Yuan v. State Farm Fire And Casualty Company

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 30, 2022
Docket1:19-cv-04921
StatusUnknown

This text of Yuan v. State Farm Fire And Casualty Company (Yuan v. State Farm Fire And Casualty Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Yuan v. State Farm Fire And Casualty Company, (E.D.N.Y. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

TIEN WEN YUAN,

Plaintiff, MEMORANDUM AND ORDER v. 19-CV-4921 (LDH)

STATE FARM FIRE AND CASUALTY COMPANY,

Defendant.

LASHANN DEARCY HALL, United States District Judge:

Tien Wen Yuan (“Plaintiff”) filed this action against State Farm Fire and Casualty Company (“Defendant”) for breach of an insurance coverage policy. Defendant moves pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 to dismiss the complaint in its entirety. BACKGROUND1 Plaintiff and her daughter each own a 50% interest in property located on 48-01 216th Street, Queens, New York (“the Property”). (Pl.’s Resp. 56.1 ¶ 4, ECF No. 32-1; see also Ex. F. (“Deed”), Mule Decl., ECF No. 34-6.) Beginning on or about June 19, 2013, Defendant issued Plaintiff a homeowner’s insurance policy (the “Policy”) for the Property. (Pl.’s Resp. 56.1 ¶ 6; Ex. C, Mule Decl., ECF No. 49-3.) The Policy renewed annually. (Pl.’s Resp. 56.1 ¶ 6.) For the coverage period between June 19, 2018, through June 19, 2019, the Policy covered an “insured

1 Unless otherwise indicated, the undisputed facts are taken from the parties’ statements of material facts and annexed exhibits pursuant to Local Rule 56.1. To the extent any fact is disputed, it is so indicated. Facts that are not contradicted by citations to admissible evidence are deemed admitted. See Giannullo v. City of N.Y., 322 F.3d 139, 140 (2d Cir. 2003) (“if the opposing party . . . fails to controvert a fact so set forth in the moving party’s Rule 56.1 statement, that fact will be deemed admitted.”). Further, the Court does not consider arguments and legal conclusions contained in the parties’ 56.1 statements. See, e.g., Rodriguez v. Schneider, No. 95-CV-4083, 1999 WL 459813, at *1 n.3 (S.D.N.Y. June 29, 1999) (“Rule 56.1 statements are not argument. They should contain factual assertions, with citation to the record. They should not contain conclusions[.]” (emphasis omitted)), aff’d, 56 F. App’x 27 (2d Cir. 2003). location,” which was defined as, among other things, “the residence premises,” “the part of any other premises, other structures and grounds used by [Plaintiff] as a residence,” and “any part of a premises not owned by an insured but where an insured is temporarily residing.” (Ex. G (the “Policy”) at 2,2 Mule Decl., ECF No. 34-7.) The Policy stated that Defendant would “cover the dwelling used principally as a private residence on the residence premises shown in the

Declarations.” (Id. at 25.) Moreover, the Policy defined “residence premises” as “the one, two, three or four-family dwelling, other structures and grounds; or that part of any other building; where [Plaintiff] reside[s] and which is shown in the Declarations [appended to the Policy].” (Id. at 24.) On March 30, 2018, the City of New York Department of Buildings issued a vacate order to the “OWNERS, LESSEES, TENANTS [and] OCCUPANTS” of the “ENTIRE” Property because “there [was an] imminent danger to life or public safety or safety of the occupants or to property,” resulting from Plaintiff “[i]llegally convert[ing]” the “1 Family house into 10 SRO [single room occupancy] units with key locks, without providing required means of egress, fire

alarm, and sprinkler systems, [r]endering it unsafe to occupy.” (Ex. J, Mule Decl., ECF No, 34- 10.) A fire occurred at the Property on September 26, 2018, and, as a result, Plaintiff claimed a total loss of the Property to Defendant under the Policy. (Pl.’s Resp. 56.1 ¶ 3.) On May 28, 2019, Defendant disclaimed coverage and denied Plaintiff’s claim on three grounds: (i) the Property did not constitute a “residence premises” within the meaning of the Policy because Plaintiff did not reside there; (ii) the Property was not a “dwelling” within the meaning of the Policy because it was not “used principally as a private residence on the residence premises”; and, (iii) Plaintiff concealed material facts and made material misrepresentations in the

2 Citations to the Policy refer to the ECF page number. presentation of her claim in violation of the concealment or fraud provision of the Policy. (Pl.’s Resp. 56.1 ¶ 10). STANDARD OF REVIEW Summary judgment must be granted when there is “no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A genuine dispute of material fact exists “if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a

verdict for the nonmoving party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986). The movants bear the initial burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. See Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323 (1986); Feingold v. New York, 366 F.3d 138, 148 (2d Cir. 2004). Where the non-movant bears the burden of proof at trial, the movants’ initial burden at summary judgment can be met by pointing to a lack of evidence supporting the non-movant’s claim. See Celotex Corp., 477 U.S. at 325. Once the movants meet their initial burden, the non-movant may defeat summary judgment only by adducing evidence of specific facts that raise a genuine issue for trial. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(e); Anderson, 477 U.S. at 250; Davis v. New York, 316 F.3d 93, 100 (2d Cir. 2002). The Court is to believe the evidence of the non-movant and draw all justifiable inferences in his favor, Anderson, 477 U.S. at 255, but the

non-movant must still do more than merely assert conclusions that are unsupported by arguments or facts, Bellsouth Telecomms., Inc. v. W.R. Grace & Co., 77 F.3d 603, 615 (2d Cir. 1996). DISCUSSION Defendant raises several independent reasons why it contends coverage was properly disclaimed here, including that the Policy did not cover the loss because (1) Plaintiff did not reside at the Property at the time of the fire, (2) the Property was not a one, two, three or four- family dwelling at the time of the fire, (3) the Property was not used principally as a private residence, and (4) Plaintiff made a material misrepresentation when she presented her claim. (See generally Def.’s Mem., ECF No. 52.) Moreover, Defendant contends that, even if fact issues remain regarding coverage, it is entitled to judgment that Plaintiff has only a one-half insurable interest in the Residence. I. Terms of the Policy A. Residence Defendant argues that the Property was not a “residence premises” under the Policy for

which coverage was extended. (Id.) On this ground, Plaintiff contends that whether she resided at the Property is a “question of fact to be determined at [a] hearing.” (Pl.’s Opp’n. at 12, ECF No. 57.) The Court agrees. Under New York law,3 an insurance contract is construed in the same manner as any other contract and should be “interpreted to give effect to the intent of the parties as expressed in the clear language of the [Policy].” Parks Real Est. Purchasing Grp. v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 472 F.3d 33, 42 (2d Cir. 2006).

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Yuan v. State Farm Fire And Casualty Company, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yuan-v-state-farm-fire-and-casualty-company-nyed-2022.