt. Corp. v. Colony Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Premier Pools Mgmt. Corp. v. Colony Ins. Co., 328 F. Supp. 3d 1075 (E.D. Cal. 2018).

Opinion

JOHN A. MENDEZ, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff Premier Pools Management Corp. ("Plaintiff") brings this lawsuit against Defendant Colony Insurance Company ("Defendant") alleging that Defendant breached the parties' insurance agreement by declining to defend Plaintiff in a lawsuit brought against it by Premier Pools, Inc. ("PPI") in Texas state court (the "Texas Case"). See Second Amended Complaint ("SAC"), ECF No. 38-1. This Court granted Defendant's first summary judgment motion in April 2014. ECF No. 20. The Court reasoned that Plaintiff was not a named insured under the parties' insurance agreement's plain language and so Defendant had no duty to defend in the Texas Case. Id. at 8. In May 2016, the Ninth Circuit reversed. ECF No. 27 (the "Ninth Circuit Ruling"), 649 Fed. Appx. 490 (9th Cir. 2016).

After the Ninth Circuit mandate issued, Plaintiff filed its SAC in August 2017 and Defendant initially moved for judgment on the pleadings in January 2018. See ECF Nos. 38-1 and 45. After that motion was denied without prejudice for failing to meet and confer, Plaintiff filed its motion for partial summary judgment in April 2018. ECF No. 54; ECF No. 71 ("Pl. Mem."). Plaintiff seeks summary judgment on its first claim for declaratory relief, second claim for breach of insurance contract-duty to defend, and third claim for breach of insurance contract-duty to indemnify. Pl. Mem. Defendant opposed and filed a cross-motion for summary judgment as to all of Plaintiff's claims-the three claims Plaintiff moved on and also Plaintiff's claims for breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing and its claim for punitive damages. Def. Mem., ECF No. 74. Plaintiff opposed the cross-motion. Pl. Opp., ECF No. 75. The motions were heard on June 26, 2018.

II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiff entered into an insurance agreement with Defendant in 2010 (the "Policy"). The Pertinent policy language reads as follows:

"We will pay those sums that insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of 'personal and advertising injury' to which this insurance applies.
*1079We will have the right and duty to defend the insured against any 'suit' seeking those damages."
" 'Personal and advertising injury means' injury, including consequential 'bodily injury', arising out of one or more of the following offenses: ... Oral or written publication, in any manner, of material that slanders or libels a person or organization or disparages a person's or organization's goods, products or services ... The use of another's advertising idea in your 'advertisement'; or Infringing upon another's copyright, trade dress or slogan in your 'advertisement.' "
" 'Advertisement' means a notice that is broadcast or published to the general public or specific marketing segments about your goods, products or services for the purpose of attracting customers or supports."

See Insurance Policy No. AC800001A-2, Ex. 1 to SAC, ECF No. 38-1, at 29, 55-65; Insurance Policy No. AC800001A-3, Ex. 2 to SAC, ECF No. 38-1, at 95, 124-134. The Policy's coverage exclusions state, in relevant part:

"Knowing Violation Of Rights Of Another: 'Personal and advertising injury' caused by or at the direction of the insured with the knowledge that the act would violate the rights of another and would inflict 'personal and advertising injury'."
"Material Published With Knowledge Of Falsity: 'Personal and advertising injury' arising out of oral or written publication of material, if done by or at the direction of the insured with knowledge of its falsity."
"Infringement Of Copyright, Patent, Trademark Or Trade Secret: 'Personal and advertising injury' arising out of the infringement of copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other intellectual property rights. Under this exclusion, such other intellectual property rights do not include the use of another's advertising idea in your 'advertisement.' However, this exclusion does not apply to infringement, in your 'advertisement', of copyright, trade dress or slogan."

Id.

A. The Texas Case-The First Trial

In July 2012, Premier Pools, Inc. ("PPI," with its principal place of business in Lewisville, Texas) filed its First Amended Petition ("FAP") in Texas state court against Plaintiff and Shan Pools, Inc. (Plaintiff's licensee incorporated in Allen, Texas), bringing claims for: (1) common law trade name infringement; (2) common law service mark infringement; (3) unfair competition; (4) infringement of Texas service mark; and (5) trade name and service mark dilution. SAC, ECF No. 38-1, Ex. 6, at 217-244.

The FAP includes the following relevant allegations:

"... I[n] 2011, Defendant Pools Management licensed Defendant Shan to use the name "Premier Pools and Spas" and began advertising Defendant Shan as its "Dallas/Fort Worth location on its website." FAP, ¶ 2.
"Defendants have taken advantage of Plaintiff's well known "Premier Pools" name and mark, and its reputation for providing services of the highest quality, to cause Plaintiff to lose business and harm its valuable reputation." FAP, ¶ 2.
"For over 22 years, the Dodds have built a favorable and valuable reputation for themselves in this geographic area under the trade name and service mark 'Premier Pools' [.]" FAP, ¶ 12.
"In early 2012, Defendant Pools Management blanketed the Dallas-Fort Worth market with advertising about 'Premier Pools and Spas' and its operations in Dallas, sending advertisements *1080to homes all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area..." FAP, ¶ 21.
"Beyond all of the confusion that is being caused and the business that is being lost, Plaintiff's reputation and goodwill are being seriously harmed because Defendant Shan's work does not rise to the level of quality and professionalism that has defined Plaintiff's business." FAP, ¶ 34.
"A direct example of how Defendant Shan's work is tarnishing Plaintiff's reputation occurred in Flower Mound, when a city official, as a courtesy, called Plaintiff to ask if a pool that had been built in the area was Plaintiff's product, saying effectively that the pool that had been built was so deficient and in violation of the relevant code provisions that it could not have been Plaintiff's work." FAP, ¶ 34.
"By using the name 'Premier Pools and Spas,' Defendant Shan has unfairly competed with Plaintiff by appropriating Plaintiff's valuable goodwill and business and injuring Plaintiff thereby. FAP, ¶ 50.

On March 5, 2013, four days after receiving Plaintiff's tender of the Texas state court case, Colony's adjuster, Becky Vogel ("Vogel") notified Plaintiff's founder Paul Porter ("Porter") by email that Defendant was "in receipt of the notice of the lawsuit in Texas alleging trademark infringement.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
328 F. Supp. 3d 1075, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/premier-pools-mgmt-corp-v-colony-ins-co-caed-2018.