Thunder Basin Coal Co. v. Zurich American Insurance

969 F. Supp. 2d 1134, 2013 WL 4525749, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 121644
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Thunder Basin Coal Co. v. Zurich American Insurance. Read the opinion of the Court — 943 F. Supp. 2d 1010
District Court, E.D. Missouri·Decided August 27, 2013·No. No. 4:12CV231 CDP·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

CATHERINE D. PERRY, District Judge.

In this insurance coverage dispute a mine owner seeks to be considered an additional insured on policies issued to one of its contractors. Two workers injured in a crane accident on the property have sued the mine owner in Wyoming. The insurance policies were issued to a contractor who did work on the site before the men were injured. The contractor’s policies say they will cover as an additional insured another party with whom the contractor had a “written contract requiring insurance.” The mine owner asserts that its construction agreement is such a contract, but the Wyoming court has already ruled that the contractor’s work where the men were injured was not performed as part of that agreement, so there can be no coverage on that basis. But I agree that a separate document between the two, called “Terms and Conditions,” meets the requirement of a written contract requiring insurance, so the plaintiff is an additional insured under the policies. Because other issues remain in the case, however, I am not entering judgment at this time.

Background

Plaintiff Thunder Basin Coal Company L.L.C. operates the Black Thunder Mine located in Wyoming. Thunder Basin built a new facility for transporting coal from the mine. In September of 2007, Thunder Basin hired Earth Works Solutions, Inc. to do some of the work associated with a rail line extension of a rail line as part of the new facility. The written construction agreement required Earth Works to name Thunder Basin as an additional insured on its primary and excess liability insurance policies. In November 2007, Earth Works signed a Thunder Basin document called “Terms and Conditions,” which also contained an insurance provision. Earth Works obtained its commercial general liability (CGL) policy from defendant Travelers Indemnity Insurance Company of America, and obtained the commercial excess liability insurance policy from defendant Travelers Property and Casual Company of America.1 Thunder Basin asserts that it is an additional insured under these policies and that Travelers must defend and indemnify it in two personal injury lawsuits filed in Wyoming.

During the construction project, Thunder Basin also asked Earth Works to prepare the ground at a site where a crane would be used, referred to as the Bent 4 pad. It is undisputed that this work was not within the scope of work contemplated [1137]*1137by the original construction agreement, but the parties disagree as to whether the work was nevertheless done as part of that agreement, either under a later-issued change order or an amended contract. Earth Works did the Bent 4 pad work during March and April 2008. A crane being used at the site collapsed on May 31, 2008, injuring workers Andrew Milonis and Federico Salinas. Milonis filed suit in Wyoming against Earth Works, Thunder Basin, and the company that owned the crane. Salinas also sued Thunder Basin. Both suits allege that Thunder Basin contracted with Earth Works to construct the Bent 4 pad and that the negligent construction of the pad caused the plaintiffs’ injuries. These are the suits for which Thunder Basin seeks coverage as an additional insured.

The United States District Court for the District of Wyoming, where the Milonis case is pending, has ruled that the construction agreement between Thunder Basin and Earth Works did not give rise to any duties by Earth Works to the Milonis plaintiffs, because the construction agreement, as a matter of contract interpretation, did not apply to the work Earth Works’ did on the Bent 4 pad.2 Palmer ex rel. Milonis v. Lampson Int’l, LLC, No. 11-CV-199-J, slip op. (D.Wyo. Oct. 15, 2011).

The Insurance Policies

Several provisions of the policies Travelers issued to Earth Works relate to coverage for an additional insured. The CGL policy contains an endorsement covering additional insureds:

1. WHO IS AN INSURED — (Section II) is amended to include any person or organization that you agree in a “mitten contract requiring insuranee” to include as an additional insured on this Coverage Part, but:
a) Only with respect to liability for “bodily injury,” “property damage” or “personal injury”; and
b) If, and only to the extent that, the injury or damage is caused by acts or omissions of you or your subcontractor in the performance of “your work” to which the “written contract requiring insurance ” applies. The person or organization does not qualify as an additional insured with respect to the independent acts or omissions of such person or organization.

(Doc. # 1-4, at 24) (emphasis added). It also defines a “written contract requiring insurance”:

“Written contract requiring insurance” means that part of any written contract or agreement under which you are required to include a person or organization as an additional insured on this Coverage Part, provided that the “bodily injury” and “property damage” occurs and the “personal injury” is caused by an offense committed:
a. After the signing and execution of the contract or agreement by you;
b. While that part of the contract or agreement is in effect; and
c. Before the end of the policy period.

(Doc. # 1-4, at 25) (emphasis added).

The excess liability policy defines an “insured” as follows:

f. Any other person or organization insured under any policy of the “underlying insurance” listed in the SCHEDULE OF UNDERLYING [1138]*1138INSURANCE of the DECLARATIONS of this insurance for whom you have agreed in a written contract executed prior to loss to provide insurance. This insurance is subject to all the limitations upon coverage under such policy of “underlying insurance,” and, the limits of insurance afforded to such person or organization will be:
(i) The difference between the “underlying insurance” limits and the minimum limits of insurance which you agreed to provide; or
(ii) The limits of insurance of this policy
whichever is less.

(Doc. # 1-5, at 12-13) (emphasis added). The scheduled underlying insurance refers to the CGL policy.

The Construction Agreement

The construction agreement is a comprehensive contract between Thunder Basin and Earth Works that governed the work to be done on the new railroad track at the mine site. The agreement includes provisions mandating a standard of care to be undertaken by Earth Works, including the duty to independently verify all site conditions. The construction agreement also required that Earth Works maintain insurance policies covering Thunder Basin as an additional insured.

The Terms and Conditions document

The terms and conditions document (the T & C) is a four-page document attached to a fax sent by Thunder Basin to Earth Works. The fax transmittal sheet states that Thunder Basin requires the signed terms and conditions statement to enable a vendor to perform contract labor on the mine site.

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Thunder Basin Coal Co. v. Zurich American Insurance, 969 F. Supp. 2d 1134, 2013 WL 4525749, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 121644 (E.D. Mo. 2013).

969 F. Supp. 2d 1134 (Thunder Basin Coal Co. v. Zurich American Insurance) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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