Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science v. Lexington Insurance Co.

2014 IL App (1st) 113755
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 14, 2014
Docket1-11-3755
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 2014 IL App (1st) 113755 (Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science v. Lexington Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science v. Lexington Insurance Co., 2014 IL App (1st) 113755 (Ill. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

Illinois Official Reports

Appellate Court

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science v. Lexington Insurance Co., 2014 IL App (1st) 113755

Appellate Court ROSALIND FRANKLIN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND Caption SCIENCE, f/k/a Finch University/Chicago Medical School, Plaintiff-Appellee and Cross-Appellant, v. LEXINGTON INSURANCE COMPANY and LANDMARK AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY, Defendants-Appellants and Cross- Appellees (Lexington Insurance Company, Cross-Plaintiff-Appellant and Cross-Appellee; Landmark American Insurance Company, Cross-Plaintiff-Appellant and Cross-Appellee).

District & No. First District, Fifth Division Docket Nos. 1-11-3755, 1-11-3756 cons.

Filed March 7, 2014 Rehearing denied May 7, 2014

Held On appeal from the entry of summary judgment finding that two of (Note: This syllabus plaintiff medical school’s insurers had to indemnify plaintiff for the constitutes no part of the settlement of an underlying suit arising from plaintiff’s decision to opinion of the court but discontinue a study of a breast cancer vaccine, the appellate court has been prepared by the affirmed the finding that the insurer of plaintiff’s medical services had Reporter of Decisions a duty to pay plaintiff’s defense and settlement costs, and the for the convenience of judgment for plaintiff on its claim that its medical services insurer was the reader.) estopped from asserting coverage defenses was upheld on the ground that plaintiff was represented by its own counsel throughout the proceedings and did not rely exclusively on the counsel appointed by the insurer in making decisions about the case; however, the entry of summary judgment for plaintiff on the count alleging that the second insurer was required to pay plaintiff’s settlement costs in the underlying suit was reversed and the trial court was directed to enter summary judgment for the insurer on that count, and the trial court’s rejection of plaintiff’s claim of bad faith on the part of its first insurer was affirmed. Decision Under Appeal from the Circuit Court of Cook County, No. 06-CH-14486; the Review Hon. Richard J. Billik, Jr., Judge, presiding.

Judgment Affirmed in part and reversed in part; cause remanded.

Counsel on Matthew J. Fink, Paula M. Carstensen, Amy P. Klie, and Bridget M. Appeal Curry, all of Bates Carey Nicolaides LLP, of Chicago, for appellant Lexington Insurance Company.

Michael S. Knippen, James M. Eastham, and Natalie M. Limber, all of Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry, LLP, of Chicago, for appellant Landmark American Insurance Company.

Michael R. Gregg, Martin A. Kanofsky, and Danita L. Davis, all of Merlo Kanofsky & Gregg Ltd., of Chicago, for appellee.

Panel JUSTICE TAYLOR delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Presiding Justice Gordon and Justice Palmer concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 This appeal arises out of a declaratory judgment action involving an insurance dispute between plaintiff, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (Rosalind), and two of its insurers, Lexington Insurance Company (Lexington) and Landmark American Insurance Company (Landmark). ¶2 Rosalind claimed coverage for a settlement it paid in an underlying lawsuit brought by former patients who sought compensation for Rosalind’s decision to discontinue an experimental breast cancer vaccine program. As shall be discussed in greater detail below, Lexington’s policies covered liability “resulting from a medical incident arising out of professional services,” while Landmark’s policy contained a specific exclusion for medical malpractice damages. When both insurers denied coverage, Rosalind brought the instant declaratory judgment action against them. Subsequently, Lexington filed a cross-claim against Landmark, contending that Landmark’s policy should provide coverage for the underlying suit and settlement.

-2- ¶3 On November 23, 2011, the trial court granted summary judgment for Rosalind and against Lexington and Landmark, finding that both insurers had a duty to indemnify Rosalind for the settlement in the underlying suit. It is from this judgment that Lexington and Landmark now appeal. For the reasons that follow, we affirm in part and reverse in part.

¶4 I. BACKGROUND ¶5 A. The Underlying Lawsuit ¶6 The following facts regarding the underlying lawsuit are undisputed for purposes of this appeal. Rosalind is a not-for-profit medical school. Between 1989 and 2004, Rosalind administered a research study of a breast cancer vaccine developed by the late Dr. Georg Springer. The purpose of the study, entitled “Treatment of Carcinoma Patients with T/Tn Antigen,” was to evaluate whether stimulating a person’s immune system was effective in fighting breast cancer. Dr. Springer funded the study through a gift agreement that provided a donation of common stock valued at $2.5 million. ¶7 Each patient who participated in the Springer vaccine program executed a consent form that provided, in relevant part: “I understand that the purpose of this experimental research is to stimulate the immune system in an attempt to fight cancer. *** T/Tn antigen treatment will be continued ad infinitum.” The consent form additionally stated: “[P]rocedures involved in this research are not part of my routine treatment and are not intended to potentially benefit my personal health. I am taking part in a study accumulating information on my body’s response to T/Tn antigen vaccination.” ¶8 In 2004, Rosalind’s institutional review board (IRB) decided to discontinue the Springer vaccine program, citing the following reasons: (1) inadequate information from the program’s principal investigator, (2) lack of scientific validity, (3) lack of demonstrable efficacy, and (4) inadequate assurance of safety. ¶9 Following this decision, in July 2004, approximately 50 of the former Springer vaccine patients filed suit against Rosalind, claiming that the decision to discontinue the vaccine program put their lives at risk. (We shall refer to this suit as “the Pollack suit” or “the underlying suit.”) The Pollack complaint was prefaced with a preliminary statement alleging that the Springer vaccine treatments “have helped save and prolong the patients’ lives,” and, as a result, the termination of the vaccine program “has caused these patients to suffer incalculable damage.” The preliminary statement additionally stated: “A cardinal principle of the medical profession is that, once care is undertaken, patients may not be abandoned. This litigation seeks relief for such abandonment of the plaintiffs who have been patients in the Springer/[Rosalind] anti-cancer vaccine program for many years. *** Each of [the claims in the complaint] arises as a direct and proximate result of [Rosalind’s] improvident decision to terminate the life-saving treatments that have sustained these women for many years following their horrific experiences of breast cancer, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and other trauma.” ¶ 10 The Pollack complaint alleged the following facts about Rosalind’s decision to discontinue the Springer vaccine program. Starting in 1988, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cited the Springer vaccine program for multiple violations of proper laboratory management and research techniques. Instead of spending the necessary money to correct these deficiencies, Rosalind chose to end the program. To this end, its university

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2014 IL App (1st) 113755, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rosalind-franklin-university-of-medicine-science-v-illappct-2014.