LISA WHITE HARDWICK, Judge.
Jeffrey Henry and Elizabeth Edmundson (collectively, "Appellants") appeal from the summary judgment in favor of Farmers Insurance Company, Inc., ("Farmers") on their petition for declaratory judgment, attorney's fees, and breach of fiduciary duty. Appellants contend the circuit court erred in granting Farmers' summary judgment motion because (1) their declaratory judgment claim was not moot; (2) they demonstrated special circumstances entitling them to attorney's fees; and (3) they established the requisite harm to support their breach of fiduciary duty claim. Appellants further assert that the court erred in denying their motion for summary judgment and in ruling that Farmers did not have a legal duty to train its agents on the specific holdings of two Missouri insurance cases. For reasons explained herein, we affirm.
In August 2010, Edmundson was involved in a motor vehicle accident with Lucius Oliver. At the time of the accident, Farmers insured Edmundson and Henry under an automobile insurance policy. Oliver submitted a claim to Farmers, as Edmundson's insurer, for the alleged damage to his vehicle. Farmers opened a claims file and conducted an investigation. Farmers denied Oliver's claim in November 2010, after determining that Edmundson was not at fault.
In January 2011, Farmers' claims representative, Cory Cannon, notified Appellants that Oliver had filed an "intercompany arbitration" claiming that Edmundson was liable for the property damage to his vehicle. Cannon informed Appellants that Farmers would defend them in the arbitration and that the arbitration would be binding. Edmundson filed a separate lawsuit against Oliver alleging that his negligence caused the accident and seeking compensation for the damage to her vehicle.
Over the course of the next several months, Appellants' counsel and Cannon exchanged letters concerning the evidence presented in the arbitration proceedings. Appellants' counsel initially sent a letter to Cannon asking for a copy of any documents presented in the arbitration proceeding by Oliver's insurer, Metropolitan General Insurance, so that Appellants could "review the evidence and dispute it if necessary." In response, Cannon informed Appellants' counsel that the evidence in the arbitration proceeding would be presented either by mail or by being electronically uploaded to the arbitration forums' website and that each party would submit a written contention along with their evidence. Cannon further said that each party could read the other's contention but that neither party would be required to disclose their evidence to the other party. Cannon told Appellants' counsel that Farmers would not receive copies of Metropolitan General's evidence.
Appellants' counsel sent a letter to Cannon asking that, if he obtained any arguments or evidence from Metropolitan General, he forward it to Appellants' counsel. Appellants' counsel also told Cannon that he "would be interested in reviewing [Cannon's] contentions and the decision of the arbitrator." Cannon responded by telling Appellants' counsel that he was unable to send a copy of his contentions because
Appellants' counsel sent a letter to Cannon asserting that the arbitration process is a part of the "liability claims process/file" and that, under Grewell v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, 102 S.W.3d 33 (Mo. banc 2003) ("Grewell I"), the claims file belongs to the insured, there is no work product privilege, and the insurer must provide free and open access to the entire file. In Grewell I, the insureds brought a declaratory judgment action against their insurer when their insurer denied their request for the contents of the claims file on the basis that it was work product. Id. at 34. The circuit court dismissed the cause of action for failure to state a claim. Id. On appeal, the Missouri Supreme Court reversed, finding that an insurance claims file "is analogous to the file of a client held by an attorney" and belongs to the insured, and that the insured "should be provided free and open access to that file." Id. at 37. Appellants' counsel alleged that, based on Grewell I, Cannon had to provide them a copy of the decision and information about the other party and the panelist.
In March 2011, following the conclusion of the arbitration proceeding, Cannon notified Appellants' counsel that the arbitrator had ruled in favor of Farmers and had determined that Edmundson had no fault or liability for the accident. Cannon stated that the arbitration decision was binding and that Farmers had closed the claim.
Appellants' counsel sent a letter to Cannon asking that he provide "all of the other party's evidence and contentions." In response, Cannon again stated that Farmers had not received copies of Metropolitan General's evidence. On March 29, 2011, Appellants' counsel sent another letter stating that "there appears to be a failure to communicate. To simplify this matter, please send a copy of the entire liability claims file in Farmers' possession generated as a result of the adverse party's claim."
After Appellants' counsel requested a copy of the entire claims file, Farmers' Senior Field Claims Representative, Tanya M. Lofquest, contacted Appellants' counsel by telephone to discuss the file. As a result of this conversation, Lofquest sent Appellants' counsel "copies of any statements [Farmers] ha[d] taken, the police report, scene photos and arbitration determination." In response, Appellants' counsel sent Lofquest a letter noting that he had asked her to provide him "a list of the documents which [Farmers] would not produce from the liability claims file and the reasons for not doing so." Appellants' counsel also asked that Lofquest send him certain other documents. When Lofquest responded by sending Appellants' counsel some, but not all, of the additional documents he requested, Appellants' counsel sent Lofquest a certified letter stating, "in light of the lack of response to my previous requests, I am assuming that you are refusing to allow any further access to the liability claims file generated in the above-referenced matter and will act accordingly." Farmers did not respond to this letter.
A month later, in June 2011, Appellants filed suit against Farmers asserting claims based upon Farmers' failure to produce the claims file. In Count I, Appellants asserted a claim for declaratory judgment,
In August 2011, Farmers' counsel agreed to produce the entire claims file to Appellants. In September 2011, three months after Appellants filed their petition and six months after their counsel initially requested the entire claims file, Farmers produced a copy of the file to Appellants.
Over a year later, in November 2012, Appellants filed a motion for summary judgment on Count I, their declaratory judgment claim. In their motion, they asserted they were entitled to summary judgment in their favor on this count because, in its answer, Farmers refused to admit certain averments in their petition. Specifically, Farmers refused to admit that, under Missouri law, including the Grewell cases, the insurer and the insured have a fiduciary relationship; this fiduciary relationship imposes a clear and well-settled duty upon the insurer to provide the insured with free and open access to the insurance claims file and to permit
Appellants argued in their summary judgment motion that these allegations correctly stated and applied Missouri law and, therefore, were "averments of fact" that Farmers improperly refused to admit. Appellants contended that, based upon these averments, they were entitled to summary judgment on their declaratory judgment claim.
Farmers filed a cross-motion for summary judgment on Count I, asserting that its production of the claims file rendered Appellants' request for declaratory judgment moot and subject to dismissal. In March 2013, the circuit court entered an order granting Farmers' cross-motion for summary judgment. In its order, the court found that Appellants' declaratory judgment claim was moot and that there was no factual dispute existing between the parties with regard to that claim. Therefore, the court entered summary judgment in favor of Farmers and against Appellants on Count I.
In May 2013, Farmers filed a motion for summary judgment on Appellants' remaining claims. In its motion, Farmers argued that it was entitled to summary judgment on Appellants' claim for attorney's fees in Count II because the case involved no circumstances that would justify departing from the rule that each party is to bear its own attorney's fees. Farmers asserted that it was entitled to summary judgment on Appellants' breach of fiduciary duty claim in Count III because Appellants admitted that they suffered no identifiable monetary damages and no medically diagnosable or significant emotional distress. Farmers further argued that, because a punitive damages award is dependent upon an actual award of monetary damages, Appellants could not recover punitive damages on their breach of fiduciary duty claim.
Appellants also filed a motion for partial summary judgment as to Counts II and III of their petition. In their motion, Appellants again argued, as they did in their summary judgment motion on Count I, that Farmers' refusal to admit the averments in their petition stating and applying the holdings of the Grewell cases resulted in those averments being deemed admitted, and the admission of these averments entitled them to summary judgment.
Following briefing and oral argument, the court granted Farmers' motion for summary judgment on Counts II and III and denied Appellants' motion for partial summary judgment. With regard to Count II, the court found that Appellants were not entitled to attorney's fees under the Declaratory Judgment Act because they were not granted a declaratory judgment in their favor. The court further found that Appellants had failed to set forth any unusual or special circumstances justifying their request for attorney's fees. As to Count III, the court stated that it was unaware of any "legal duty imposed by the law or otherwise" upon Farmers to train its agents with regard to the specific holdings in the Grewell cases. Moreover, the court found that, because a breach of fiduciary duty claim is characterized as fraud, and pecuniary damages are an intrinsic element of fraud, nominal damages
Appellate review of a summary judgment is essentially de novo. ITT Commercial Fin. Corp. v. Mid-Am. Marine Supply Corp., 854 S.W.2d 371, 376 (Mo. banc 1993). We review the record in the light most favorable to party against whom the judgment was entered. Wills v. Whitlock, 139 S.W.3d 643, 646 (Mo.App.2004).
"Summary judgment is appropriate when the moving party has demonstrated, on the basis of facts as to which there is no genuine dispute, a right to judgment as a matter of law." Roberts v. BJC Health Sys., 391 S.W.3d 433, 437 (Mo. banc 2013). The defendant establishes the right to judgment as a matter of law by showing one of the following:
Id. We will affirm a summary judgment under any theory supported by the record. Id.
Appellants raise five points on appeal. For ease of analysis, we address the points out of order to correspond with the order in which the claims were raised in the petition.
In Point III, Appellants contend the circuit court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of Farmers on their declaratory judgment claim. Appellants argue that the court erroneously determined that the claim was moot at the time of the hearing because Farmers produced copies of the claims file to Appellants shortly after the petition was filed. Appellants assert that, while Farmers' producing copies of the claims file may have mooted their request for coercive relief, the production did not render their entire declaratory judgment claim moot because they had also requested declaratory relief, namely, a declaration that the liability claims file belonged to them and that Farmers had a fiduciary duty to provide them free and open access to the entire file.
Courts of this state do not decide moot causes of action. State ex rel. Mo. Parks Ass'n v. Mo. Dep't of Natural Res., 316 S.W.3d 375, 384 (Mo.App.2010). "`A cause of action is moot when the question presented for decision seeks a judgment upon some matter which, if the judgment was rendered, would not have any practical effect upon any then existing controversy.'" Id. (citations omitted). "Missouri courts do not issue opinions that have no practical effect and that are only advisory as to future, hypothetical situations." Id. To grant a declaratory judgment, "[t]here must be a `presently existing controversy' for `specific relief.'" Id. at 385 (citations omitted). "When an event occurs that makes a court's decision unnecessary or makes granting effectual relief by the court impossible, the case is moot and generally should be dismissed." Atteberry v. Mo. Bd. of Prob. & Parole, 193 S.W.3d 444, 446 (Mo.App.2006) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).
It is undisputed that Farmers produced a copy of the entire claims file to Appellants approximately three months after Appellants filed their petition. Thus, an order compelling Farmers to produce the claims file was unnecessary. Indeed, Appellants have admitted, both in their summary judgment pleadings and in their brief on appeal, that Farmers' production of the claims file rendered their request for coercive relief moot. Point III is denied.
In Point II, Appellants contend the circuit court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of Farmers on their attorney's fees claim. They argue that there were sufficient facts to support an award of attorney's fees based upon "special circumstances."
With regard to attorney's fees awards, Missouri follows the American Rule, which provides that, "absent statutory authorization or contractual agreement, with few exceptions, each litigant must bear his own attorney's fee." David Ranken, Jr. Tech. Inst. v. Boykins, 816 S.W.2d 189, 193 (Mo. banc 1991) (overruled on other grounds by Alumax Foils, Inc. v. City of St. Louis, 939 S.W.2d 907, 911 (Mo. banc 1997)). Appellants asserted their claim for attorney's fees under Sections 527.080 and 527.100 of the Declaratory Judgment Act. Section 527.080 provides that the court can grant "[f]urther relief" based on a declaratory judgment "whenever necessary or proper," while Section 527.100 authorizes the court to award "costs as may seem equitable and just."
Neither of these statutes mentions attorney's fees, but cases have recognized that attorney's fees may be awarded as costs in a declaratory judgment action under Section 527.100 where very unusual or special circumstances have been shown. Ranken, 816 S.W.2d at 193. The special circumstances exception, however, "is narrow and must be construed strictly." Goralnik v. United Fire & Cas. Co., 240 S.W.3d 203,
Appellants argue that this court's determination in Grewell II that there was a genuine issue of material fact regarding whether special circumstances warranting an attorney's fees award existed disposes of this issue in their favor. They assert that the facts of Grewell II are "essentially identical" to the facts of this case, except that Farmers' misconduct is even more "frivolous, without substantial legal grounds, reckless, or punitive." We disagree.
In Grewell II, the insured had already filed a previous action against the same insurer on the same issues, which the insurer resisted all the way to the Missouri Supreme Court. 162 S.W.3d at 507. After the Supreme Court expressly concluded that insurer should provide the insureds with free and open access to their file, the insurer still refused to do so and continued to assert the same rejected arguments. Id. The insurer also asserted a privilege that it had already waived. Id. This forced the insured to file an amended declaratory judgment action on the same issues on which the plaintiffs had already prevailed in the first action. Id. at 507-08.
Unlike the insurer in Grewell II, Farmers did not violate any court mandate or order. Farmers did not force Appellants to pursue a claim to the Missouri Supreme Court or to file a second action on the same issues. Farmers also did not improperly assert a privilege that it had already waived. In contrast to the insurer in Grewell II, Farmers voluntarily produced the claims file to Appellants three months after Appellants filed this action. The facts creating a genuine issue as to whether there were special circumstances warranting an award of attorney's fees in Grewell II are not present here.
Moreover, we note that, under any exception to the American Rule, the litigant must be the prevailing party to be entitled to an award of attorney's fees. Motor Control Specialities, Inc. v. Labor & Indus. Relations Comm'n, 323 S.W.3d 843, 853 (Mo.App.2010). "`A litigant may be the prevailing party when he "obtain[s] a settlement",
In Point I, Appellants contend the court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of Farmers on their breach of fiduciary duty claim after finding that, because damages are an intrinsic element of a breach of fiduciary duty claim, nominal damages cannot be awarded. Appellants argue that nominal damages may be awarded because the breach of a fiduciary duty is regarded as a substantial right and, therefore, "the law places a presumption of resulting damages in every instance." Additionally, Appellants assert that they should be allowed to recover emotional distress damages.
To establish a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty, a plaintiff must prove: (1) the existence of a fiduciary duty between the plaintiff and the defending party; (2) "`that the defending party breached the duty'"; and (3) "`that the breach caused the [plaintiff] to suffer harm.'" W. Blue Print Co. v. Roberts, 367 S.W.3d 7, 15 (Mo. banc 2012) (citation omitted). Thus, harm or damages caused by the breach is an essential element of a breach of fiduciary duty claim. See id. See also Costa v. Allen, 274 S.W.3d 461, 462 (Mo. banc 2008); Klemme v. Best, 941 S.W.2d 493, 496 (Mo. banc 1997); Consol. Grain & Barge, Co. v. Hobbs, 397 S.W.3d 467, 476 (Mo.App.2013).
In their response to Farmers' summary judgment motion, Appellants did not assert that they suffered any pecuniary harm or damages from Farmers' failure to produce the claims file. In fact, Appellants admitted that Edmundson settled her claim against Oliver and received full compensation for all of her damages related to the accident, and they admitted that Henry was not involved in the accident, did not have an ownership interest in the vehicle, and was not a party to the lawsuit against Oliver.
Rather than assert that they suffered any pecuniary harm or damages, Appellants argued that they had the right to nominal damages in recognition of Farmers' alleged breach.
Where pecuniary damage is an element of the tort cause of action, however, nominal damages cannot be presumed. Tindall, 892 S.W.2d at 321. The court in Tindall discussed the reason for this distinction:
Id. (quoting C. McCORMICK, HANDBOOK ON THE LAW OF DAMAGES § 22 (1935)). "In Missouri, pecuniary loss is an intrinsic element of an action sounding in fraud or deceit[.]" Id. Hence, "`[p]roof of substantial injury and damage is essential to recovery in an action for fraud and deceit.'" Id. (quoting Dolan v. Rabenberg, 360 Mo. 858, 231 S.W.2d 150, 155 (1950)).
"A breach of a fiduciary obligation is constructive fraud." Klemme, 941 S.W.2d at 495. Because breach of a fiduciary duty is constructive fraud, it is an "action sounding in fraud or deceit." Like an actual fraud claim, a breach of fiduciary duty/constructive fraud claim is not "characterized by violence or breach of the peace" and does not involve "trespass for violence to person or property." See Tindall, 892 S.W.2d at 321. Pecuniary damage is, therefore, an intrinsic element of a breach of fiduciary duty claim and is essential to recovery. The circuit court properly determined that nominal damages could not be awarded to Appellants on their breach of fiduciary duty claim.
Appellants next assert that they should be allowed to proceed on their claim for emotional distress damages. In Bass v. Nooney Co., 646 S.W.2d 765, 772-73 (Mo. banc 1983), the Missouri Supreme Court held that a plaintiff in a negligent infliction of emotional distress case, where the emotional distress is unaccompanied by physical injury, can recover so long as: "(1) the defendant should have realized that his conduct involved an unreasonable risk of causing the distress; and (2) the emotional distress or mental injury must be medically diagnosable and must be of sufficient severity so as to be medically significant." (Footnote omitted.) Thereafter, in Fetick v. Am. Cyanamid Co., 38 S.W.3d 415, 419 (Mo. banc 2001), the Missouri Supreme Court held that, to be compensable as damages for willful fraud, emotional distress must meet Bass's requirement of being "medically diagnosable and significant."
Nevertheless, Appellants argue that Fetick does not apply here because Fetick addressed the compensability of emotional distress damages in only actual fraud cases and, therefore, it does not apply to breach of fiduciary claims, which involve constructive fraud. We disagree. Courts have excused plaintiffs from the Bass requirements for causes of action such as assault and battery, where "actual injury or damages is not a required element of proof" and emotional damages "occur as a necessary and natural consequence of the tortious conduct." A.R.B., 98 S.W.3d at 104. In those cases, the tortfeasor unquestionably should have realized that the assault and battery involved an unreasonable risk of causing emotional distress, and the law presumes damage from the nature of the conduct. See id. In contrast, claims such as fraud, even if willful and malicious, do not intrinsically involve an unreasonable risk of causing emotional harm, and the law requires proof of actual damages as an element of the cause of action. See id.; Fetick, 38 S.W.3d at 418 (noting that "[f]ailing to establish damages defeats a fraud claim").
As we found supra, a breach of fiduciary duty/constructive fraud claim, like an actual fraud claim, requires proof of harm or damages as a necessary element of the cause of action. See Hobbs, 397 S.W.3d at 476 (stating that "fraud, whether actual or constructive based on a breach of a fiduciary duty, requires an injury caused by the fraud to be actionable"). Moreover, unlike an assault and battery case, emotional damages are not a "necessary and natural consequence" of a breach of a fiduciary duty. See A.R.B., 98 S.W.3d at 104. The law does not presume that every breach of fiduciary duty will necessarily cause damage, let alone emotional damage. We find no reason why the Fetick standard for emotional distress damages in a willful fraud case would not apply to emotional distress damages in a breach of fiduciary duty/constructive fraud case.
Appellants failed to offer any evidence indicating that their emotional distress was medically diagnosable and significant. As they offered no other evidence of the necessary element of harm or damages resulting from Farmers' alleged breach, their breach of fiduciary duty claim fails as a matter of law. The circuit court properly granted summary judgment in favor of Farmers on Appellants' breach of fiduciary claim. Point I is denied.
We affirm the circuit court's judgment.
ALL CONCUR.
816 S.W.2d at 193 (internal citations omitted).