The Cincinnati Ins. Co. v. Selective Ins. Co.

Superior Court of Pennsylvania·Decided October 18, 2017·No. 446 EDA 2017·Unpublished

Opinion

J-A19034-17 NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF COMPANY, AS SUBROGEE OF LEONARD : PENNSYLVANIA S. FIORE, INC., :

:

Appellant :

:

v. :

:

SELECTIVE INSURANCE COMPANY OF : SOUTH CAROLINA AND DAVID : PHILLIPS d/b/a DA-LYN CONTRACTORS : No. 446 EDA 2017

Appeal from the Order entered December 23, 2016 in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Civil Division, No(s): December Term, 2014 No. 0175

BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., DUBOW and MUSMANNO, JJ. MEMORANDUM BY MUSMANNO, J.: FILED OCTOBER 18, 2017 The Cincinnati Insurance Company (“CIC”), as subrogee of Leonard S.

Fiore, Inc. (“Fiore”), appeals from the Order granting the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Selective Insurance Company of South Carolina (“SIC”) and David Phillips d/b/a Da-Lyn Contractors (collectively “Defendants”), and denying CIC’s Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment. We affirm.

In its Opinion, the trial court set forth the relevant factual and procedural background, which we adopt for the purpose of this appeal. See Trial Court Opinion, 12/23/16, at 1-4.

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On December 23, 2016, the trial court granted Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment, and denied CIC’s Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment. This timely appeal followed.1 On appeal, CIC raises the following issues for our review:

1. Whether the [t]rial [c]ourt erred in granting [D]efendants’

[M]otion for [S]ummary [J]udgment in ruling[,] as a matter of law[,] that the [SIC] primary insurance policy [(“the SIC policy”)] was excess over the [CIC] primary insurance policy [(“the CIC policy”)] and the [CIC] umbrella policy [(“the CIC umbrella policy”)?]

2. Whether the [t]rial [c]ourt erred in denying [CIC’s] [C]ross-

[M]otion for [S]ummary [J]udgment in ruling[,] as a matter of law[,] that the [SIC] policy was not triggered[,] and required to exhaust[,] prior to the [CIC] umbrella policy[?]

3. Whether the [t]rial [c]ourt erred in determining that the [SIC]

policy was not obligated to reimburse the defense costs incurred by [CIC] in the defense of Fiore and Wal-Mart in the Peterman lawsuit[?]

Brief for Appellant at 4.

As CIC’s issues are related, we will address them together. In its first issue, CIC contends that SIC advanced only two arguments in support of its Motion for Summary Judgment, namely, that (1) Fiore and Wal-Mart are additional insureds under the SIC policy with respect to bodily injury caused in whole or in part by the ongoing operations of Da-Lyn Contractors (“Da- Lyn”); and (2) the Amended Complaint filed in the underlying Peterman litigation lacks any allegations of Da-Lyn’s negligence. Id. at 10. CIC

1 The trial court did not order CIC to file a concise statement of matters complained of on appeal, pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a).

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asserts that both of SIC’s arguments were impliedly rejected pursuant to the trial court’s finding that the allegations of the Amended Complaint filed in the underlying Peterman litigation sufficiently articulated proximate causation attributable to Da-Lyn. Id. at 10-11. CIC claims that, pursuant to the indemnification provision in the contract between Fiore and Da-Lyn, Da- Lyn was contractually obligated to indemnify Fiore and Wal-Mart for any bodily injury caused by Da-Lyn’s negligence. Id. at 12-14. According to CIC, SIC does not dispute that the SIC policy, although excess over the CIC policy, applies before the CIC umbrella policy is triggered. Id. at 16-17.

In its second issue, CIC asserts that, pursuant to the contract between Fiore and Da-Lyn, Da-Lyn was required to obtain commercial general liability coverage with a personal and advertising injury limit of $1 million, and that the SIC policy was, therefore, the primary coverage under the contract between Fiore and Da-Lyn. Id. at 18.2 CIC claims that the contract between Fiore and Da-Lyn also required that “[a]ll insurance must contain an endorsement that the insurance coverage is primary to that of Wal- Mart’s[,] and that Wal-Mart’s policies are excess.” Id. (quoting Exhibit C to the Da-Lyn/Fiore Contract). CIC argues that, after the CIC policy was exhausted during settlement of the Peterman lawsuit, the SIC policy should

2 CIC further asserts that, pursuant to the contract between Fiore and Da- Lyn, Da-Lyn was also required to obtain umbrella liability coverage with a limit of $3 million, but failed to do so. See Brief for Appellant at 18.

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have been exhausted before the CIC umbrella policy was triggered. Id. at 19. CIC contends that, in ruling that the SIC policy was excess over the CIC umbrella insurance policy, the trial court failed to compare the language of the SIC policy to the language of the CIC umbrella policy regarding the order in which the policies were required to exhaust. Id. at 17. Specifically, CIC points to the “Other Insurance” clause in the CIC umbrella policy, which states as follows:

The insurance provided by this Coverage part is excess over any other valid and collectible insurance, other than insurance written specifically to be excess over this insurance, and shall not be contributory.

Id. at 19 (quoting the CIC Umbrella Policy, Form US 101 UM 10 02, at p. 14). CIC asserts that, in ruling that the SIC policy was excess to the CIC umbrella policy, the trial court relied exclusively on the “Blanket Additional Insured” form included in the SIC policy, which reads as follows:

This coverage shall be excess with respect to the person or organization included as an additional insured by its provisions:

any other insurance that person or organization has shall be primary with respect to this insurance, unless this coverage is required to be primary and not contributory in the contract, agreement or permit referred to above.

Id. (quoting the SIC Policy, Blanket Additional Insured Form). CIC claims that after the $1 million limit under the CIC policy was exhausted, the SIC policy should have applied, pro rata, with the CIC umbrella policy until the Peterman settlement was fully paid. Id. at 22. CIC argues that, because Fiore and Wal-Mart are additional insureds under the SIC policy, the costs of

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defending them, as incurred by CIC, qualify as recoverable “damages” under the SIC policy. Id. Finally, CIC contends that the contract between Fiore and Da-Lyn is an “insured contract” under the SIC policy, and is not subject to the contractual liability exclusion contained therein. Id.

In its third issue, CIC contends, in the alternative, that if the trial court’s Order granting summary judgment in favor of SIC is affirmed, “there must also be a finding that Da-Lyn’s insurance coverage with [SIC] is primary and contributory over the coverage afforded to Wal-Mart.” Id. at 25.

We review orders granting summary judgment under the following standard:

Summary judgment is proper only when the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions and affidavits and other materials demonstrate that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The reviewing court must view the record in the light most favorable to the non[-]

moving party and resolve all doubts as to the existence of a genuine issue of material fact against the moving party. Only when the facts are so clear that reasonable minds could not differ can a trial court properly enter summary judgment.

Wall Rose Mut. Ins. Co. v. Manross, 939 A.2d 958, 962 (Pa. Super. 2007) (citations omitted). When considering an order granting summary judgment in the context of a declaratory judgment action, our scope of review is plenary. Kvaerner Metals Div. of Kvaerner U.S., Inc. v. Commercial Union Ins. Co., 908 A.2d 888, 895 (Pa. 2006). We will reverse the order of the trial court only if we find that an error of law or an abuse of discretion

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The Cincinnati Ins. Co. v. Selective Ins. Co., (Pa. Ct. App. 2017).

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