The Limited, Inc. v. Cigna Ins. Co.

228 F. Supp. 2d 574, 2001 WL 34035773
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 5, 2002
Docket2:00-cv-03766
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 228 F. Supp. 2d 574 (The Limited, Inc. v. Cigna Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
The Limited, Inc. v. Cigna Ins. Co., 228 F. Supp. 2d 574, 2001 WL 34035773 (E.D. Pa. 2002).

Opinion

ORDER

NEWCOMER, Senior District Judge.

AND NOW, this 22nd day of February, 2001, upon consideration of the following motions, and responses thereto, it is hereby ORDERED as follows:

(1) Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment (Paper # 8) is DENIED.

(2) Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Paper # 7) is GRANTED.

(3) JUDGMENT is ENTERED in favor of defendant.

(4) This action is DISMISSED on all counts.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff The Limited, Inc. brings the instant action for declaratory judgment against Defendant CIGNA Insurance Company, now known as ACE American Company (“ACE”), for insurance coverage under an insurance policy plaintiff purchased from defendant in 1999.

A. THE INSURANCE POLICY

On or about February 1, 1999, The Limited purchased from ACE a “Product Tampering & Accidental Contamination Insurance Policy” (“Policy”). The Policy period covered February 1, 1999 through February 1, 2002, whereby ACE agreed to pay The Limited for losses covered by the Policy “caused by or resulting from a Product Tampering or Accidental Contamination of a Covered Product(s).” The Policy has an aggregate limit of $10 million for each loss per year with a $100,000 deductible.

The Policy contains the following definitions for “Accidental Contamination” and “Covered Product”:

Accidental Contamination means any accidental or unintentional contamination, adulteration or pollution of a Covered Product(s) which occurs while you are manufacturing, producing, processing, preparing, packaging, or labeling the Covering Product(s) if such contamination, adulteration or pollution:
1. has resulted or would result in bodily injury, sickness, disease or death to any person or animal if consumed or used; or
2. has caused or would cause physical damage to or destruction of tangible property; or

publicity specifically naming you or your Covered Product(s) as the subject of an Accidental Contamination covered herein.

Covered Product(s) means those products (or any of their ingredients or components) manufactured, distributed, handled or sold by you or for you by others and listed in the Declaration.

Covered Product(s) also means any new product line(s) introduced or acquired after the inception of this policy, provided written notice is given to us within ninety (90) days of such introduction or acquisition.

B. THE FOAM BURST PRODUCT AND THE UNDERLYING CLAIMS

The Limited, through its subsidiary Bath & Body Works (“BBW”), sells cosmetic and personal care products, among other things, in retail stores nationwide. One of the personal care products in the BBW personal care product line is Foam *577 Burst Moisturizing Body. Wash (“Foam Burst”), a fragrant shower gel that produces a cleansing lather when it is dispensed from its container and exposed to water. Foam Burst is aerosol-dispensed from 6.8 oz metal canisters which are sold individually and in gift-baskets. Foam Burst is packaged under pressure, and its contents are dispensed by triggering the “actuator” on the canister.

In June 1999, BBW entered into a Licensing Agreement with Cussons (International) Limited, whereby Cussons granted a license to BBW to “make, have made, use, consign, and to advertise, promote, market, sell and otherwise distribute” Foam Burst for a two-year period. Under the Licensing Agreement, until BBW selected a local manufacturer that was capable of manufacturing Foam Burst that was commercially saleable, Cussons “agreed that it [would] manufacture [Foam Burst] on behalf of [BBW], subject to agreement.” The manufacture of Foam Burst never proceeded to local product; instead, Cussons manufactured the Foam Burst on BBW’s behalf. Cussons was solely responsible for the creation, design, and manufacture of the Foam Burst and all of its component parts, including its container.

By September 1999, BBW began importing Foam Burst and selling it in its retail stores nationwide. Starting in October 1999, BBW began receiving complaints from consumers that they had suffered eye injuries allegedly resulting from their use of Foam Burst. On May 4, 2000, BBW issued a press release, that was posted on the FDA website, announcing that it had “voluntarily recalled” Foam Burst from its stores. The press release stated in part:

If the Foam Burst product is not used in accordance with the directions for use printed on the label, the gel, when dispensed, can inadvertently be sprayed into the eyes, resulting in potential temporary eye irritation.... In response to the company^ concerns for its customers, Bath & Body Works has developed a new dispenser for the Foam Burst product, which it will introduce shortly.

The Cincinnati District Office of the FDA subsequently wrote to BBW in a letter dated May 23, 2000, which stated:

[The FDA agrees] with your firm’s decision to recall all product codes and fragrances of your aerosol-dispensed Foam Burst Moisturizing Body Wash, packed in 6.8 oz (192g) metal containers.... We have reviewed your action and conclude that it meets the formal definition of a ‘recall.’ This is significant, as your action is an alternative to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) legal action to remove your defective product from the market.... This recall has been classified by the FDA as a class II action. This means a situation in which use of, or exposure to, the violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.

The Limited proceeded to recall Foam Burst from the retail stores and attempted to return the product to the "market in a different canister. In the process, The Limited incurred substantial costs in connection with the recall, the reintroduction of Foam Burst, and lost sales. When The Limited sought to recover from.defendant its costs and losses from the recall under the Policy, ACE refused to pay, denying insurance coverage.

Plaintiff then filed the instant action for declaratory judgment, breach of contract, and bad faith. Plaintiff and defendant have now filed Cross-Motions for Summary Judgment. Defendant argues that the Court should determine as a matter of law that plaintiffs claim does not fall under the coverage afforded by the Policy, *578 while plaintiff contends that its recall of Foam Burst does fall within the coverage afforded by the Policy. Essentially, the parties agree that there are no genuine issues of material fact with regards to the issue of coverage of plaintiffs claim for insurance, while they contest the definition of certain terms and provisions in the Policy that would determine whether plaintiffs claim should or should not be covered by the Policy.

II. SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD

The standards by which a court decides a summary judgment motion do not change when the parties file cross motions. Southeastern Pa. Transportation Auth. v. Pennsylvania Pub. Util.

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Bluebook (online)
228 F. Supp. 2d 574, 2001 WL 34035773, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/the-limited-inc-v-cigna-ins-co-paed-2002.