Filed: Apr. 05, 2002
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT _ No. 01-10768 _ INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA, Plaintiff - Counter Defendant - Appellee v. LAWRENCE HUTTER Defendant - Counter Claimant - Appellant _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth 4:98-CV-1063-E _ April 4, 2002 Before KING, Chief Judge, and GARWOOD and HIGGINBOTHAM, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* Plaintiff-Counter Defendant-Appellee Insurance Company of the St
Summary: IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT _ No. 01-10768 _ INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA, Plaintiff - Counter Defendant - Appellee v. LAWRENCE HUTTER Defendant - Counter Claimant - Appellant _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth 4:98-CV-1063-E _ April 4, 2002 Before KING, Chief Judge, and GARWOOD and HIGGINBOTHAM, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* Plaintiff-Counter Defendant-Appellee Insurance Company of the Sta..
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IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
_____________________
No. 01-10768
_____________________
INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE STATE
OF PENNSYLVANIA,
Plaintiff - Counter Defendant - Appellee
v.
LAWRENCE HUTTER
Defendant - Counter Claimant - Appellant
_________________________________________________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth
4:98-CV-1063-E
_________________________________________________________________
April 4, 2002
Before KING, Chief Judge, and GARWOOD and HIGGINBOTHAM, Circuit
Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Plaintiff-Counter Defendant-Appellee Insurance Company of
the State of Pennsylvania (“ICSOP”) filed suit seeking a
declaratory judgment that it had no liability to Defendant-
Counter Claimant-Appellant Lawrence Hutter under a commercial
property policy issued by ICSOP to M & W Holdings, Ltd., with
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation named as mortgagee. During
*
Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that
this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except
under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.
the term of the policy, Hutter was neither an insured nor a
mortgagee under the ICSOP policy. After the district court
entered a partial summary judgment in favor of ICSOP, dismissing
Hutter’s extra-contractual claims and finding that Hutter could
not make any claims under the policy as an owner of property, M &
W Holdings purported to assign its interest in, or rights under,
the ICSOP policy to Hutter at a time when M&W Holdings had no
right to bring suit on the policy. ICSOP did not consent to the
assignment. Hutter then proceeded to assert a claim against
ICSOP based on the assignment. ICSOP defended on the basis,
among others, that the anti-assignment clause of the policy
barred Hutter’s claim. The district court agreed with ICSOP and
granted another partial summary judgment, this time finding
Hutter’s claims based on the purported assignment barred by the
anti-assignment clause of the ICSOP policy. After entry of
judgment in favor of ICSOP, Hutter appeals.
In this diversity case, Texas law governs. Anti-assignment
clauses are enforced generally under Texas law. See Island
Recreational Dev. Corp. v. Republic of Tex. Sav. Ass’n.,
710
S.W.2d 551, 556-57 (Tex. 1986); Tex. Farmers Ins. Co. v. Gerdes,
880 S.W.2d 215, 218 (Tex. App.-Fort Worth 1994, writ denied).
Such clauses are also enforced so as to preclude the assignment
of a claim under an insurance policy. See
Gerdes, 880 S.W.2d at
218-19; Tex. Pac. Indem. Co. v. Atlantic Ritchfield Co.,
846
S.W.2d 580, 584-85 (Tex. App.-Houston[14th dist.] 1993, writ
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denied); Conoco, Inc. v. Republic Ins. Co.,
819 F.2d 120, 124
(5th Cir. 1987)(applying Texas law). Hutter argues that the
policy reasons supporting the enforcement of an anti-assignment
clause should not apply if the assignment in question occurs
after the loss. As ICSOP correctly points out, however, the
assignments at issue in Gerdes and Conoco occurred after the
loss, and we do not have a roving mandate to disregard settled
Texas law based on our view of what is wise policy.
Hutter’s final argument is that following the decision of
the Texas Supreme Court in Hernandez v. Gulf Group Lloyds,
875
S.W.2d 691 (Tex. 1994), and this court’s decision in Hanson Prod.
Co. v. Americas Ins. Co.,
108 F.3d 627, 630-31 (5th Cir. 1997),
Conoco is no longer good law. Both those cases, however,
involved markedly different facts and issues than this case
involves, and they do not stand for the broad proposition that
the Texas courts (and hence this court) will no longer apply the
explicit terms of an insurance policy in the absence of a showing
of prejudice. It is only at that level of abstraction that
Hutter even has an argument. The present state of the law in
Texas and in this circuit (whatever may be the case elsewhere) is
that no showing of prejudice is required to enforce the anti-
assignment clause contained in the ICSOP policy, and that clause
applies here to bar a post-loss assignment.
The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.
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