Toledo Fair Housing Center v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance

704 N.E.2d 667, 94 Ohio Misc. 2d 151, 1997 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 355
CourtLucas County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedAugust 11, 1997
DocketNo. CI93—1685
StatusPublished

This text of 704 N.E.2d 667 (Toledo Fair Housing Center v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Lucas County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Toledo Fair Housing Center v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance, 704 N.E.2d 667, 94 Ohio Misc. 2d 151, 1997 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 355 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1997).

Opinion

Frederick H. McDonald, Judge.

This class action case is before the court upon the following motions: (1) a motion for summary judgment filed by defendants Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Company (collectively “Nationwide”) as to plaintiffs’ claims for classwide relief, (2) a motion for partial summary judgment filed by the plaintiffs, and (3) a motion for summary judgment as to the individual plaintiffs’ claims filed by Nationwide. Upon consideration of the pleadings, the record, the written arguments of counsel, and the applicable law, I find that Nationwide’s motions should be denied and that the plaintiffs’ motion should be denied.

I

The plaintiffs are the Toledo Fair Housing Center and several individual plaintiffs. Many of the individual plaintiffs represent a class of homeowners who, since 1979, have owned a home in an “African-American” neighborhood.1 The plaintiffs allege that Nationwide engages in redlining in its offering of homeowner’s insurance in violation of R.C. 4112.02(H)(4).2 Particularly, for purposes [155]*155of the plaintiffs’ motion, the plaintiffs argue that two of Nationwide’s underwriting guidelines, the minimum insurance amount and maximum dwelling age,3 have a disparate impact on homeowners in African-American neighborhoods. The plaintiffs now move for summary judgment on these disparate-impact issues. In support of their motion, the plaintiffs have offered excerpts of certain deposition testimony as well as a report prepared by Dr. Samuel Attoh and James R. Weaver, Jr. (“the Attoh report.”) Nationwide opposes the plaintiffs’ motion.

Nationwide also moves for summary judgment, arguing that, as a matter of law, the following guidelines do not have a disparate impact on African-American neighborhoods: (1) the minimum insurance amount, (2) the maximum dwelling age, and (3) the consideration of the ratio of market value to replacement cost in determining whether a risk should be written and, if so, on what policy form. Additionally, Nationwide moves for summary judgment on the plaintiffs’ claims that (1) Nationwide’s failure to alter certain underwriting practices is evidence of intentional discrimination, and (2) Nationwide’s target marketing practices intentionally discriminate against African-American neighborhoods. Nationwide also moves for summary judgment on the individual plaintiffs’ claims. The plaintiffs oppose Nationwide’s motions.

II

The general rules governing motions for summary judgment filed pursuant to Giv.R. 56 are well established. In Harless v. Willis Day Warehousing Co. (1978), 54 Ohio St.2d 64, 66, 8 O.O.3d 73, 74, 375 N.E.2d 46, 47, the Supreme Court of Ohio stated the requirements that must be met before a motion for summary judgment can be granted:

“The appositeness of rendering a summary judgment hinges upon the tripartite demonstration: (1) that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact; (2) that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law; and (3) that reasonable minds can come to but one conclusion, and that conclusion is adverse to the party against whom the motion for summary judgment is made, who is entitled to have the evidence construed most strongly in his favor.
“The burden of showing that no genuine issue exists as to any material fact falls upon the moving party in requesting a summary judgment.”

A party who claims to be entitled to summary judgment on the ground that a nonmovant cannot prove its case bears the initial burden of (1) specifically [156]*156identifying the basis of its motion, and (2) identifying those portions of the record that demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact regarding an essential element of the nonmovant’s case. Dresher v. Burt (1996), 75 Ohio St.3d 280, 293, 662 N.E.2d 264, 273-274; see, also, Dresher, 75 Ohio St.3d at 299, 662 N.E.2d at 277-278 (Pfeifer, J., concurring in judgment only). The movant satisfies this burden by calling attention to some competent summary judgment evidence of the type listed in Civ.R. 56(C), affirmatively demonstrating that the nonmovant has no evidence to support his or her claims. Id. Once the movant has satisfied this initial burden, the burden shifts to the nonmovant to set forth specific facts, in the manner prescribed by Civ.R. 56(E), indicating that a genuine issue of material fact exists for trial. Dresher, 75 Ohio St.3d at 293, 662 N.E.2d at 273-274. Accord Mitseff v. Wheeler (1988), 38 Ohio St.3d 112, 114-115, 526 N.E.2d 798, 800-802.

The Sixth District Court of Appeals has consistently held that summary judgment should be granted with caution in order to protect the nonmoving party’s right to trial. As stated by the court in Viock v. Stowe-Woodward Co. (1983), 13 Ohio App.3d 7, 14-15, 13 OBR 8, 16, 467 N.E.2d 1378, 1386:

“We recognize that summary judgment, pursuant to Civ.R. 56, is a salutary procedure in the administration of justice. It is also, however, a procedure which should be used cautiously and with the utmost care so that a litigant’s right to a trial, wherein the evidentiary portion of the litigant’s case is presented and developed, is not usurped in the presence of conflicting facts and inferences. It is settled law that ‘[t]he inferences to be drawn from the underlying facts contained in the affidavits and other exhibits must be viewed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion, * * * ’ which party in the instant case is appellant. Hounsell v. Am. States Ins. Co. (1981), 67 Ohio St.2d 427, 433 [21 O.O.3d 267, 271, 424 N.E.2d 311, 315]. It is imperative to remember that the purpose of summary judgment is not to try issues of fact, but rather to determine whether triable issues of fact exist.” (Citations omitted.)

Ill

A. Disparate Impact

Both the plaintiffs and Nationwide move for summary judgment on the question of whether the minimum insurance amount or the maximum dwelling age guidelines have a disparate impact on African-American neighborhoods. Therefore, these motions will be treated as cross-motions on those disparate-impact questions.

1. Applicability of Disparate-Impact Analysis

As to these cross-motions, the first major issue is whether the instant case is appropriate for disparate-impact analysis. Nationwide argues that the dispa[157]*157rate-impact approach should not be applied in this case because (1) it undermines the insurance business, (2) it conflicts with the Ohio Insurance Code, (3) it interferes with the Ohio FAIR Plan, and (4) disparate-impact analysis is preempted by a federal statute, the Urban Property Protection and Reinsurance Act of 1968, Section 1749bbb-1749bbb-21, Title 12, U.S.Code (“UPPRA”).4

First, I find that the disparate-impact approach does not unduly undermine the business of selling insurance.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Rice v. Santa Fe Elevator Corp.
331 U.S. 218 (Supreme Court, 1947)
Griggs v. Duke Power Co.
401 U.S. 424 (Supreme Court, 1971)
McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green
411 U.S. 792 (Supreme Court, 1973)
Franks v. Bowman Transportation Co.
424 U.S. 747 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Furnco Construction Corp. v. Waters
438 U.S. 567 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Watson v. Fort Worth Bank & Trust
487 U.S. 977 (Supreme Court, 1988)
Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio
490 U.S. 642 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Viock v. Stowe-Woodward Co.
467 N.E.2d 1378 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1983)
Coleman v. Warner
611 N.E.2d 878 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1992)
Penn Central Corp. v. United States
112 S. Ct. 1262 (Supreme Court, 1992)
Harless v. Willis Day Warehousing Co.
375 N.E.2d 46 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1978)
Hounshell v. American States Insurance
424 N.E.2d 311 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1981)
Mitseff v. Wheeler
526 N.E.2d 798 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1988)
Little Forest Medical Center v. Ohio Civil Rights Commission
575 N.E.2d 1164 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1991)
Dresher v. Burt
662 N.E.2d 264 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
704 N.E.2d 667, 94 Ohio Misc. 2d 151, 1997 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 355, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/toledo-fair-housing-center-v-nationwide-mutual-insurance-ohctcompllucas-1997.