Riverdale Mills Corp. v. American Modern Home Insurance

122 F. Supp. 2d 114, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19121, 2000 WL 1769689
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedNovember 29, 2000
DocketCIVA98CV40104-NMG
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 122 F. Supp. 2d 114 (Riverdale Mills Corp. v. American Modern Home Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Riverdale Mills Corp. v. American Modern Home Insurance, 122 F. Supp. 2d 114, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19121, 2000 WL 1769689 (D. Mass. 2000).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM & ORDER

GORTON, District Judge.

In this action to recover on a flood insurance claim, the defendant, American Modem Home Insurance Company (“American”), has filed a Motion for Summary Judgment (Docket No. 17) based on six separate grounds for relief. The Plaintiffs oppose the motion,

I. Background

Plaintiff, James M. Knott, is the owner of the corporate plaintiff, Riverdale Mills Corporation (“Riverdale”), a manufacturing plant/mill that produces wire mesh and electricity. Knott and Riverdale will be collectively referred to as “the Plaintiffs.” In front of the building occupied by River-dale is a black-top road and a thirteen and one-half acre pond, about six feet deep. The pond was created by the Plaintiffs by the redamming of the Blackstone River which curves around the mill.

In April of 1996, the Blackstone River valley area experienced heavy rains which caused the level of the mill pond to rise and, allegedly, the mill to flood. The first flood occurred on April 5, 1996 (“the April 5 flood”) and a second flood eleven days later, on April 16, 1996 (“the April 16 flood”). Although the April 16 flood is not part of the Plaintiffs’ claim in this action, it is relevant in that it is referenced in correspondence between the parties. That reference, in turn, has caused confusion about the exact date of American’s denial of Plaintiffs’ claim arising out of the April 5 flood.

As a result of the April 5 flood, Plaintiffs sought to recover under their Standard Flood Insurance Policy (“the SFIP”) with American. On April 17, 1996, Plaintiffs filed a notice of loss. The loss was inspected on April 23, 1996. On May 15, 1996, Plaintiffs received a letter denying their claim which they contend referred “only to the loss of April 16, 1996 and not to the loss of April 5,1996”. The claim for the loss resulting from the April 16 flood was, however, eventually paid in full by Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, a co-defendant but not a party to the current motion.

*116 American asserts that the “Property Loss Notice” sent on April 17, 1996 is the only notice of loss that it received from the Plaintiffs concerning either the April 5 or the April 16 floods. American contends that it never received a separate notice of loss with respect to the April 5 flood.

On May 16, 1996, National Flood Services (“NFS”), a vendor which administers claims for American, sent a letter to the Plaintiffs referencing April 16, 1996 as the date of loss. NFS denied the claim because there was “no general and temporary condition of flooding in the area” and therefore the occurrence did not fall within the policy’s definition of a flood. The denial-of-claim letter also noted that because the release of water was within the Plaintiffs control and the water was not released until it breached the dam, the loss was not covered under Article III of the SFIP. The letter concluded that: “Of course, if you have any information or documentation to the contrary, we would be glad to review it.”

On June 27,1997, NFS stated in a letter to the Plaintiffs that, although the adjuster had on several occasions requested estimates of damage, the Plaintiffs had failed to provide them and that no signed proof of loss had been received within sixty days after the date of the flood. NFS indicated its willingness to keep the Plaintiffs’ claim “open for another 30 days”, but noted that if the requested information and a signed proof of loss was not received within that time period, NFS would close the claim without further consideration.

On July 23, 1997, in response to the June 27, 1997 letter, and fifteen months after the April 6 flood, Plaintiffs filed a proof of loss with American in the amount of $265,814. NFS addressed another letter to the Plaintiffs dated October 7, 1997. It also referenced April 16, 1996 as the date of loss but clearly related to the April 5 flood because it referred to “underground structures” which were not involved in the April 16 flood. The letter advised the Plaintiffs that the damage claimed was not covered under the SFIP because (1) it was not directly and proximately caused by the cited flood event, and (2) damage to underground structures is not covered under the SFIP. The letter concluded again that: “Of course, if you have documentation or evidence to the contrary we would be glad to review it.”

On May 29, 1998, Riverdale submitted to NFS a set of the schedules, supported by copies of invoices, detailing the loss resulting from the April 6 flood. The response of NFS, although again referencing April 16, 1996 as the date of loss, clearly related to the claim arising out of the April 5 flood. The Plaintiffs argue that the response, dated June 11,1998, is the first notice they received denying their claim for damages resulting from the April 5 flood. On August 10, 1998, Plaintiffs filed suit naming American as a defendant and the pending motion for summary judgment followed in due course.

II. Discussion

A. Summary Judgment Standard

In accord with Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c), summary judgment must be granted if “there is no genuine issue as to any material fact” and “the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” See Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(c); Magee v. United States, 121 F.3d 1, 3 (1st Cir.1997).

A genuine issue is one which a reasonable fact finder could resolve in favor of the nonmoving party. Id. Not every genuine factual conflict, however, necessitates a trial. “It is only when a disputed fact has the potential to change the outcome of the suit under the governing law if found favorably to the nonmovant that the materiality hurdle is cleared.” Parrilla-Burgos v. Hernandez-Rivera, 108 F.3d 445, 448 (1st Cir.1997) (internal quotations omitted).

Once the moving party has demonstrated that no genuine issue of material fact exists, the burden of production shifts to the nonmovant to contradict the demon *117 stration by coming “forward with specific provable facts which establish that there is a triable issue.” Matos v. Davila, 135 F.3d 182, 185 (1st Cir.1998). The role of a summary judgment motion in general “is to pierce the boilerplate of the pleadings and assay the parties’ proof in order to determine whether trial is actually required.” Coyne v. Taber Partners I, 53 F.3d 454, 457 (1st Cir.1995).

B. National Flood Insurance Act

The National Flood Insurance Act (“NFIA”), 42 U.S.C. § 4001, et.

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122 F. Supp. 2d 114, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19121, 2000 WL 1769689, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/riverdale-mills-corp-v-american-modern-home-insurance-mad-2000.