US Airways, Inc. v. Commonwealth Ins.

64 Va. Cir. 408, 2004 Va. Cir. LEXIS 95
CourtArlington County Circuit Court
DecidedMay 14, 2004
DocketCase No. (Law) 03-587
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 64 Va. Cir. 408 (US Airways, Inc. v. Commonwealth Ins.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arlington County Circuit Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
US Airways, Inc. v. Commonwealth Ins., 64 Va. Cir. 408, 2004 Va. Cir. LEXIS 95 (Va. Super. Ct. 2004).

Opinion

By Judge Joanne F. Alper

This matter comes before the Court on Defendant PMA Capital Insurance Corporation’s Motion for Summary Judgment and US Airways’ Cross-Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. Having heard the arguments of counsel, examined the briefs prepared by the parties, and taken this matter under advisement, the Court issues the following ruling.

I. Statement of the Case

US Airways Group, Inc. (“US Airways”) entered into a property insurance contract with Caliber One Indemnity Company that provided coverage for the period of December 1, 2000, through December 1, 2001.1 Defendant [409]*409PMA Capital Insurance Corporation (“PMA”) became a party to this action as a successor in interest to Caliber One Indemnity Company.

The policy in question is an All Risk Manuscript Property Policy (“the Policy”) which covers damage to property, including business interruption, up to a limit of $25 million.* 2 The Policy is a subscription policy where several insurance providers jointly agreed to underwrite a percentage of the coverage. The present case involves only one of the insurance providers, PMA.3

The relevant sections of the Policy are:

7. Coverage
B. Business Interruption
1. Loss resulting from necessary interruption of business conducted by the Insured and caused by loss, damage, or destruction to real or personal property by any of the perils covered herein during the term of this policy....
5. Resumption of Operations: It is a condition of this insurance that, if the Insured could reduce the loss resulting from the interruption of business: (a) by a complete or partial resumption of operation of the property insured, whether damaged or not....
F. Provision Applicable to Business Interruption....
5. Interruption by Civil or Military Authority: This policy extended to cover the loss sustained during the period of time, not to exceed 30 consecutive days, when, as a direct result of a peril insured against, access to real or personal property is prohibited by order of civil or military authority.
8. Perils Insured Against
This policy insures against all risk of direct physical loss of or damage to property described herein including general average, salvage, and all other charges on shipments covered hereunder, except as hereinafter excluded....
[410]*4109. Perils Excluded
This policy does not insure....
E. Against loss of market, except as provided for elsewhere in this policy.
24. Salvage and Recoveries
All salvages, recoveries, and payments, excluding proceeds from subrogation and underlying insurance recovered or received prior to a loss settlement under this policy, shall reduce the loss accordingly.
If recovered or received subsequent to a loss settlement under this policy, such net amounts recovered shall be divided between the interests concerned, i.e., the Insured and any other Company(ies) participating in the payment of any loss, in the proportion of their respective interests.

On September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States caused the Federal government to enact extraordinaiy measures to protect the public. The use of commercial aircraft during the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon caused the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a ground halt order, which mandated that all aircraft in the air land immediately, prohibited any flights from departing, and forbade any international flights from entering United States airspace. FDC #1/9731 (Notice to Airmen, September 11,2001).

The Federal government also ordered the immediate closure of Reagan National Airport.4 The airport remained closed until October 4, 2001, when commercial operations resumed.5

The Federal government’s closure of Reagan National Airport in response to the attacks of September 11th is the basis for US Airways’ claimed losses due to business interruption under the policy with PMA. Based upon the express terms of the Policy, PMA seeks summary judgment dismissing US Airways’ claims. US Airways seeks summary judgment on two of PMA’s defenses as a matter of law.

[411]*411II. Summary Judgment Standard

This Court may sustain a motion for summary judgment and enter judgment in favor of the moving party only when there are no genuine issues of material fact in dispute. Rule 3:18; Thurmond v. Prince William Prof'l Baseball Club, Inc., 265 Va. 59, 574 S.E.2d 246 (2003). Summary judgment is a “drastic remedy” which gives trial courts the authority to end litigation at an early stage as a matter of law, but “it does not substitute a new method of trial where an issue of fact exists.” Turner v. Lotts, 244 Va. 554, 556, 422 S.E.2d 765, 766 (1992) citing Leslie v. Nitz, 212 Va. 480,481, 184 S.E.2d 755, 756 (1971). Therefore, when reviewing the record, the Court accepts “those inferences from the facts that are most favorable to the nonmoving party, unless the inferences are forced, strained, or contrary to reason.” Dudas v. Glenwood Golf Club, Inc., 261 Va. 133, 136, 540 S.E.2d 129, 130-31 (2001), quoting Dickerson v. Fatehi, 253 Va. 324, 327, 484 S.E.2d 880, 882 (1997).

When the Court is presented with cross-motions for summary judgment, as in this case, the nature of the filings do not themselves “resolve the question whether material facts remain genuinely in dispute.” Town of Ashland v. Ashland Inv. Co., 235 Va. 150, 154, 366 S.E.2d 100, 103 (1988). The Court’s “duty to ascertain whether facts remain in dispute or whether there are sufficient facts to decide the question presented is not obviated by cross-motions for summary judgment.” Central Nat. Ins. v. Virginia Farm Bur. Ins., 222 Va. 353, 356, 282 S.E.2d 4, 6 (1981).

Once it is established that there are no material facts genuinely in dispute, the Court must determine whether the “moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Leeman v. Troutman Builds, Inc., 260 Va. 202, 206, 530 S.E.2d 909, 911 (2000).

III. Issues Presented

PMA’s motion for summary judgment presents the following issues:

1. Whether the civil authority orders upon which US Airways bases its business interruption claim are a peril covered under the Policy;

2.

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64 Va. Cir. 408, 2004 Va. Cir. LEXIS 95, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/us-airways-inc-v-commonwealth-ins-vaccarlington-2004.