Waste Mgmt., Inc. v. Aig Specialty Ins. Co.

377 F. Supp. 3d 700
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedMarch 28, 2019
DocketCivil Action No. 4:16-CV-03676
StatusPublished

This text of 377 F. Supp. 3d 700 (Waste Mgmt., Inc. v. Aig Specialty Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Waste Mgmt., Inc. v. Aig Specialty Ins. Co., 377 F. Supp. 3d 700 (S.D. Tex. 2019).

Opinion

ANDREW S. HANEN, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

This insurance dispute stems from a pollution event on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and the ensuing criminal proceedings. In particular, the parties dispute whether the insurer had a duty to defend Plaintiffs in those criminal proceedings. The parties have filed cross motions for summary judgment [Doc. Nos. 42 & 48]. For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants the motion filed by the insurer, AIG Specialty Insurance Company ("AIG") [Doc. No. 48], and denies the motion filed by the insureds, Waste Management, Inc. ("WMI") and Waste Management Hawaii, Inc. ("WMH") (collectively "Waste Management") [Doc. No. 42].

I. Undisputed Facts

Rainstorms hit Oahu in December 2010 and January 2011, leading to flooding in the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill ("Landfill").1 Waste from the Landfill, including syringes, blood vials, catheters, and other medical waste, flowed into the *703Pacific Ocean and washed up on nearby beaches.2 The Landfill is operated by WMH.3

A. Chronology of Ensuing Proceedings

In January 2011, within a few weeks of the last storm, the United States Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") issued an Administrative Order on Consent for Removal Action ("AOC").4 The AOC, which WMH agreed to, ordered WMH to take certain actions and produce information to the EPA in order to respond to the pollution event.5 The costs to defend and to implement the AOC are not at issue in the pending motions. AIG had no role in the AOC, and Waste Management does not contend that it should have. Nevertheless, as will be seen below, the AOC is part of Waste Management's overall position regarding the duty to defend the criminal case described below. In April 2011, the United States Department of Justice ("DOJ") began a grand jury investigation into the pollution from the Landfill.6 In August 2011, the EPA notified WMH "that the response work set forth in the AOC is completed to the satisfaction of EPA."7

In December 2011, Waste Management gave its first notice of a potential claim to AIG.8 The notice stated that "THIS IS NOTICE ONLY AS WE ARE NOT YET SURE THIS WILL EXCEED OUR $ 5 M[I]LL[I]ON SELF-INSURED RETENT[I]ON."9 In February 2013, WMH and the DOJ entered a tolling agreement for civil claims under the Clean Water Act.10 In July 2013, the DOJ notified Waste Management that "[i]t is our position that this case is appropriately resolved with a criminal resolution, including felony offenses" and offered a plea agreement.11

In April 2014, WMH and two WMH employees were indicted pursuant to a 13-count indictment.12 Among other charges, the indictment alleged in Count 9 the offense of "knowing discharge of pollutants into a water of the United States, in violation of an [National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System] Permit, and aiding and abetting the same" under 18 U.S.C. § 213 and 33 U.S.C. §§ 1311(a), 1319(c)(2)(A).14 Under 33 U.S.C. § 1311(a), *704"the discharge of any pollutant by any person" is unlawful except when done in compliance with certain enumerated sections. Under 33 U.S.C. § 1319(c)(2)(A) :

Any person who--

(A) knowingly violates section 1311, 1312, 1316, 1317, 1318, 1321(b)(3), 1322(p), 1328, or 1345 of this title, or any permit condition or limitation implementing any of such sections in a permit issued under section 1342 of this title by the Administrator or by a State, or any requirement imposed in a pretreatment program approved under section 1342(a)(3) or 1342(b)(8) of this title or in a permit issued under section 1344 of this title by the Secretary of the Army or by a State ...
....
shall be punished by a fine of not less than $ 5,000 nor more than $ 50,000 per day of violation, or by imprisonment for not more than 3 years, or by both. If a conviction of a person is for a violation committed after a first conviction of such person under this paragraph, punishment shall be by a fine of not more than $ 100,000 per day of violation, or by imprisonment of not more than 6 years, or by both.

In Count 9, the indictment alleged that as a January 2011 rainstorm approached, one of the WMH employees decided to leave a manhole open within the Landfill to function as an overflow drain.15 When the storm arrived, according to the indictment, the area of the Landfill near the manhole flooded, and millions of gallons of contaminated water moved through the manhole, into a pipe, and, after a series of steps, into the Pacific.16 As stated above, syringes, blood vials, catheters, and other waste were then found in areas and beaches near the Landfill.

In July 2013, AIG denied coverage for "any criminal proceedings, criminal fines, or criminal penalties ..., including legal fees incurred in connection with the U.S. Attorney General's grand jury investigation."17 In November 2015, AIG again denied coverage for the criminal proceedings and refused to reimburse WMH for its criminal defense costs.18 The DOJ informed WMH in August 2016 that it intended to file a civil complaint seeking civil penalties and injunctive relief.19 In October 2016, AIG agreed to defend WMH from the civil claims the DOJ eventually files, subject to a reservation of rights and the self-insured retention.20 Consequently, it is only the criminal case that is at issue here.

B. The Insurance Policy

AIG (then known as Chartis Specialty Insurance Company) issued a claims-made "Pollution Legal Liability Select Policy" to WMI for a policy period running from January 1, 2011, to January 1, 2014 (the "Insurance Policy").21 The parties have stipulated that WMH also qualifies as an "Insured" under the Insurance Policy.22 The relevant coverage provisions had a limit of $ 50 million for each incident and a self-insured retention of $ 5 million.23

*705

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Bluebook (online)
377 F. Supp. 3d 700, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/waste-mgmt-inc-v-aig-specialty-ins-co-txsd-2019.