JOHN W. DARRAH, United States District Court Judge.
Plaintiff Westport Insurance Corporation ("Westport") brought this action against Defendants the City of Waukegan, Lucian Tessman, Donald Meadie, Fernando Shipley, Howard Pratt, Richard Davis, Phillip Stevenson, Terry House, Robert Repp, Burton Setterlund (collectively, the "Waukegan Defendants"), and Juan A. Rivera, Jr. ("Rivera"), seeking a declaratory judgment that it has no obligation to provide coverage under two insurance policies issued to the City of Waukegan. Westport filed a Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c). Waukegan Defendants filed a Cross Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c).
Westport issued two policies to the City of Waukegan: (1) General Liability/Law Enforcement Policy Number 651-006954-9 ("GL/LEL Policy"), providing a $1 million limit of liability for general liability claims and a $1 million limit of liability for law enforcement liability claims; and (2) Umbrella Liability Policy Number 503-164027-8 ("Umbrella Policy"), providing a $5 million limit of liability (collectively, the "Westport Policies"). (Dkt. 48, ¶¶ 32, 34; Dkt. 52, ¶¶ 32, 34).
The Westport Policies were issued for the period November 1, 1997 to November 1, 1998, and were renewed for the periods November 1, 1998 to November 1, 1999, and November 1, 1999 to November 1, 2000. (Dkt. 48, ¶¶ 32-35; Dkt. 52, ¶¶ 32-35.)
Rivera was transferred from Hill Correctional Center, where he was confined, to the Lake County Jail on a writ of habeas corpus ad testificandum on October 27, 1992. (Dkt. 48-1, ¶ 52.) Rivera alleges that after several days of illegal interrogation, he was forced to sign a statement implicating himself in the rape and murder of a young girl. (Id. at ¶¶ 53-73.) Rivera was tried for rape and murder in November 1993. (Id. ¶ 103.) Rivera was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. (Id.) Rivera was retried and convicted of first-degree murder in September and October 1998, and was again sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. (Dkt. 52, ¶ 23, 24.) The Illinois Appellate Court Second District reversed Rivera's conviction and entered a judgment of acquittal on December 9, 2012. (Dkt. 48-1 ¶ 113.) Rivera was released from prison on January 6, 2012. (Dkt. 48-1 ¶ 114).
A Rule 12(c) motion for judgment on the pleadings permits a party to move for judgment after both the plaintiff's complaint and the defendant's answer have been filed. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(c). Rule 12(c) motions are reviewed under the same standard as Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss. Pisciotta v. Old Nat'l Bancorp, 499 F.3d 629, 633 (7th Cir.2007). The court construes the complaint's allegations liberally in favor of the insured. Gen. Agents Ins. Co. of Am. v. Midwest Sporting Goods Co., 215 Ill.2d 146, 293 Ill.Dec. 594, 828 N.E.2d 1092, 1098 (2005). "Thus to succeed, the moving party must demonstrate that there are no material issues of fact to be resolved." N. Indiana Gun & Outdoor Shows, Inc. v. City of South Bend, 163 F.3d 449, 452 (7th Cir.1998).
Illinois law governs this dispute. In construing an insurance policy, a court's primary task is to ascertain the intent of the parties as expressed in their agreement. Pekin Insurance Co. v. Wilson, 237 Ill.2d 446, 341 Ill.Dec. 497, 930 N.E.2d 1011, 1017 (2010). Courts construe a policy as a whole by examining the risk undertaken, the subject matter that is insured, and the purpose of the entire policy. Id. If the terms in a policy are unambiguous, they are given their plain and ordinary meaning. Id. Ambiguous terms are strictly construed against the insurer. Id. "The underlying complaints and the insurance policies must be liberally construed in favor of the insured." U.S. Fid. & Guar. Co. v. Wilkin Insulation Co., 144 Ill.2d 64, 161 Ill.Dec. 280, 578 N.E.2d 926, 930 (1991).
A court determines whether an insurer has a duty to defend by examining the underlying complaint and the language of the insurance policy. Midwest Sporting Goods, 293 Ill.Dec. 594, 828 N.E.2d at 1098. "An insurer's duty to defend its
Rivera filed suit against Waukegan Defendants and others, alleging various civil rights violations and common law tort claims relating to Rivera's conviction for rape and murder and his subsequent twenty-year imprisonment. Rivera's Second Amended Complaint brings assorted claims under thirteen counts against the Waukegan Defendants:
(Dkt. 59, Ex. 1-B).
The pertinent coverage language is found in Section 1 of Part II of the GL/LEL Policy:
(Dkt. 35-5, p. 52). Common Policy Definitions are given under Section 3, Part III of the General Policy Provisions:
(Dkt. 35-5, pp. 81, 84, 86).
As an initial matter, Waukegan Defendants argue that the Law Enforcement Liability section is not limited to covering occurrences during the policy period. The GL/LEL Policy states "[w]e will pay only for loss that you sustain during the Policy Period shown in the Declarations of this Policy," while the Umbrella Policy limits coverage to the "Policy Period." (Dkt. 35-5, p. 74; Dkt. 35-8, p. 16.) The policies "unquestionably only cover occurrences within their stated policy periods." Am. Safety Cas. Ins. Co. v. City of Waukegan, 776 F.Supp.2d 670, 716
The most recent Illinois Appellate Court case analyzing similar issues is instructive: St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co. v. City of Zion, 2014 IL App (2d) 131312, 385 Ill.Dec. 193, 18 N.E.3d 193 (Ill.App.Ct. 2014). In St. Paul, the court looked at the specific language of the plan there at issue:
Id., 385 Ill.Dec. 193, 18 N.E.3d at 196. The court determined that the policy "provides coverage if the `injury' ... `happens' while the policy is in effect." Id., 385 Ill.Dec. 193, 18 N.E.3d at 197. The court looked at the opinion of the first court to adopt what has since become the majority opinion on insurance coverage for allegedly tortious law enforcement activity, Muller Fuel Oil Co. v. Insurance Co. of North America, 95 N.J.Super. 564, 232 A.2d 168 (1967), and approved of its holding that "the injury `flows immediately from the tortious act.'" St. Paul, 385 Ill.Dec. 193, 18 N.E.3d at 199 (quoting Muller Fuel, 232 A.2d at 174). "Stated another way, `it is difficult to see how [a criminal defendant's] release from prison can be described as an "injury" in any sense of the word.'" Id. (quoting Gulf Underwriters Insurance Co. v. City of Council Bluffs, 755 F.Supp.2d 988, 1008 (S.D.Iowa 2010); see also Billings v. Commerce Insurance Co., 458 Mass. 194, 936 N.E.2d 408, 413 (2010) (noting that favorable termination of a prosecution "is not an event that causes harm")). St. Paul also distinguished the Seventh Circuit's holdings in Northfield Ins. Co. v. City of Waukegan, 701 F.3d 1124 (7th Cir.2012), American Safety, and McFatridge as relying on the opinion in Security Mutual Casualty Co. v. Harbor Insurance Co., 65 Ill.App.3d 198, 21 Ill.Dec. 707, 382 N.E.2d 1 (1978), which only analyzed malicious prosecution. St. Paul, 385 Ill.Dec. 193, 18 N.E.3d at 197-98.
The Law Enforcement Liability section here states that the policy covers "`Bodily Injury' or `Property Damage' caused by an `Occurrence' in the course of a `Law Enforcement Activity' or because of `Advertising Injury' or `Personal Injury' caused by an offense in the course of your `Law Enforcement Activity'." (Dkt. 35-5, p. 52) (emphasis added.) Personal injury is defined as the injury caused by an offense, not as the offense itself. Thus, the language in the Westport Policies has the same effect as the language in the St. Paul policy and must be construed similarly. The question, therefore, is whether any injury from a claimed offense occurred during the coverage period.
The Waukegan Defendants argue that the application of this policy is limited to the claims involving Rivera's second conviction in October 1998, which would be within the policy term. (Dkt. 59, p. 8). On its face, Rivera's underlying complaint does not specifically allege any facts or
"[T]he duty to defend does not require that the complaint allege or use language affirmatively bringing the claims within the scope of the policy." Am. Econ. Ins. Co. v. Holabird & Root, 382 Ill.App.3d 1017, 320 Ill.Dec. 97, 886 N.E.2d 1166, 1171 (2008). Courts are "charged with comparing the underlying complaint, inferences, and other known facts to the insurance policy." Northfield Ins. Co., 701 F.3d at 1130. While Rivera does not specifically allege that his claims are applicable to the 1998 trial and conviction, several of his claims potentially apply to that trial. See id. at 1129 ("Because we can imagine an IIED claim potentially falling within the policy terms, we will assume that Starks fully intends to submit such a claim.") Any claims regarding an injury that occurred during the 1998 trial and conviction would potentially fall within the policy coverage. Specifically, Rivera's claim that his false confession was used during the 1998 trial is an injury that would fall within the policy coverage. A violation of the Self-Incrimination Clause of the Fifth Amendment occurs when a false confession is used in a criminal case. See Chavez v. Martinez, 538 U.S. 760, 767, 123 S.Ct. 1994, 155 L.Ed.2d 984 (2003). Thus, Rivera suffered an injury when his confession was used against him in the 1998 trial, which occurred within the coverage period.
Because Rivera's underlying complaint alleges claims that plausibly come within Westport's policy coverage, Westport owes a duty to defend.
A ruling on indemnity would require "fact finding that could conflict with facts found by the court in which the underlying suits were filed." Lexington Ins. Co. v. DSC Logistics, Inc., 2010 WL 1910310, at *7 (N.D.Ill. May 6, 2010). "When the underlying facts and the nature of the insured's conduct are disputed, the court presiding over the declaratory action typically cannot decide whether the insured acted [tortiously] ... (and consequently whether he has coverage or not) without resolving disputes that should be left to the court presiding over the underlying tort action." Nationwide Ins. v. Zavalis, 52 F.3d 689, 694 (7th Cir.1995). Whether Westport is required to provide indemnity to the Waukegan Defendants' requires fact findings that could conflict with the underlying suit. The issue of indemnity is not yet ripe for ruling.
For the foregoing reasons, Westport's Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings is granted in part and denied in part and the Waukegan Defendants' Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings is granted in part and denied in part. Under Rivera's Second Amended Complaint, Westport has a duty to defend the Waukegan Defendants. However, the Waukegan Defendants' request