Ramara, Inc. v. Westfield Insurance

298 F.R.D. 219, 2014 WL 904448, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30367
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 10, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 13-7086
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 298 F.R.D. 219 (Ramara, Inc. v. Westfield Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ramara, Inc. v. Westfield Insurance, 298 F.R.D. 219, 2014 WL 904448, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30367 (E.D. Pa. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

DALZELL, District Judge.

I. Introduction

Ramara, Inc. (“Ramara”) brings this action for declaratory judgment and breach of contract against Westfield Insurance Company, and Ramara names Fortress Steel Service, Inc. (“Fortress”), Sentry Builders Corp. (“Sentry”), and Anthony Axe (“Axe”) as additional defendants “only to the extent that they may have an interest in Ramara’s claim and may be considered indispensable parties”, Ramara Comp. ¶8. Ramara seeks a declaration that it is an additional insured under an insurance policy Westfield issued to Fortress, and, as such, that Westfield must defend and/or indemnify Ramara in a personal injury suit Axe has brought against Ra-mara, see Ramara Comp. ¶¶ 2-3.

Westfield removed this action on December 3, 2013, Ramara moved to remand on December 12, 2013, and we denied that motion on January 2, 2014. Defendants West-field Insurance Company and Fortress (collectively, “Westfield”) now move to dismiss pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) on the ground that “Ramara is not entitled to coverage under the Policy for purposes of the claims presented in the [Axe] Action, and exclusions contained in the Policy otherwise preclude coverage”, Def. MTD at ¶ 28.

As we explained in our lengthy jurisdictional discussion when denying Ramara’s motion to remand, we exercise jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1332 and 1441 because Ramara is a citizen of Pennsylvania and, after realigning Axe as a plaintiff, all defendants are citizens of states other than Pennsylvania as we held in our January 2, 2014 Order. See id. at ¶¶ (ff)-(nn).

II. Standard of Review

A defendant moving to dismiss under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) bears the burden of proving that the plaintiff has failed to state a claim for relief, see Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6); see also, e.g., Hedges v. U.S., 404 F.3d 744, 750 (3d Cir.2005). As the Supreme Court held in Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) and Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009), in order to survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, “a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face’ ”, Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955). A claim is plausible “when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged”, Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937.

As our Court of Appeals has explained post-Twombly and Iqbal, when considering a motion to dismiss under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) the district courts must engage in a two-part analysis:

First, the factual and legal elements of a claim should be separated. The district court must accept all of the complaint’s well-pleaded facts as true, but may disregard any legal conclusions. Second, a district court must then determine whether the facts alleged in the complaint are sufficient to show that the plaintiff has a ‘plausible claim for relief.’

[221]*221Fowler v. UPMC Shadyside, 578 F.3d 203, 210-11 (3d Cir.2009).

We thus begin by reciting the facts as they appear in Ramara’s second amended complaint (hereinafter “Ramara Comp.”).

III. Facts

According to Ramara’s complaint, Fortress entered into a Letter Agreement (“the Agreement”) with Sentry on February 22, 2012 in which Fortress agreed to supply and install concrete and steel components for a parking garage Ramara owned on City Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.. Ramara Comp, at ¶¶ 7, 11. Sentry appears to have been the general contractor.

Fortress agreed to provide “all necessary labor [and materials] required to perform the work in a workman-like manner and in accordance with the acceptable standard of the trade”, id. at ¶ 13 (quoting the Agreement, Ramara Comp. Ex. B at 3). Fortress was also to provide “all necessary supervision until the project is completed”, id. at ¶ 14 (quoting the Agreement at 3). The Agreement provided that “Sentry Builders Corporation and or Ramara, Inc. will NOT be responsible for the procedures or actions of Fortress Steel in its performance or deliveries to complete the work.” Id. at ¶ 16 (quoting the Agreement at 3).

Under the Agreement, Fortress was to provide Sentry a certificate for Workmen’s Compensation and General Liability insurance naming Sentry and Ramara as additional insureds, id. at ¶ 17, and Fortress provided a certificate “showing Fortress Steel as the named insured under a Westfield Insurance Group policy” and providing that “Additional Insureds include Ramara, Inc. and Sentry Builders ....”, id. at ¶ 18 (quoting Certificate of Liability Insurance, Ramara Comp. Ex. C) 1

With regard to the insurance agreement between Westfield and Fortress Steel, Ra-mara avers that “Westfield issued a Commercial Insurance Coverage Policy [“the Policy”] to Fortress Steel effective November 21, 2011 to November 21, 2012”, id. at ¶ 19, and “[t]he General Liability Declarations page of the Commercial Insurance Coverage policy issued by Westfield to Fortress Steel indicates $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate general liability limits.” Id. at ¶ 26. The Policy provides,

a. We will pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of ‘bodily injury’ or ‘property damage’ to which this insurance applies. We will have the right and duty to defend the insured against any ‘suit’ seeking those damages ...
b. This insurance applies to ‘bodily injury’ and ‘property damage’ only if:
(1) The ‘bodily injury’ or ‘property damage’ is caused by an ‘occurrence’ that takes place in the ‘coverage territory;’
(2) The ‘bodily injury’ or ‘property damage’ occurs during the policy period____

Policy Form CG 0001, Def. MTD Ex. D, at 1.

The Policy also contains an “Employer’s Liability” exclusion that holds coverage does not apply in the case of “ ‘Bodily injury" to: (1) An ‘employee’ of the insured arising out of and in the course of: (a) Employment by the insured; or (b) Performing duties related to the conduct of the insured’s business ... ”, id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
298 F.R.D. 219, 2014 WL 904448, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30367, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ramara-inc-v-westfield-insurance-paed-2014.