Westfield Insurance Co. v. Davis

232 F. Supp. 3d 918, 2017 WL 510050, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16795
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. West Virginia
DecidedFebruary 7, 2017
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 2:16-cv-00822
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 232 F. Supp. 3d 918 (Westfield Insurance Co. v. Davis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. West Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Westfield Insurance Co. v. Davis, 232 F. Supp. 3d 918, 2017 WL 510050, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16795 (S.D.W. Va. 2017).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

THOMAS E. JOHNSTON, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Pending before the Court is Plaintiff Westfield Insurance Company’s (“West-field”) Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 33) and Richard and Sandra Davis’s (“Davis Defendants”) Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 13).1 For the reasons [920]*920stated herein, the Court GRANTS the Motion for Summary Judgment and DENIES the Motion to Dismiss.

I. BACKGROUND

Westfield brings this Declaratory action against the Davis Defendants, and Joey A. Roy and Jacqueline Blankenship (“Roy and Blankenship”), seeking to establish that it has no obligation to defend or indemnify the Davis Defendants pursuant to their Homeowners Policy with Westfield.

A. Factual Background

Many of the operative facts in this case are derived from state court pleadings and are thus undisputed. This action arises out of a complaint brought by Roy and Blankenship in the Circuit Court of Lincoln County, West Virginia. (Exhibit A, ECF No. 33-1 at 1-6.) According to the complaint, in July and August of 2012, the Davis Defendants harvested timber, without permission, from land co-owned by Roy and Blankenship. (Id. at 2, ¶¶ 5-6.) The Davis Defendants’ timbering was performed by Dale Parsons d/b/a Parsons Logging, pursuant to a business agreement whereby the Davis Defendants and Parsons would split the proceeds from the sale of the timber. (Exhibit B, ECF No. 33-1 at 12-13.) The complaint alleges that the Davis Defendants continued timbering on Roy and Blankenship’s land after being warned to stop. (Exhibit A, ECF No. 33-1 at 2, ¶¶ 7-8.) Roy and Blankenship filed a Petition for a temporary restraining order against the Davis Defendants, which was granted on August 13, 2012. (Id. at 2, ¶¶ 9-10.) On April 25, 2014, Roy and Blankenship filed their state court complaint, seeking a declaratory judgment separating their property from that of the Davis Defendants, damages for violations of W. Va. Code § 61-3-48(a), negligence, and trespass, and punitive damages based on the allegation that the Davis Defendants’ conduct was purposeful. (Id. at 3-6.)

At the time of the Davis Defendants’ timbering, they were insured under a Homeowners Policy with Westfield Insurance, with a coverage period of September 10, 2011 to September 10, 2012. (Exhibit C, ECF No. 33-1 at 14.) The Davis Defendants requested that, pursuant to that policy, Westfield defend and indemnify them in the suit Roy and Blankenship filed against them. (ECF No. 1, ¶ 23.)

B. Insurance Policy

The Davis Defendants’ Homeowners Policy provides, in relevant part:

DEFINITIONS
B. In addition, certain words and phrases are defined as follows:
[[Image here]]
3. Business means:
a. A trade, profession or occupation in which a person is engaged in on a full-time, part time or occasional basis with or without compensation, except volunteer activities for which that person receives no compensation other than payment for expenses incurred; or
b. Any other activity in which a person is engaged in for money or other compensation, except the following:
(1) One or more activities, not described in (2) through (4) below, for which that person receives no more than $2,000 in total gross compensation for [921]*921the 12 months before the inception date of the policy;
(2) Volunteer activities for which that person receives no compensation other than payment for expenses incurred to perform the activity;
(3) Providing home day care services for which that person receives no compensation other than the mutual exchange of services; or
(4) The rendering of home day care services to a relative of the insured.
[[Image here]]
Insured means: 5.
a. You and residents of your household who are:
(1) Your relatives; or
(2) Other persons under the age of 21 and in the care of any person named above.
**⅜
8. Occurrence means an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions, which results, during the policy period, in:
a. Bodily injury ; or
b. Property damage.
9. Property damage means physical injury to, destruction of, or loss of use of tangible property.
[[Image here]]
SECTION II—LIABILITY COVERAGES
A. Coverage E—Personal Liability
If a claim is made or a suit is brought against an insured for damages because of bodily injury or property damage caused by an occurrence to which this coverage applies, we will:
1. Pay up to our limit of liability for the damages for which an insured is legally liable. Damages include prejudgment interest awarded against an insured’, and
2. Provide a defense at our expense by counsel of our choice, even if the suit is groundless, false, or fraudulent. We may investigate and settle any claim or suit that we decide is appropriate. Our duty to settle or defend ends when our limit of liability for the occurrence has been exhausted by payment of a judgment or settlement.
***
SECTION II—EXCLUSIONS
[[Image here]]
E. Coverage E—Personal Liability and Coverage F—Medical Payments to Others
Coverage E and F do not apply to the following:
1. Expected or Intended Injury
Bodily injury or property damage which is expected or intended by an insured even if the resulting bodily injury or property damage:
a. Is of a different kind, quality or degree than initially expected or intended; or
b. Is sustained by a different person, entity, real or personal property, than initially expected or intended.
However, this exclusion E.l. does not apply to bodily injury resulting from the use of reasonable force by an insured to protect persons or property.
2. “Business”
[922]*922a. Bodily injury or property damage arising out of or in connection "with a business conducted from an insured location or engaged in by an insured, whether or not the business is owned or operated by an insured or employs an insured.
This exclusion E.2.

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
232 F. Supp. 3d 918, 2017 WL 510050, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16795, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/westfield-insurance-co-v-davis-wvsd-2017.