St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co. v. Bodell Construction Company

CourtDistrict Court, D. Hawaii
DecidedMay 2, 2022
Docket1:20-cv-00288
StatusUnknown

This text of St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co. v. Bodell Construction Company (St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co. v. Bodell Construction Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Hawaii primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co. v. Bodell Construction Company, (D. Haw. 2022).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF HAWAI‘I

ST. PAUL FIRE AND MARINE Case No. 20-cv-00288-DKW-WRP INSURANCE COMPANY, et al., ORDER (1) GRANTING PLAINTIFFS’ FIRST MOTION Plaintiffs, FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT, (2) GRANTING IN vs. PART AND DENYING IN PART PLAINTIFFS’ SECOND MOTION BODELL CONSTRUCTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY COMPANY, et al., JUDGMENT, AND (3) DENYING DEFENDANT BODELL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY’S Defendants. CROSS-MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

INTRODUCTION The parties dispute whether Plaintiffs-Insurers have a duty to defend and indemnify Defendant Bodell Construction Company as a result of alleged damages incurred by owners of condominiums constructed and/or sold by Defendants. The parties’ dispute centers on whether damages resulting from the installation of allegedly defective “embedded straps” amounts to an “occurrence” under numerous insurance policies issued by Plaintiffs. Having reviewed the parties’ briefing and evidentiary submissions, the Court finds that Plaintiffs-Insurers are entitled to summary judgment with respect to policies collectively referred to as the “Travelers Primary Policies” and the “Travelers Excess Policies” in Plaintiffs’ first motion for partial summary judgment (Dkt. No. 95) because the undisputed facts show that there has not been an

“occurrence” as that term is defined in those policies. However, the Court disagrees in part with Plaintiffs’ interpretation and application of language in policies referred to as the “Phoenix Primary Policies” and the “Travelers Property

Excess Policies” in Plaintiffs’ second motion for partial summary judgment (Dkt. No. 97). Therefore, as more fully set forth herein, Plaintiffs’ first motion for partial summary judgment, Dkt. No. 95, is GRANTED, and their second motion for partial summary judgment, Dkt. No. 97, is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.

Bodell’s cross-motion for partial summary judgment, Dkt. No. 116, is DENIED. RELEVANT FACTUAL BACKGROUND 1. The Insurance Policies

St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (“St. Paul”) issued two commercial liability policies to Bodell, as the named insured, effective September 30, 2003 to September 30, 2005 (collectively, “the St. Paul Policies”). Plaintiffs’ Concise Statement of Facts in Support of First Motion for Partial Summary

Judgment (“First PCSF”) at ¶ 1, Dkt. No. 96; Bodell’s Response to First PCSF at 1, Dkt. No. 117. The Travelers Indemnity Company of America (“Travelers Indemnity”) issued three commercial liability policies to Bodell effective September

30, 2005 to September 30, 2008 (collectively, the “Travelers Indemnity Policies”). First PCSF at ¶ 2; Bodell’s Response to First PCSF at 1. The Phoenix Insurance Company (“Phoenix”) issued four commercial liability policies to Bodell effective

September 30, 2008 to September 30, 2012 (collectively, “the First Phoenix Policies”). First PCSF at ¶ 3. Phoenix also issued four more commercial liability policies to Bodell effective September 30, 2012 to September 30, 2016 (collectively,

“the Second Phoenix Policies”). Plaintiffs’ Concise Statement of Facts in Support of Second Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (“Second PCSF”) at ¶ 1, Dkt. No. 98; Bodell’s Response to Second PCSF at 1, Dkt. No. 119.1 Travelers Property Casualty Company of America (“Travelers Property”) issued seven commercial

excess liability insurance policies to Bodell effective September 30, 2005 to September 30, 2012 (collectively, “the First Travelers Excess Policies” and, with the St. Paul Policies, the Travelers Indemnity Policies, and the First Phoenix Policies,

“the First Policies”). First PCSF at ¶ 4. Travelers Property also issued three more commercial excess liability insurance policies to Bodell effective September 30, 2012 to September 30, 2015 (collectively, “the Second Travelers Excess Policies” and, with the Second Phoenix Policies, “the Second Policies”). Second PCSF at ¶

3.

1The Court notes that, at least for the instant analysis, Bodell does not dispute any of the factual assertions made in the Second PCSF. See Dkt. No. 119 at 1. In addition, except in two instances, Bodell does not dispute any of the factual assertions made in the First PCSF. See Dkt. No. 117 at 1. The Travelers Indemnity Policies, the First Phoenix Policies, and the First Travelers Excess Policies provided that Travelers Indemnity, Phoenix, and

Travelers Property would pay those sums that the insured became legally obligated to pay as damages because of “bodily injury” or “property damage.” First PCSF at ¶ 16, 26.2 The Travelers Indemnity Policies, the First Phoenix Policies, and the

First Travelers Excess Policies further provided that insurance applied to bodily injury and property damage only if the same were caused by an “occurrence.” Id. at ¶ 17, 26. The Travelers Indemnity Policies and First Phoenix Policies defined (1) “property damage” as “physical injury to tangible property” and “loss of use of

tangible property that is not physically injured”, and (2) “occurrence” as an “accident including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions.” Id. at ¶¶ 18-19, 27-28. The St. Paul Policies

provided that St. Paul would “pay amounts any protected person is legally required to pay as damages for bodily injury or property damage that” “is caused by an event.” Id. at ¶ 21. The St. Paul Policies defined (1) “property damage” as “physical damage to tangible property of others” and “loss of use of tangible

property of others”, and (2) “event” as “an accident including continuous or repeated exposure to the same general harmful conditions.” Id. at ¶¶ 22-23.

2With respect to the First Travelers Excess Policies, Travelers Property was responsible for the “ultimate net loss” in excess of the “applicable underlying limit” that an insured became obligated to pay. First PCSF at ¶ 26. The Second Policies provided that Phoenix and Travelers Property would pay those sums an insured became legally obligated to pay as damages because of

“bodily injury” and “property damage.” Second PCSF at ¶¶ 16, 20.3 The Second Policies further provided that insurance applied to bodily injury or property damage only if the same were caused by an “occurrence.” Id. at ¶¶ 17, 20. The Second

Policies defined “property damage” as “physical injury to tangible property” and “loss of use of tangible property that is not physically injured.” Id. at ¶¶ 19, 22. The Second Policies excluded coverage for “‘[p]roperty damage’ to ‘your work’ arising out of it and included in the ‘products-completed operations hazard.”

Policy Number DT-CO-0618C07A-PHX-12 at 1431, Dkt. No. 98-4;4 Policy Number DT-CO-0618C07A-PHX-13 at 1560, Dkt. No. 98-7; Policy Number DT-CO-0618C07A-PHX-14 at 1719, Dkt. No. 98-10; Policy Number

DT-CO-0618C07A-PHX-15 at 1858, Dkt. No. 98-13; Policy Number DTSM-CUP-0618C07A-TIL-12 at 2369, Dkt. No. 98-15; Policy Number DTSM-CUP-0618C07A-TIL-13 at 2437, Dkt. No. 98-16; Policy Number DTSM-CUP-0618C07A-TIL-14 at 2518, Dkt. No. 98-18. The Second Policies

further provided that the above-mentioned exclusion did not apply “if the damaged

3With respect to the Second Travelers Excess Policies, Travelers Property was responsible for the “ultimate net loss” in excess of the “applicable underlying limit” that an insured became obligated to pay. Second PCSF at ¶ 20. 4In citing directly to the Second Policies, the Court uses the bates numbering provided in the bottom right-hand corner of the pertinent exhibits, i.e., “TR001431.” work or the work out of which the damage arises was performed on your behalf by a subcontractor.” Id.

The Second Policies also contained an “Amendment of Occurrence Definition for Subcontracted Work Property Damage” (“the Occurrence Amendment”). Id. at ¶¶ 18, 21.

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