United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Klein Corp.

558 N.E.2d 1047, 190 Ill. App. 3d 250, 146 Ill. Dec. 848, 1989 Ill. App. LEXIS 1650
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 27, 1989
Docket1—88—2050, 1—88—3332 cons.
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 558 N.E.2d 1047 (United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Klein Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Klein Corp., 558 N.E.2d 1047, 190 Ill. App. 3d 250, 146 Ill. Dec. 848, 1989 Ill. App. LEXIS 1650 (Ill. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

JUSTICE McNAMARA

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendants, Donna G. Klein and Klein Corporation, each appeal from separate orders granting summary judgment in favor of plaintiff, United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company (USF&G). The cases were consolidated on appeal. Defendants contend that the order granting USF&G’s motion for summary judgment was improperly entered where the evidence presented was incomplete and subject to multiple interpretations, that USF&G is not entitled to indemnity, and that the trial court erroneously found that there was no just reason to delay enforcement or appeal of its order.

The relevant facts are as follows. On April 1, 1982, USF&G entered into a master surety agreement with Klein Construction Company and various corporations controlled by Wayne Klein, Donna Klein’s husband. The agreement was executed by Donna Klein.

On or about July 19, 1984, Klein Construction entered into a construction contract with the Chicago Transit Authority (the CTA). Klein Construction agreed to act as general contractor for the construction of a bus facility. The contract price was $25,686,000. USF&G issued performance and payment bonds in that sum, with Klein Construction as principal and the CTA as obligee.

On August 20, 1986, Klein Construction filed a petition for reorganization under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. On October 15, 1986, the CTA informed USF&G that Klein Construction had defaulted under the construction contract. The CTA demanded that USF&G fulfill its obligations as surety under the performance bond. The master surety agreement provides:

“In the event of *** (2) any *** default in any contract secured by BOND(s) *** SURETY shall have the right, in its discretion, to take possession of any part or all of the work under contracts) secured by BOND(s) *** and, at the expense of UNDERSIGNED [defendant], to complete or cause completion of any such work, or relet or consent to the reletting or completion of such contract ***.”

Prior to the date of default, the CTA had paid Klein Construction and its subcontractors $15,653,143.61 under the construction contract. After adjustments due to change orders, there remained a balance of $10,808,567.79 to be paid pursuant to the contract.

On October 23, 1986, USF&G filed suit against Klein Corporation, Wayne J. Klein and Donna Klein. USF&G alleged, among other things, that it was entitled to be reimbursed for various amounts it paid pursuant to the bonds.

On February 20, 1987, USF&G, the CTA and Paschen Contractors, Inc., entered into a tri-party contract assumption agreement for the completion of the CTA project. The parties executed a supplemental and an auxiliary agreement on March 5, 1987. The CTA accepted USF&G’s offer of Paschen as completing contractor, and agreed to pay Paschen $10,808,000 less amounts paid by the CTA under a previous estimate. Paschen was required to deliver to the CTA performance and payment bonds in the sum of $10,808,567.79. The CTA agreed to pay Paschen that amount and to look to Paschen and its surety as primary obligors in the event of a default by Paschen.

The CTA also agreed to reduce the penal limits of USF&G’s performance bond by the following sums: the amounts paid for enclosure of the building and for all other work done subsequent to the CTA’s demand of October 15, 1986; the amounts paid by USF&G to Paschen as completing or interim contractor; and the amounts paid by USF&G to satisfy claims for labor or material used or reasonably required by any third person in the performance of the contract.

On December 23, 1987, USF&G filed a motion for partial summary judgment against Donna Klein, and on August 3, 1988, USF&G filed a motion for summary judgment against Klein Corporation. In each motion, USF&G alleged that it had paid $5,580,128.70 pursuant to its indemnity agreement with defendants. The motions sought judgment in the amount of $5,315,869.10 and reserved the right to proceed against defendants in the future for other amounts paid pursuant to the indemnity agreement. In support of the motion, USF&G filed the affidavit of Anna Nolc Ramirez. Ramirez is a claims officer at USF&G and is in charge of handling all claims on performance and payment bonds issued to Klein Construction as principal. The affidavit stated that USF&G entered into various contracts and made various payments to contractors, that USF&G had paid Paschen $3,122,299.80, and had paid subcontractors $2,193,569.96. Attached to the affidavit were photocopies of the checks representing those payments.

On June 1, 1988, the trial court granted USF&G’s motion and entered judgment in favor of USF&G in the amount of $5,315,869.10. The court found that there was no just reason to delay enforcement or appeal of the order.

Defendants first contend that USF&G was not entitled to indemnity from defendants for payments it made. Defendants argue that USF&G made the payments either in bad faith or as a volunteer, without legal obligation as a surety. USF&G maintains, however, that defendants’ contention is based merely on speculation, conjecture and innuendo, and accordingly, fails to raise a genuine issue of material fact which would preclude entry of summary judgment.

On a motion for summary judgment, the trial court must determine whether there is a genuine issue as to any material fact that requires a trial. (Bezin v. Ginsburg (1978), 59 Ill. App. 3d 429, 375 N.E.2d 468.) The motion should be granted when the pleadings, exhibits, depositions, and affidavits of record show that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 110, par. 2 — 1005.) Nonetheless, summary judgment should be granted only where the evidence, when construed most strongly against the moving party, establishes clearly and without doubt his right thereto. Marquette National Bank v. Heritage Pullman Bank & Trust Co. (1982), 109 Ill. App. 3d 532, 440 N.E.2d 1033.

The right to indemnification may arise either by reason of contract or by reason of common law indemnity principles. (Tiffing Decorating Co. v. General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corp. (1973), 12 Ill. App. 3d 597, 299 N.E.2d 378.) An indemnification contract is to be given a fair and reasonable interpretation based upon a consideration of all its language and provisions. (Bates v. Select Lake City Theater Operations Co. (1979), 78 Ill. App. 3d 153, 397 N.E.2d 75; Burns v. Ford Motor Co. (1974), 29 Ill. App. 3d 585, 331 N.E.2d 325

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Bluebook (online)
558 N.E.2d 1047, 190 Ill. App. 3d 250, 146 Ill. Dec. 848, 1989 Ill. App. LEXIS 1650, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-fidelity-guaranty-co-v-klein-corp-illappct-1989.