Seaway Properties, LLC v. Fireman's Fund Insurance

16 F. Supp. 3d 1240, 2014 WL 1612696, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55998
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedApril 22, 2014
DocketCase No. C13-633RAJ
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 16 F. Supp. 3d 1240 (Seaway Properties, LLC v. Fireman's Fund Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Seaway Properties, LLC v. Fireman's Fund Insurance, 16 F. Supp. 3d 1240, 2014 WL 1612696, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55998 (W.D. Wash. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER

RICHARD A. JONES, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

This matter comes before the court on the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment. No party requested oral argument and the court finds oral argument unnecessary. For the reasons stated below, the court GRANTS in part and DENIES in part Defendants’ motion for summary judgment (Dkt. # 19) and GRANTS in part and DENIES in part Plaintiffs cross-motion for partial summary judgment (Dkt. #26). The court sets a December 8, 2014 trial date, and directs the clerk to issue a new order setting pretrial deadlines.

[1244]*1244II. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Seaway Properties, LLC (“Seaway”) owns a property located at 2940 Southwest Avalon Way in West Seattle. A building situated on the property houses at least two tenants: a salon and a restaurant named Cafe Revo. Ciao Bella Foods, LLC (“Ciao Bella”) operated Cafe Revo and leased the restaurant space from Seaway.

In January 2010, a woman on her way to Cafe Revo fell as she attempted to step down from a concrete platform between the building parking lot and the entrance to the restaurant. There is no dispute that the platform and the space below it onto which she fell were common areas of Seaway’s property. Seaway’s lease gave Ciao Bella the right to use those common areas (which included the parking lot), but did not grant Ciao Bella exclusive control over the common areas. By contrast, Ciao Bella had exclusive control over that portion of the Seaway property that contained the Cafe Revo restaurant. The woman who fell from the platform suffered injuries for which she claimed that both Ciao Bella and Seaway were liable.

Seaway’s lease to Ciao Bella required Ciao Bella to maintain commercial general liability insurance and to “name [Seaway] and any designees of [Seaway] as additional insureds under all of [Ciao Bella]’s insurance policies .... ” Lease ¶ 10.1 Ciao Bella in turn purchased an insurance policy from Defendant Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company (the “Policy”). The Policy contained a “Blanket Additional Insured” endorsement that covered Seaway as an additional insured for liability arising out of the use of premises that Seaway leased to Ciao Bella. Policy at 285.2

The court refers to Ciao Bella’s insurer as Fireman’s Fund even though it is not the insurer named in the Policy. The cover page of the Policy bears Fireman’s Fund’s name and logo, but declares that Associated Indemnity Corporation (“AIC”) is the insurer. Policy at 189. No one disputes that AIC is a subsidiary of Fireman’s Fund or that the two companies share some directors and officers. Fireman’s Fund insists that AIC is the sole insurer in this ease, Seaway contends either that Fireman’s Fund is AIC’s alter ego or that Fireman’s Fund acted as AIC’s agent with respect to the events giving rise to this lawsuit. The court will consider that dispute near the end of this order. Until then, because virtually everyone involved with this dispute (including Fireman’s Fund and its counsel) referred to Ciao Bella’s insurer as Fireman’s Fund throughout the events that led to this lawsuit, the court will also refer to the insurer as Fireman’s Fund.

Fireman’s Fund had notice of the injured woman’s claim no later than November 2010. A claim notice in Fireman’s Fund’s claim file establishes that Fireman’s Fund knew not only of the claim, but of the need to discuss the claim with Ciao Bella’s “landlord.” Dobran Decl. (Dkt. 21), Ex. A (claim file at AIC 71). No later than December 2010, a woman named Audrey Hopkins using an email address bearing the “ffic.com” domain name was handling the claim. Id. (claim file at AIC 81) (Dec. 22, 2010 email). By January 2011, Fireman’s Fund knew that Seaway was the “landlord” and that Seaway sought defense and indemnity. Id. (claim file at AIC 90) (Jan. 8, 2011 email, [1245]*1245not designating which of five “Fireman’s Fund Insuring Companies” Ms. Hopkins represented). As late as April 2011, Ms. Hopkins was communicating with Seaway’s insurance agent over the need to obtain a complete copy of Ciao Bella’s lease. Id. (claim file at AIC 134) (Feb. 9, 2011 letter designating Ms. Hopkins as an AIC adjuster); Stolle Decl. (Dkt. #24), Ex. 34 (Apr. 14, 2011 letter designating Ms. Hopkins as an AIC adjuster). As noted, Ms. Hopkins sometimes designated herself as an AIC adjuster, sometimes she did not.

The injured woman’s suit against Seaway and Ciao Bella began in March 2011. In March 2012, Seaway demanded that both Ciao Bella and its insurer indemnify and defend it, although its demand letter did not identify Ciao Bella’s insurer by name. Stolle Decl. (Dkt. #24), Ex. 9 (Mar. 28, 2012 letter). Seaway’s demand to Ciao Bella itself relied on a portion of the lease that required Ciao Bella to indemnify and defend Seaway for liability “arising out of any accident or other occurrence on or to the Premises, Building or Common Areas, causing injury ..., by reason of the condition or use of the Premises .... ” Lease ¶ 23.2.

Ciao Bella’s counsel quickly forwarded Seaway’s March 2012 demand letter to someone named Anthony Togias, whose email address also used the domain name “ffic.com.” Stolle Decl. (Dkt. # 24), Ex. 9 (Mar. 30, 2012 email). By the time Ciao Bella’s counsel wrote in early May 2012 to deny Seaway’s request for indemnity from Ciao Bella, Geoffrey Dobran, a Fireman’s Fund claim adjuster, had been assigned to the claim. Dobran Decl. (Dkt. #21), Ex. A (claim file at AIC 157-58) (May 2, 2012 letter forwarded to G. Dobran); see also Dobran Decl. (Dkt. #21) ¶ 1 (“I am employed by Fireman’s Fund ... as a Claims Adjuster III, and was so employed during all pertinent times herein.”).

Seaway did not tender a claim directly to Fireman’s Fund until July 2012, when it demanded a defense and indemnity. Stolle Decl. (Dkt. #24), Ex. 15 (Jul. 13, 2012 letter). On the same day, counsel for Ciao Bella wrote to Seaway to refuse again Seaway’s request for a defense and indemnity. Counsel stated that he was “authorized to convey the concurrence of Fireman’s Fund, as insurer for Ciao Bella ....” Id., Ex. 16 (Jul. 13, 2012 letter).

On the last day of July, Mr. Dobran wrote Seaway to explain that he was reviewing Seaway’s tender. Stolle Decl. (Dkt. #24), Ex. 18. His email (like Ms. Hopkins’ emails) bore a signature block containing the names of five insurers, including Fireman’s Fund and AIC. Id. Mr. Dobran checked the box next to AIC. Id. He did so again on August 6, when he responded to Seaway’s reminder that a mediation of the personal injury suit was scheduled for August 8. Id., Ex. 19 (Aug. 6, 2012 email).

The August mediation was unsuccessful. Seaway contends that Fireman’s Fund refused at the mediation to pay for Seaway’s portion of any settlement. Stolle Decl. (Dkt. # 24) ¶ 20.

In September 2012, Seaway sent a second tender of its claim to Fireman’s Fund. Stolle Decl. (Dkt. # 24), Ex. 20 (Sept. 7, 2012 letter). By then, Fireman’s Fund had hired outside counsel, who wrote Seaway shortly thereafter to announce its representation of “Fireman’s Fund” in the dispute. Id., Ex. 21 (Sept. 13, 2012 letter). Outside counsel stated that it was reviewing Seaway’s second tender.

On September 25, 2012, nearly two years after Fireman’s Fund first learned of the personal injury that gave rise to this dispute, outside counsel issued Fireman’s Fund’s first formal denial of Seaway’s claim.

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16 F. Supp. 3d 1240, 2014 WL 1612696, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 55998, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seaway-properties-llc-v-firemans-fund-insurance-wawd-2014.