KATHLEEN M. WILLIAMS, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE.
This case is yet another in the ongoing litigation saga concerning the misdeeds of the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler firm. No party comes to the litigation as a stranger to the facts: each has litigated disputes spawned by Rothstein in federal district,
Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust Company ("Gibraltar") and certain of its officers and directors (the "D & O Defendants") have been sued in numerous lawsuits. The suits pertinent to this action are (1) Edward J. Morse, et al. v. Scott W. Rothstein, et al., Case No. 10-24110 (the "Morse Action"); and (2) Herbert Stettin v. John Harris, Charles Sanders, and Lisa Ellis, Adv. Case No. 11-03021-RBR (the "Underlying D & O Action") (together, with the Morse Action, the "Underlying Litigation").
Gibraltar obtained executive and organization liability insurance for its directors and officers under policies issued by National Union and Twin City (FAC ¶ 26). The Insurers each received notice of the Morse Action through a June 29, 2010 letter from Aon, the insurance broker (FAC ¶ 40).
Subsequently, in a November 22, 2011 letter, the RRA Trustee provided the Insurers with a draft adversary complaint for the Underlying D & O Action, which asserted claims against Gibraltar executives Harris, Sanders, Ellis, and Hayworth (FAC ¶ 42). In that letter, and prior to filing suit, the RRA Trustee communicated a $40 million joint settlement demand on behalf of the RRA Trustee and Morse and gave the Insurers thirty days to consent to the settlement by tendering their respective policy limits (FAC ¶ 43). Attached to the November 22, 2011 letter were several documents, including: (1) documentation detailing the damages that would be
On December 16, 2011, National Union denied coverage for the Underlying D & O Action (FAC ¶ 49). Gibraltar and the D & O Defendants renewed their request that National Union tender its limits toward the joint settlement, but on December 21, 2011, National Union reiterated its denial (FAC ¶¶ 50-51). On January 18, 2012, National Union again denied coverage and two days later, Twin City also denied coverage (FAC ¶ 52). Following the Insurers' denials, the RRA Trustee, Morse, Gibraltar, and the D & O Defendants "began to conduct arms-length settlement negotiations" and exchanged documents, reports, and evidence in support of their theories of liability, damages, and defenses (FAC ¶ 53).
On February 3, 2012, the RRA Trustee, Morse, and the Banyon Trustee, sent letters to the Insurers providing them with an opportunity to consent to the global settlement — which now included all claims that could be brought by the Banyon Trustee — by tendering their policy limits (FAC ¶ 55). The RRA Trustee explained his disagreement with the Insurers' denials of coverage, an estimation of the exposure faced by the D & O Defendants in the suits brought (or threatened to be brought) against them, and the agreement of the E & O insurance carriers to contribute $10 million toward the global settlement (FAC ¶ 55). Counsel for the RRA Trustee also provided the Insurers with a draft settlement and assignment agreement that reflected the parties' intention to permit entry of judgment against Gibraltar and the D & O Defendants in the amount of $50 million if the Insurers refused to tender their limits and consent to the global settlement (FAC 56).
On February 10, 2012, the Insurers rejected the settlement demand outlined in the February 3, 2012 letter (FAC ¶ 59). Six days later, on February 16, 2012, Gibraltar, the D & O Defendants, the RRA Trustee, and the Banyon Trustee entered into a settlement and assignment agreement and filed motions seeking the bankruptcy court's approval of the agreement
In August, 2012, the Trustees entered into separate written agreements with (1) Gibraltar; (2) the D & O Defendants; (3) Morse; and (4) the Razorback Plaintiffs (FAC ¶ 68). The parties agreed that a reasonable jury could find the D & O Defendants jointly and severally liable in the Underlying D & O Action and that the resulting damages would likely be in excess of $50 million (FAC ¶ 69). Pursuant to the settlement, "Gibraltar agreed to the entry of judgment against it in the Bank Action
On August 30, 2012, the Trustees, Morse and the Razorback Plaintiffs, sent the Insurers yet another letter offering to settle their respective claims against Gibraltar and the D & O Defendants if the Insurers would tender their policy limits (FAC ¶ 72). Included with that letter was: (1) the Trustees' amended motion to approve the settlement with Gibraltar and certain of its officers and directors; (2) the proposed entry of bar orders; (3) the settlement and assignment agreement between Morse and the Trustees; and (4) the settlement agreement between the Trustees and the Razorback Plaintiffs (FAC ¶ 72). A hearing on the motion to approve the settlement was set for October 2, 2012; accordingly, the Trustees informed the Insurers that they had until October 1, 2012 to consent to the settlement and tender their limits (FAC ¶ 73). The Trustees warned National Union and Twin City that they intended to pursue all rights and remedies against the Insurers should the Insurers refuse to consent to the settlement (FAC ¶ 73). The Insurers did not agree to tender their policy limits (FAC ¶ 74).
Ultimately, the bankruptcy court approved the settlement and assignment agreements and entered judgment against Gibraltar in the Bank Action and against the D & O Defendants in the Underlying D & O Action in the amount of $50 million (FAC ¶ 75). Following the bankruptcy court's approval, the RRA Trustee dismissed the Underlying D & O Action (FAC ¶ 76). Plaintiffs then filed the instant action, asserting breach of contract and bad faith claims against National Union and Twin City.
Gibraltar obtained executive and organization liability insurance policies from National
The Policies define a Claim as:
(DE 18-1 at 8).
The Policies also contain the following "Professional Services Exclusion":
(DE 18-1 at 37).
To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, a plaintiff must plead sufficient facts to state a claim that is "plausible on its face." Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). All factual allegations in the complaint are accepted as true and all reasonable inferences are drawn in the plaintiff's favor. See Speaker v. U.S. Dep't. of Health & Human Servs. Ctrs. for Disease Control & Prevention, 623 F.3d 1371, 1379 (11th Cir.2010). Although a plaintiff need not provide "detailed factual allegations," the complaint must provide "more than labels and conclusions." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955 (internal citations and quotations omitted). "[A] formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do." Id. Rule 12(b)(6) does not allow dismissal of a complaint because the court anticipates "actual proof of those facts is improbable," but the "[f]actual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level." Watts v. Fla. Int'l Univ., 495 F.3d 1289 (11th Cir.2007) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 545, 127 S.Ct. 1955). This plausibility standard requires that the plaintiff plead enough facts to raise a reasonable expectation that discovery will reveal evidence of the defendant's liability. Miyahira v. Vitacost.com, Inc., 715 F.3d 1257, 1265 (11th Cir.2013).
When considering insurance coverage disputes, Courts routinely dismiss complaints for failure to state a claim when a review of the insurance policy and the underlying claim for which coverage is sought unambiguously reveals that the underlying claim is not covered. See, e.g., Zodiac Grp., 542 Fed.Appx. at 845 (affirming dismissal of complaint because the "plain language of the Policy precluded coverage" for the underlying claim); Band v. Twin City Fire Ins. Co., No. 8:11-cv-02332-EAK-TMB, 2012 WL 1142396 at *4 (M.D.Fla. April 4, 2012) (granting motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) because the underlying claims were "unequivocally excluded" from coverage based on a securities and real estate exclusion); David Lerner Assocs., Inc. v. Philadelphia Indem. Ins. Co., 934 F.Supp.2d 533, 536 (E.D.N.Y. 2013) aff'd, 542 Fed.Appx. 89 (2d Cir.2013) (granting motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) because the "unambiguous language of the professional services exclusion" applied to bar coverage for the underlying litigation); Associated Cmty. Bancorp, Inc. v. The Travelers Cos., Inc., No. 3:09-CV-1357 JCH, 2010 WL 1416842, at *10 (D.Conn. Apr. 8, 2010) aff'd, 421 Fed.Appx. 125 (2d Cir.2011) (granting 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss because the underlying claims fell "squarely within an unambiguous reading of either the insolvency exclusion ... or the professional services exclusion"); MJCM, Inc. v. Hartford Cas. Ins. Co., No. 8:09-CV-2275-T-17TBM, 2010 WL 1949585 (M.D.Fla. May 14, 2010) (granting motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) on breach of contract claim because the underlying lawsuit was not covered under the insurance policy at issue); Roberts v. Florida Lawyers Mut. Ins. Co., 839 So.2d 843 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App. 2003) (affirming dismissal of breach of contract complaint when policy did not provide coverage for the underlying claim); Brewer v. U.S. Fire Ins. Co., 446 Fed. Appx. 506, 508 (3d Cir.2011) (affirming dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6) because employee indemnification exclusion precluded coverage for underlying suit); In re Chinese Manufactured Drywall Prods. Liab. Litig., 759 F.Supp.2d 822, 835 (E.D.La. 2010) (granting motions to dismiss because policies' exclusions barred coverage and noting that "courts in this circuit routinely consider policy exclusions in resolving motions to dismiss"); see also Titan Indem. Co. v. Travelers Prop. Cas. Co. of Am., 181 P.3d 303 (Colo.Ct.App.2007) (granting motion to dismiss and finding that professional services exclusion was unambiguous and barred coverage for the underlying claim); Florida Farm Bureau Gen. Ins. Co. v. Ins. Co. of North Am., 763 So.2d 429, 432 (Fla. Dist.Ct.2000) ("Thus, the applicability of policy exclusions contained in a policy attached as an exhibit may be raised by a motion to dismiss when the allegations of the complaint clearly show that the exclusions do apply.").
The interpretation of insurance policies, like the interpretation of all contracts, is generally a question of law. Lawyers Title Ins. Corp. v. JDC (Am.) Corp., 52 F.3d 1575, 1580 (11th Cir.1995). When interpreting an insurance policy, Florida courts "start with the plain language of the policy, as bargained for by the parties." State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Steinberg, 393 F.3d 1226, 1230 (11th Cir.2004) (quoting Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Anderson, 756 So.2d 29, 34 (Fla.2000)). The "Florida Supreme Court has made clear that the language of the policy is the most important factor. Under Florida law, insurance contracts are construed according to their plain meaning." James River Ins. Co. v. Ground Down Eng'g, Inc., 540 F.3d 1270, 1274-75 (11th Cir. 2008) (internal citations and quotations omitted) (quoting Taurus Holdings, Inc. v. United States Fid. and Guar. Co., 913 So.2d 528, 537 (Fla.2005)).
Thus, the Court interprets the policy language according to its "`everyday meaning' as it is `understandable to the layperson.'" Ohio Cas. Ins. Co. v. Cont'l Cas. Co., 279 F.Supp.2d 1281, 1283 (S.D.Fla.2003) (quoting Hrynkiw v. Allstate Floridian Ins. Co., 844 So.2d 739, 741 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.2003)). If "the language used in an insurance policy is plain and unambiguous, a court must interpret the policy in accordance with the plain meaning of the language used so as to give effect to the policy as written." Travelers Indem. Co. v. PCR Inc., 889 So.2d 779, 785 (Fla.2004); see also Steinberg, 393 F.3d at 1230 (explaining that the court must read the policy as a whole and give every provision its full meaning and operative effect). This maxim applies to exclusions as well; if an exclusionary provision is unambiguous, the Court must apply the exclusion as it is written. See Deni Assocs. of Florida, Inc. v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Ins. Co., 711 So.2d 1135, 1139 (Fla.1998) ("[A] court cannot place limitations upon the plain language of a policy exclusion."); Steinberg, 393 F.3d at 1230 ("If [the policy] language is unambiguous, it governs.").
In accordance with the "guiding principle" that "insurance contracts must be construed in accordance with the plain language of the policy," only when the relevant policy language is "susceptible to more than one reasonable interpretation, one providing coverage and the other limiting coverage" will the language be considered ambiguous and, thus, construed in favor of coverage. Swire Pac. Holdings, Inc. v. Zurich Ins. Co., 845 So.2d 161, 165 (Fla.2003); Anderson, 756 So.2d at 34 ("Ambiguous insurance policy exclusions are construed against the drafter and in favor of the insured."). In order for this principle to apply, there must be a "genuine inconsistency, uncertainty, or ambiguity in meaning"; the principle does "not allow courts to rewrite contracts, add meaning that is not present, or otherwise reach results contrary to the intentions of the parties." Swire Pac. Holdings, 845 So.2d at 165; see also Jefferson Ins. Co. of New York v. Sea World of Florida, Inc., 586 So.2d 95, 97 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1991) (Courts are not authorized "to put a strained and unnatural construction on the
And even if a provision is complex and requires analysis, this fact does not render the provision ambiguous. Swire Pac. Holdings, 845 So.2d at 165. Likewise, "[t]he lack of a definition of an operative term in a policy does not necessarily render the term ambiguous and in need of interpretation by the courts." Id. at 166. "To properly interpret an exclusion in a policy, the exclusion must be read together with the other provisions of the policy and from the perspective of an ordinary person." Botee v. S. Fid. Ins. Co., 162 So.3d 183, 186-87 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App. 2015). Finally, in interpreting an insurance policy, the Court is mindful that the insured bears the burden of proving that a claim against it is covered by the insurance policy, whereas the insurer bears the burden of proving an exclusion to coverage applies. Northland Cas. Co. v. HBE Corp., 160 F.Supp.2d 1348, 1358 (M.D.Fla. 2001).
The Policies at issue do not contain a traditional duty to defend; instead, the Policies obligate the Insurers to advance defense costs:
(DE 18-1 at 16) (emphasis added).
Generally, courts have "viewed an insurer's duty to advance defense costs as an obligation congruent to the insurer's duty to defend, concluding that the duty arises if the allegations in the complaint could, if proven, give rise to a duty to indemnify." Fed. Ins. Co. v. Sammons Fin. Grp., Inc., 595 F.Supp.2d 962, 976-77 (S.D.Iowa 2009); see, e.g., Acacia Research Corp. v. Nat'l Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, PA, No. 05-501, 2008 WL 4179206, at *11 (C.D.Cal. Feb. 8, 2008) ("[A]s with a duty to defend, Defendant's duty to advance defense costs arose on tender of a potentially covered claim."); Hurley v. Columbia Cas. Co., 976 F.Supp. 268, 275 (D.Del. 1997) ("[T]here does not exist a significant difference between the duty to defend and the promise to advance defense costs, other than the difference between who will direct the defense."); Am. Chem. Soc. v. Leadscope, Inc., No. 04AP-305, 2005 WL 1220746, at *4-8 (Ohio Ct.App. May 24, 2005) (concluding that a "pleadings test" has been consistently applied in cases seeking to establish an insurer's duty to defend and duty to advance defense costs); Julio & Sons Co. v. Travelers Cas. & Sur. Co. of Am., 591 F.Supp.2d 651, 660 (S.D.N.Y.2008) ("[T]he Court finds that, for the purposes of this motion, there are no material differences between a duty to defend and a duty to advance Defense Expenses."); See Barry R. Ostrager & Thomas R. Newman, Handbook on Ins. Coverage Disputes, § 20.06], at 1615-161 (16th ed.) (collecting cases).
As the Honorable Judge William Hoeveler explained, "[a]n insurer's obligation to advance defense expenses is not materially different from a duty to defend." MapleWood Partners, L.P. v. Indian Harbor Ins. Co., 295 F.R.D. 550, 601 (S.D.Fla.2013). Under Florida law, an insurer's duty to defend its insured against legal action depends solely on the facts and legal theories alleged in the pleadings and the claims against the insured. JDC (Am.) Corp., 52 F.3d at 1580. Accordingly, the duty to defend is determined by comparing the allegations contained within the four corners of the complaint with the language of policy. See Jones v. Florida Ins. Guar. Ass'n Inc., 908 So.2d 435, 443 (Fla.2005); Philadelphia Indem. Ins. Co.
The parties spend considerable portions of their briefs addressing whether the $50 million settlement and Coblentz agreement constitutes a "Loss" within the meaning of the Policies. However, the ability to recover against an insurer for a Coblentz agreement is predicated on the insurer having breached its obligations to its insured under the insurance policy. See Chomat v. N. Ins. Co. of New York, 919 So.2d 535, 537 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.2006) ("Where an injured party wishes to recover under a Coblentz agreement, the injured party must bring an action against the insurer and prove coverage, wrongful refusal to defend, and that the settlement was reasonable and made in good faith.") (internal quotations omitted); Sinni v. Scottsdale Ins. Co., 676 F.Supp.2d 1319, 1324 (M.D.Fla.2009), as amended (Jan. 4, 2010) ("In Florida, a party seeking to recover under a Coblentz agreement must prove: (1) coverage; (2) a wrongful refusal to defend; and (3) that the settlement was objectively reasonable and made in good faith."); Stephens v. Mid-Continent Cas. Co., 749 F.3d 1318, 1322 (11th Cir.2014) (to recover under a Coblentz agreement, the plaintiff must show that the insurer wrongfully refused to defend and that the settlement was reasonable and made in good-faith).
Consequently, "the determination of coverage is a condition precedent to any recovery against an insurer pursuant to a Coblentz agreement." Sinni, 676 F.Supp.2d at 1324. "Indeed, the mere entry of a consent judgment does not establish coverage and an insurer's unjustifiable failure to defend the underlying action does not estop the insurer from raising coverage issues in a subsequent suit to satisfy a consent judgment entered pursuant to a Coblentz agreement." Id. Regardless of whether the Coblentz agreement constitutes a Loss under the Policies, the Court must first determine whether the Insurers wrongfully refused to advance defense costs and whether the Policies provided coverage for the Underlying Litigation. Accordingly, the Court's analysis turns to whether the Insurers breached their obligations under the Policies in
The Policies contain a "Professional Errors & Omissions Exclusion" which provides that the Insurer:
(DE 18-1 at 37). The parties dispute whether the exclusion applies jointly and whether the exclusion bars coverage for the Underlying Litigation.
Before addressing whether the Professional Services Exclusion bars coverage, the Court addresses Plaintiffs' argument that the professional services exclusion is several. Plaintiffs, in a contorted reading of the plain language of the Policies, argue that the Professional Services Exclusion only bars coverage for a Claim if each and every officer is alleged to have performed professional services, as opposed to the plain reading of the exclusion as barring coverage for a Claim if even one officer is alleged to have performed professional services.
A plain reading of the Professional Services Exclusion demonstrates that it bars coverage for any Claim made against any Insured arising out of any Insured's performance or failure to perform professional services for others. The exclusion is not limited in its application to each insured's performance; instead, it jointly bars coverage for all insureds for any Claim arising out of any insured's performance or failure to perform professional services. Courts have agreed that "the phrase `any insured' unambiguously expresses a contractual intent to create joint obligations." Sales v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 849 F.2d 1383, 1385 (11th Cir.1988); see, e.g., USAA Cas. Ins. Co. v. Gordon, 707 So.2d 1185, 1186 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1998) (when policy did not contain severability clause applicable to coverage part, "[w]e have no trouble concluding that exclusion (h), which excludes coverage for damage caused by `any insured,' unambiguously results in joint property coverage in this case.") (emphasis in original); State Farm Fire & Cas. Ins. Co. v. Kane, 715 F.Supp. 1558, 1561-62 (S.D.Fla.1989) (analyzing exclusion
The Court's conclusion that the exclusion applies jointly to bar coverage is consistent with a reading of the Policies as a whole. When the insurance Policies apply severally as to each Insured, the Policies so specify by using the term "such insured." As Plaintiffs correctly note, "[i]n order to trigger coverage, a Claim must be made against a specific Insured Person for that specific Insured Person's Wrongful Act. The Insuring Agreement is clear that coverage is uniquely dependent on the alleged conduct of each Insured." (DE 36 at 15). This is because the language of coverage grant is explicitly several:
(DE 18-1 at 1) (emphasis added). The Policies consistently indicate when a provision is intended to apply severally or jointly. For example, certain exclusions are subject to the following severability provision:
(DE 18-1 at 8). Another explicit severability provision appears in Endorsement #14 of the policy which relates to the insurance application (DE 18-1 at 45). However, no such severability provision exists with respect to the Professional Services Exclusion nor does the Professional Services Exclusion itself contain any language indicating it ought to apply severally. Therefore, contrary to Plaintiffs' argument, the fact that certain exclusions are expressly subject to a severability clause is not indicia that the other exclusions are also several — it is additional indicia that they are not.
Moreover, Plaintiffs have failed to provide any precedent from any court to support their contention than an ambiguity exists and that the Professional Services Exclusion applies severally, particularly in the absence of a specific severability provision.
Although the term "professional services" is undefined in the Policies, the Court concludes that the term is unambiguous and that banking services constitute professional services. Whether an act arises from the performance of a professional service is determined by focusing on the particular act itself, as opposed to the character of the person performing the act. Estate of Tinervin v. Nationwide Mut. Ins. Co., 23 So.3d 1232, 1237 (Fla. Dist.Ct.App.2009). The "majority of courts to address the issue have concluded that the term `professional service' unambiguously refers to services unique to a specific profession." St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co. v. ERA Oxford Realty Co. Greystone, LLC, 572 F.3d 893, 898-99 (11th Cir.2009) ("Professional services generally refers to those serves involving specialized knowledge, labor or skill."). Accordingly, professional services are those services performed by persons who belong to a learned profession or which require specialized skills, training, or experience. See, e.g., Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. E.N.D. Servs., Inc., 506 Fed.Appx. 920, 925 (11th Cir.2013) (despite the fact that the policy did not define professional services, professional services exclusion was unambiguous and barred coverage); Evanston Ins. Co. v. Budget Grp. Inc., 199 Fed.Appx. 867, 868 (11th Cir.2006) ("The term `professional' refers to persons who belong to a learned profession or whose occupations require a high level of training and proficiency.").
"When an insurance contract fails to explicitly define the term `professional services,' Florida Courts have considered, among other things, whether the service involves specialized skill, requires specialized training, is regulated, requires a degree, and/or whether there is an entity that certifies or accredits persons or that sets forth standards of practice for the performance of those services." Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. E.N.D. Servs., Inc., No. 8:10-CV-2387-T-30EAJ, 2011 WL 6319189, at *4 (M.D.Fla. Dec. 15, 2011) aff'd, 506 Fed.Appx. 920 (11th Cir.2013). Banking is a learned profession which requires specialized skill, training, and knowledge, and which is regulated by the state and federal governments. As such, the Court concludes that banking and banking-related services constitute professional services.
(DE 25-1).
Looking solely at the allegations in the operative complaints and the plain language of the Policies, the Court finds that the Professional Services Exclusion bars coverage for the Underlying Litigation because the conduct alleged in the complaints, including each count asserted against the officers, arise out of, or are attributable to, the Insureds' performance, or failure to perform, professional services for others. The complaints in the Underlying Litigation are replete with factual allegations regarding the professional services, namely banking services, performed by Harris, Ellis, Sanders, Hayworth, and Gibraltar for the benefit of Rothstein and the RRA accounts.
Plaintiffs' contention that the Underlying Litigation arises out of "purely internal management and regulatory functions — not services for others," (DE 36 at 17) is belied by a common sense reading of all of the allegations in the Underlying Litigation. As outlined above, the Underlying Litigation and the conduct described therein indisputably arises out of the directors' and Gibraltar's performance of professional services for Rothstein. A review of the Underlying Litigation shows that any failure by Gibraltar or its officers to comply with internal management procedures or to perform certain regulatory functions was done in order to preserve the Rothstein accounts and to facilitate Rothstein's business, and therefore those failures constitute professional services for others.
Even if allegations existed relating solely to "purely internal management and regulatory functions," the Policies would still bar coverage because, as alleged in the Underlying Litigation, any such functions constitute "act(s), error(s), or omission(s) relating" to professional services performed by the D & O Defendants or Gibraltar for Rothstein and the RRA Accounts. A review of the Underlying Litigation makes clear that the actions identified by Plaintiff as "allegations in the FAC failure to perform purely internal management and regulatory functions" (DE 36 at 17-18) were undertaken in order to "substantially assist[] and enable[] Rothstein to perpetuate the life of his Ponzi scheme." (See DE 25-1 ¶ 36). Thus, considering the plain language of the policies and the allegations in the Underlying Litigation, the Underlying Litigation is unequivocally excluded from coverage because the Claims arose out of "the Organization's or any Insured's performance of or failure to perform professional services for others, or any act(s), error(s), or omission(s) relating thereto." (DE 18-1 at 37).
In the alternative, Plaintiffs argue that if the Professional Services Exclusion bars coverage for the Underlying Litigation, the Policies are illusory because the Policies then "treat[] Gibraltar's entire business as a service and any flawed business conduct covered by the D & O coverage as within the E & O exclusion." (DE 36 at 18).
The Policies provide coverage for many Claims that would not involve professional
For the foregoing reasons, the Court finds that the professional services exclusion unambiguously bars coverage for the Underlying Litigation. Consequently, the Insurers' motions to dismiss (DE 25, 28) are