Progressive Casualty Insurance v. Federal Deposit Insurance

298 F.R.D. 417, 2014 WL 923298, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30354
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Iowa
DecidedMarch 10, 2014
DocketNo. C12-4041-MWB
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 298 F.R.D. 417 (Progressive Casualty Insurance v. Federal Deposit Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Progressive Casualty Insurance v. Federal Deposit Insurance, 298 F.R.D. 417, 2014 WL 923298, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30354 (N.D. Iowa 2014).

Opinion

ORDER

LEONARD T. STRAND, United States Magistrate Judge.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION........................................................419

II. BACKGROUND.........................................................419

III. THE CURRENT DISCOVERY MOTIONS..................................420

IV. THE “PRIVILEGE LOGS” MOTION......................................420

A. Introduction........................................................420

B. Analysis............................................................421

V. THE MOTION TO COMPEL..............................................422

A. Introduction and Applicable Standards................................422

B. Other Similar Claims................................................423

C. Reinsurance Information.............................................424

D. Reserve Information.................................................425

E. Document Retention Policies.........................................426

F. Regulatory Filings In Other States ...................................427

VI. CONCLUSION................... ......................................428

I. INTRODUCTION

This matter is before me on two discovery motions filed by defendant Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, as Receiver of Van-tus Bank (FDIC-R): (1) a motion (Doc. No. 40) to compel production of documents from privilege logs and (2) a motion (Doc. No. 43) to compel discovery. Plaintiff Progressive Casualty Insurance Company (Progressive) has filed resistances (Doc. Nos. 47, 48) to both motions and FDIC-R has filed a combined reply (Doc. No. 52). I conducted a telephonic hearing regarding both motions on February 26, 2014. Matthew Dendinger and Joseph Moser appeared for Progressive. Andrew Reidy and Richard Kirschman appeared for FDIC-R. David Tank and William Miller appeared for the individual defendants. The matter is now fully submitted.

II. BACKGROUND

On September 4, 2009, the Office of Thrift Supervision closed Vantus Bank (Bank) and appointed FDIC-R as its receiver. On May 7, 2010, FDIC-R sent demand letters to the Bank’s former officers and directors in which it accused them of “negligence, gross negligence, and/or breaches of fiduciary duties or other Wrongful Acts” in connection with various acts or omissions, including the Bank’s investment decisions and loan decisions. See Doc. No. 2-2. FDIC-R demanded reimbursement of at least $82 million from the former officers and directors. Id. Apparently that demand went unsatisfied, as FDIC-R filed suit against the former officers and directors in this court on May 20, 2013. See Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., as receiver for Vantus Bank, v. Michael W. Dosland, et al., No. 13-cv-4046-MWB.

Meanwhile, and in response to FDIC-R’s demand letter, Progressive filed this declaratory judgment action against FDIC-R and the Bank’s former officers and directors. Progressive seeks a ruling that there is no coverage for the claims asserted by FDIC-R under the “Director’s & Officer’s/Company Liability Insurance Policy for Financial Institutions” (Policy) issued to the Bank by Progressive. According to its complaint, Progressive relies on three policy provisions to deny coverage: (1) the “Insured versus Insured” (or “M”) exclusion, (2) the “Loan [420]*420Loss Carve Out” and (3) the “Investment Loss Carve Out.” See Complaint (Doc. No. 2) at 7-10. The defendants have filed answers in which they dispute Progressive’s positions and raise various affirmative defenses. See Doc. Nos. 17,19.

While FDIC-R’s demand letter claimed that the Bank suffered losses of at least $82 million, its subsequent lawsuit against the former officers and directors asserts a claim for losses “in excess of $58 million.” See Complaint (Doc. No. 2) in Case Number 13-cv-4046-MWB, at ¶¶ 49(h). The difference, it seems, is that FDIC-R focused its lawsuit on the Bank’s investment decisions, not its loan decisions. As such, the “Loan Loss Carve Out” described in Progressive’s complaint no longer appears to be at issue. Instead, the parties agree that the two Policy provisions germane to Progressive’s position that no coverage exists are the “Insured versus Insured” exclusion and the “Investment Loss Carve Out.” These provisions will be referred to herein, collectively, as the “Disputed Provisions.”

After this action was filed, FDIC-R filed a motion (Doc. No. 10) for leave to conduct early discovery, as it was convinced that Progressive was about to file an early motion for summary judgment. I denied that motion by order (Doc. No. 24) entered July 11, 2012. While the anticipated summary judgment motion has not yet appeared, it seems inevitable in light of Progressive’s position that the Disputed Provisions are unambiguous and have the effect of excluding coverage for FDIC-R’s claims against the Bank’s former officers and directors. At this time, however, no determination has been made in this case as to whether either or both of the Disputed Provisions are ambiguous.

III. THE CURRENT DISCOVERY MOTIONS

The Privilege Logs Motion. FDIC-R filed its motion to compel production of documents from privilege logs on December 20, 2013. FDIC-R references two privilege logs produced by Progressive (filed as Doc. No. 40-2) and complains, in general, that Progressive did not provide sufficient information about various documents to support the asserted privileges. FDIC-R also argues that Progressive improperly made redactions to certain produced documents without noting those redactions in its privileged logs. FDIC-R seeks entry of an order declaring that Progressive has waived its right to assert the claimed privileges with regard to the documents at issue and compelling Progressive to produce unredacted copies of those documents.

Progressive denies that its logs are deficient. Moreover, its resistance expressed a willingness to produce unredaeted versions of most of the documents at issue. In its reply, FDIC-R confirmed that those documents had been produced, leaving only fourteen documents in dispute as to the sufficiency of Progressive’s privilege logs, along with six additional documents that Progressive redacted without noting them in those logs.

The Motion to Compel. FDIC-R filed its motion to compel on January 3, 2014. It alleges that Progressive has wrongfully refused to provide requested documents and information in five broad categories: (a) other similar claims, (b) reinsurance information, (c) reserve information, (d) Progressive’s document retention policies and (e) Progressive’s regulatory filings in states other than Iowa. FDIC-R contends that all of these materials are relevant because, it claims, the Disputed Provisions are ambiguous.

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Bluebook (online)
298 F.R.D. 417, 2014 WL 923298, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30354, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/progressive-casualty-insurance-v-federal-deposit-insurance-iand-2014.