State ex rel. Department of Insurance v. Contract Services Network, Inc.

873 F. Supp. 385, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18979, 1994 WL 728461
CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedOctober 4, 1994
DocketNo. CV-S-93-00686-PMP (RJJ)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 873 F. Supp. 385 (State ex rel. Department of Insurance v. Contract Services Network, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Department of Insurance v. Contract Services Network, Inc., 873 F. Supp. 385, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18979, 1994 WL 728461 (D. Nev. 1994).

Opinion

[388]*388 ORDER

PRO, District Judge.

Before the Court is Plaintiff State of Nevada’s First Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (#41), filed April 25, 1994. Defendants Contract Services Union, Local 211, Forrest O’Hara and Richard Kester, Contract Services Network, Inc., Contract Services Employees Trust, Gary Duke, Mark Grimes, Donald W. Tourville and Murel D. Rucke (collectively “Defendants”) filed their Opposition to Plaintiffs Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (# 47) on May 18, 1994. Plaintiffs filed their Reply (# 49) on May 31, 1994.

Defendants also filed a Motion To Stay Proceedings Pending Outcome of Related Proceedings (#47) (“Motion to Stay”) on May 18, 1994. Plaintiffs filed their Opposition (# 49) on May 31, 1994. No reply was filed.

This Court heard oral argument on both Motions on September 2, 1994.

I. Factual Background

This case began when Plaintiff filed its Complaint for Injunctive and Declaratory Relief and Fines (“Complaint”) in Nevada state court. Plaintiff alleged that Defendants Contract Services Union, Local 211 (“Union”), Financial Consultants Guild of America, Contract Services Network, Inc., (“CSN”), United States Administrators (“USA”), Contract Services Employee Trust (“Trust”), Gary Duke, Mark Grimes, Forrest O’Hara, Richard Kester, Donald W. Tour-ville, and Murel D. Rucks all violated Nev. Rev.Stats. § 685B.030, which prohibits the unauthorized transaction of the business of insurance.1

Plaintiff alleges that Defendants are not authorized by the Nevada Department of Insurance to act as insurers in the State of Nevada, yet Defendants contacted Nevada employers in order to solicit the CSN plan. See, Complaint, attached as Exhibit A to Notice of Removal (# 1). Specifically, Plaintiffs allege that the plan offered by Defendants does not comply with the Nevada Industrial Insurance Requirements. See, Complaint, attached as Exhibit A to Notice of Removal (#1). Defendants maintain, however, that their Trust is an ERISA trust set up pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement among employers and not subject to state regulation. See, Joint Status Conference Memorandum (# 12).

II. Summary Judgment

Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56, summary judgment is proper “if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.”

The party moving for summary judgment has the initial burden of showing the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. See Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144, 90 S.Ct. 1598, 26 L.Ed.2d 142 (1970); Zoslaw v. MCA Distrib. Corp., 693 F.2d 870, 883 (9th Cir.1982), cert. denied, 460 U.S. 1085, 103 S.Ct. 1777, 76 L.Ed.2d 349 (1983). Once the movant’s burden is met by presenting evidence which, if uncontroverted, would entitle the movant to a directed verdict at trial, the burden then shifts to the respondent to set forth specific facts demonstrating that there is a genuine issue for trial. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 250, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2511, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). If the factual context makes the respondent’s claim implausible, that party must come forward with more persuasive evidence than would otherwise be necessary to show that there is a genuine issue for trial. [389]*389Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323-24, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552-53, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586-87, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1355-56, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986); California Arch. Bldg. Prod. v. Franciscan Ceramics, 818 F.2d 1466, 1468 (9th Cir.1987), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 1006, 108 S.Ct. 698, 98 L.Ed.2d 650 (1988).

If the party seeking summary judgment meets this burden, then summary judgment will be granted unless there is significant probative evidence tending to support the opponent’s legal theory. First National Bank of Arizona v. Cities Service Co., 391 U.S. 253, 290, 88 S.Ct. 1575, 1593, 20 L.Ed.2d 569 (1968); Commodity Futures Trading Comm’n v. Savage, 611 F.2d 270 (9th Cir. 1979). Parties seeking to defeat summary judgment cannot stand on their pleadings once the movant has submitted affidavits or other similar materials. Affidavits that do not affirmatively demonstrate personal knowledge are insufficient. British Airways Bd. v. Boeing Co., 585 F.2d 946, 952 (9th Cir.1978), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 981, 99 S.Ct. 1790, 60 L.Ed.2d 241 (1979). Likewise, “legal memoranda and oral argument are not evidence and do not create issues of fact capable of defeating an otherwise valid motion for summary judgment.” Id.

A material issue of fact is one that affects the outcome of the litigation and requires a trial to resolve the differing versions of the truth. See Admiralty Fund v. Hugh Johnson & Co., 677 F.2d 1301, 1305-06 (9th Cir.1982); Admiralty Fund v. Jones, 677 F.2d 1289, 1293 (9th Cir.1982).

All facts and inferences drawn must be viewed in the light most favorable to the responding party when determining whether a genuine issue of material fact exists for summary judgment purposes. Poller v. CBS, Inc., 368 U.S. 464, 82 S.Ct. 486, 7 L.Ed.2d 458 (1962). After drawing inferences favorable to the respondent, summary judgment will be granted only if all reasonable inferences defeat the respondent’s claims. Admiralty Fund v. Tabor, 677 F.2d 1297, 1298 (9th Cir.1982).

The trilogy of Supreme Court cases cited above establishes that “[s]ummary judgment procedure is properly regarded not as a disfavored procedural shortcut, but rather as an integral part of the Federal Rules as a whole, which are designed ‘to secure the just, speedy and inexpensive determination of every action.’ ” Celotex Corp., 477 U.S. at 327, 106 S.Ct. at 2555 (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 1). See also Avia Group Int’l, Inc. v. L.A Gear Cal., 853 F.2d 1557, 1560 (Fed.Cir.1988).

III. Nevada Requirements for Workers’ Compensation

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873 F. Supp. 385, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18979, 1994 WL 728461, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-department-of-insurance-v-contract-services-network-inc-nvd-1994.