BROWN, Judge.
Selective Insurance Company of South Carolina ("Selective") and 500 Rangeline, LLC ("Rangeline," and collectively with Selective, "Appellants") appeal the trial court's order granting the cross-motion for partial summary judgment filed by Erie Insurance Exchange ("Erie") and denying the Appellants' motion for partial summary judgment. Additionally, Allianz Global Risks U.S. Insurance Company ("Allianz") has filed an appellee's brief in this matter as an interested party after intervening below. The Appellants raise one issue which we revise and restate as whether the court erred in granting partial summary judgment in favor of Erie and denying the Appellants' motion for partial summary judgment. We reverse and remand.
Rangeline purchased a warehouse in late 2006 or early 2007. At the time of the purchase, the principals of Rangeline were Jon Smith, Greg Heuer, and Travis May. Rangeline did not have any other employees who managed the warehouse or actively participated in the business affairs of Rangeline other than Smith, Heuer, and May. Selective provided commercial general liability coverage for Rangeline's warehouse beginning on July 1, 2007. In August 2007, Doug Ewing, a Safety Management Specialist with Selective, visited the warehouse to conduct a risk evaluation survey, and, based on recommendations made by Ewing, May retained Gardner Fire Protection to inspect the sprinkler system at the warehouse. On October 1, 2007, Jason Gardner from Gardner Fire Protection wrote a letter to May regarding his findings and identified a number of "serious issues, including but not limited to the fact that the system had no functioning alarms," and May later asked Gardner to provide an estimate of what the cost would be to repair the issues Gardner had identified. Appellants' Appendix at 355. Gardner Fire Protection was never hired to make repairs to the sprinkler system. Selective renewed the policy with Rangeline for the period of July 1, 2008 through July 1, 2009.
On April 30, 2008, Welch & Wilson Properties, LLC d/b/a Hammons Storage, ("Hammons") and Rangeline entered into a lease of the warehouse for the purpose of storing insulation manufactured by Knauf Insulation KnbH, ("Knauf"). By this time, Rangeline's owners were Smith and Heuer, although May remained active in
Id. at 58-59. Paragraph K of the lease, titled "
Id.
After the lease was signed and the lease term started, Rangeline conducted some operations in the warehouse for the first month, and after that time Hammons had sole possession of the warehouse. Hammons had seven employees working in the warehouse during the term of the lease including Shawn Mayberry, who was the supervisor of Hammons' operation. According to Hammons' principal, Jeffrey Welch, sometime in October or November of 2008, May told him that Rangeline was going to drain the water in the sprinkler system in the Warehouse and not heat the facility. However, the furnace could be turned on by a switch or thermostat on the wall in the warehouse. Mayberry does not recall the heat being on in the Warehouse while Hammons stored the insulation there, and he never touched the furnace.
On or about December 23, 2008, the pipes of the sprinkler system at the warehouse burst, causing water to escape and damaging the Knauf insulation being stored therein. Origin and cause investigators hired by the insurers involved in this matter concurred that the cause of the loss was that the sprinkler system failed due to freezing temperatures which caused the water from the system to freeze and crack numerous cast iron fittings, causing the failure of the sprinkler heads. The investigators believed that there was no antifreeze in the sprinkler system as well as insufficient heat provided to the warehouse. Erie investigator Patrick Murphy inspected the warehouse on February 17, 2009, and he noted that the gas had been turned off at the regulating system located on the outside of the warehouse. Records from the gas provider indicate that no gas was used at the warehouse between July 29, 2008 and March 24, 2009, although gas was available to the warehouse during this timeframe.
At the time of the sprinkler failure, Erie had in full force and effect an "Ultraflex Package Policy" of insurance issued to Hammons (the "Policy"), which included commercial property coverage and commercial general liability coverage. Id. at 63. The Policy contains the following language in the commercial general liability coverage form, in pertinent part:
Id. at 108, 110-111, 115-117. Additionally, the Policy contained the following endorsement, titled "ADDITIONAL INSURED — MANAGERS OR LESSORS OF PREMISES" (the "A/I Endorsement"), which stated in pertinent part: "WHO IS AN INSURED (Section
Erie paid $1,000,000 to Knauf to resolve a claim asserted by Knauf due to the loss, and on February 10, 2010, following Erie's payment to Knauf, Erie filed a subrogation lawsuit against Rangeline seeking to recover the $1,000,000 (the "Underlying Litigation"). On October 4, 2011, Erie filed, as amended, a Complaint for Declaratory Judgment seeking a determination of whether or not its policy of insurance afforded coverage to Rangeline for the claim Erie asserted in the Underlying Litigation.
Also, on December 23, 2008, Allianz had in full force and effect a policy of insurance issued to Knauf and paid to Knauf $398,266 in addition to the $1,000,000 paid by Erie as a result of the insulation damage. On March 26, 2010, Allianz moved to intervene in the Underlying Litigation to assert a claim against Rangeline for recovery of the amount paid by Allianz to Knauf, and the court granted its motion. Both Allianz and Selective, who had a policy in effect at the time of the loss affording coverage to Rangeline for commercial liability, were named as defendants in Erie's declaratory judgment action.
On July 3, 2012, the Appellants filed a motion for partial summary judgment, as well as a memorandum in support and designation of evidence, addressing the issue of whether or not the Policy afforded coverage for the claim asserted by Erie in the Underlying Litigation.
On March 11, 2013, the court held a hearing and heard arguments on the parties' motions, and on June 21, 2013, issued an order granting Erie's cross-motion and denying the Appellants' motion for partial summary judgment. In the order, the court specifically found that the A/I Endorsement did not provide coverage for Rangeline for the subrogation action in the Underlying Litigation and "provides coverage only under the Commercial General Liability Coverage part and does not provide coverage under the Ultraflex Commercial Property Coverage part. Liability coverage is provided only with respect to liability arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of that part of the premises
The issue is whether the court erred in granting partial summary judgment in favor of Erie and denying the Appellants' motion for partial summary judgment. Summary judgment is appropriate only where there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Ind. Trial Rule 56(C); Mangold ex rel. Mangold v. Ind. Dep't of Natural Res., 756 N.E.2d 970, 973 (Ind.2001). All facts and reasonable inferences drawn from those facts are construed in favor of the nonmovant. Mangold, 756 N.E.2d at 973. Our review of a summary judgment motion is limited to those materials designated to the trial court. Id. In reviewing a trial court's ruling on a motion for summary judgment, we may affirm on any grounds supported by the Indiana Trial Rule 56 materials. Catt v. Bd. of Commr's of Knox Cnty., 779 N.E.2d 1, 3 (Ind.2002).
The fact that the parties make cross-motions for summary judgment does not alter our standard of review. Sterling Commercial Credit-Mich., LLC v. Hammert's Iron Works, Inc., 998 N.E.2d 752, 756 (Ind.Ct.App.2013). Instead, we must consider each motion separately to determine whether the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Id. The entry of specific findings and conclusions does not alter the nature of a summary judgment which is a judgment entered when there are no genuine issues of material fact to be resolved. Rice v. Strunk, 670 N.E.2d 1280, 1283 (Ind.1996). In the summary judgment context, we are not bound by the trial court's specific findings of fact and conclusions of law. Id. They merely aid our review by providing us with a statement of reasons for the trial court's actions. Id.
Insurance contracts "are governed by the same rules of construction as other contracts." Colonial Penn Ins. Co. v. Guzorek, 690 N.E.2d 664, 667 (Ind.1997). The interpretation of an insurance contract is a question of law, and we address it de novo. Dunn v. Meridian Mut. Ins. Co., 836 N.E.2d 249, 251 (Ind.2005). Clear and unambiguous policy language is given its ordinary meaning in order to accomplish the primary goal of contract interpretation of determining the intent of the parties at the time the contract was made as disclosed by the language used to express their rights and duties. Holiday Hospitality Franchising, Inc. v. AMCO Ins. Co., 983 N.E.2d 574, 577-578 (Ind.2013). Where contractual language is ambiguous, we generally resolve those ambiguities in favor of the insured, but will not do so if such an interpretation fails to harmonize the provisions of the contract as a whole.
We also observe that there exists some disagreement in the current state of Indiana law regarding what may be considered in deciding whether an insurer has a duty to defend. "Indiana courts have previously held that `[t]he duty to defend is determined solely by the nature of the complaint.'" Ind. Farmers Mut. Ins. Co. v. North Vernon Drop Forge, Inc., 917 N.E.2d 1258, 1268 (Ind.Ct.App.2009) (quoting Transamerica Ins. Serv. v. Kopko, 570 N.E.2d 1283, 1285 (Ind.1991)), reh'g denied, trans. denied. This Court in Ind. Farmers recognized that "[s]ome courts still cite Kopko as representing the current state of Indiana law," id., and indeed a case cited by the Appellants, Travelers Cas. & Sur. Co. v. Elkins Constructors, Inc., 2000 WL 724006, at *4 (S.D.Ind. 2000), reconsideration denied by 2000 WL 748091 (S.D.Ind. June 6, 2000), does just that while at the same time recognizing that "problems ... can arise when the doctrine of liberal notice pleading mixes with the doctrine that the insurer's duty to defend is determined solely by the allegations of the complaint." Id. at *5 n. 12. The Ind. Farmers Court also noted that the Indiana Supreme Court, while not specifically overruling Kopko, "has more recently entertained extrinsic, designated evidence when assessing an insurer's duty to defend," and considered facts outside of the complaint. 917 N.E.2d at 1268 (citing
The Appellants argue that: (A) Rangeline was covered under the Policy as an additional insured; and (B) the care, custody, or control exclusion contained in the Policy does not apply. We address each of the Appellants' contentions separately.
The Appellants argue that the A/I Endorsement contained in the Policy afforded coverage to Rangeline and that Erie's contention below that it provides only limited coverage for certain types of claims is not supported by the language of the Policy and case law. The Appellants note that there is but one case interpreting additional insured endorsements in Indiana case law, Liberty Mut. Ins. Co. v. Mich. Mut. Ins. Co., 891 N.E.2d 99 (Ind. Ct.App.2008), and they argue that Liberty Mut. is not instructive here because the facts are distinguishable. The Appellants argue that Erie misinterprets the holding of Liberty Mut., and they note that the accident in Liberty Mut. occurred in an adjacent common area rather than on the leased premises as is the case here. The Appellants also direct our attention to certain cases for the proposition that the A/I Endorsement should be interpreted broadly, that is, "beyond merely the additional insured's vicarious liability for the actions of the named insured." Appellants' Brief at 12 (quoting Elkins, 2000 WL 724006, at *2
The Appellants also argue that the court in its order "focused extensively on whether or not the sprinkler system failed as a result of the fault of Rangeline" which "was not the issue before the Trial Court." Id. They assert that the court "determined that Rangeline's negligence caused the loss and therefore Erie, as the insurer for Hammons, should be able to obtain reimbursement," but this reasoning was "error as the sole question before it was whether [the Policy] afforded coverage for the loss"
Erie begins its argument by noting the A/I Endorsement "provides coverage only under the Commercial General Liability Coverage Part (Section II) of the [] Policy; it does not provide coverage under the Ultraflex Commercial Property Coverage Part." Erie's Brief at 13. Erie also emphasizes that the A/I Endorsement states that it provides coverage "only with respect to liability arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of that part of the premises leased to Hammons," that accordingly no coverage exists for Rangeline under the Policy for liability arising out of a part of the warehouse "not leased to Hammons," and that "[i]t then logically follows that the [A/I Endorsement] only provides coverage for [] Rangeline for its vicarious liability with respect to those parts of the premises over which Hammons has physical control and thus legal responsibility." Id. Erie points to the Liberty Mut. case as well as Ins. Corp. of N.Y. v. Cohoes Realty Assocs., L.P., 50 A.D.3d 1228, 854 N.Y.S.2d 815, 818 (2008), for the proposition that no coverage exists under the A/I Endorsement where "the accident occurred in an area outside the leased premises...." Id. at 15.
Erie acknowledges that the facts of this case, including that the sprinkler system is located inside the warehouse, makes "this case a closer call," but it maintains that no coverage exists under the A/I Endorsement because "the sprinkler system was not `part of the premises leased to Hammons.'" Id. at 15-16. Erie points to a provision of the Indiana Administrative Code which "impose[s] a non-delegable duty on the part of [] Rangeline to inspect, test and maintain the sprinkler system," notes that Hammons "had no duty whatsoever regarding the sprinkler system ... under Indiana law and had no control over it" and that "Rangeline explicitly retained control of the sprinkler system as it advised Hammons that it would drain it and not heat the Warehouse," and that "[i]f one accepts the proposition that Hammons had no legal duty to control vis-à-vis the sprinkler system, then there was no duty for Hammons to breach, and [] Rangeline therefore cannot be vicariously liable for any actions or inactions on the part of Hammons" and "[a]s such, the sprinkler system was not `that part' of the premises leased to Hammons...." Id. at 16.
In their reply brief, the Appellants argue that the Cohoes decision is distinguishable because it relies on a "different exclusion than at issue in this case," and it stated without discussion that the applicable Additional Insured endorsement "only applied to third party actions." Appellants' Reply Brief at 4. The Appellants
We begin by discussing this Court's decision in Liberty Mut. As alluded to in the parties' arguments, in Liberty Mut. Linda Swann, who worked for Trilithic, Inc. ("Trilithic"), slipped and fell on a snow-and ice-covered pathway while walking from the employee parking lot to the Trilithic facility. 891 N.E.2d at 100. Trilithic was a tenant of Duke Realty Corporation ("Duke"). Id. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company ("Liberty Mutual") insured and was the subrogee of Duke, and Michigan Mutual Insurance Company ("Michigan Mutual") insured Trilithic under a commercial general liability policy. Id. Duke was named insured on an additional insured endorsement to the Michigan Mutual policy "for no additional premium," in which the endorsement contained language identical to the A/I Endorsement of the instant case. Id. Swann and her husband filed a personal injury action against Duke in February 2002, Duke tendered the defense of the action to Michigan Mutual pursuant to the additional insured endorsement, and Michigan Mutual declined to defend or indemnify Duke against the Swanns' claims. Id. Duke filed a complaint for declaratory judgment with the trial court in which it sought a declaration that the insurance policy issued by Michigan Mutual provided coverage to Duke for the injury claims asserted by the Swanns, and Michigan Mutual filed an answer' and counterclaim for declaratory judgment, claiming the policy did not provide coverage to Duke for the Swanns' claims. Id. at 101.
The parties subsequently filed cross-motions for summary judgment, and Michigan Mutual requested that Liberty Mutual be substituted for Duke as the real party in interest. Id. At the hearing on the
On appeal, in addressing whether Michigan Mutual owed Duke a duty to defend and indemnify, we began by noting that "[a]lthough a liability insurer's duty to defend its insured against suit is broader than its duty to indemnify, this principle only applies when the risk is insured against" and that "`[w]here an insurer's independent investigation of the facts underlying a complaint against its insured reveals a claim is patently outside of the risk covered by the policy, the insurer may properly refuse to defend.'" Id. at 102-103 (quoting Freidline v. Shelby Ins. Co., 774 N.E.2d 37, 42 n. 6 (Ind.2002)). The Court recited Liberty Mutual's argument that it interpret the additional insured endorsement broadly, noting Liberty Mutual's argument that "although the fall occurred outside the leased premises and as a result of Duke's negligence, liability for Swann's fall arose out of the use of that part of the premises leased to Trilithic" because she was injured "as she was reporting to work on the leased premises while using the only route to the only door into the premises which she was permitted to use by Trilithic." Id. at 103.
Liberty Mutual directed the Court's attention to Md. Cas. Co. v. Chicago & N.W. Transp. Co., 126 Ill.App.3d 150, 81 Ill.Dec. 289, 466 N.E.2d 1091 (1984), in which the Illinois Court of Appeals held that the lessee's general liability insurance covered the additional insured lessor against claims asserted by the lessee's employee when she was raped in the lessor's passenger terminal as she reported to work at a news stand leased to her employer. Id. The Illinois court observed that the situation, in which an employee of the named insured suffered injury caused by the alleged negligence of an additional insured under a liability policy "immediately outside the leased premises as she was about to begin her daily employment," favored
Id. (quoting Md. Cas. Co., 81 Ill.Dec. 289, 466 N.E.2d at 1094-1095).
We proceeded to observe that "[s]everal cases from other jurisdictions, however, have rejected such a broad interpretation of additional insured endorsements such as the one in the instant case" and included the following citation:
Id. at 104. This Court held that it agreed "with these cases that more than an incidental connection with the leased premises is required to obtain coverage under an additional insured endorsement." We went on to state that "[o]ne of the primary functions of an additional insured endorsement in the landlord-tenant context is to protect the landlord from vicarious liability for acts of its tenant on the leased premises," and that "[t]he additional insured endorsements in these settings are meant to provide specialized protection rather than all-encompassing coverage." Id. We found the Northbrook Ins. Co. case to be "particularly instructive," and discussed the case as follows:
Id. at 104-105 (quoting Northbrook Ins. Co., 495 N.W.2d at 453).
This Court held that Michigan Mutual did not owe a duty to defend or indemnify Duke. Id. at 105. We observed that as in Northbrook Ins. Co., Swann's fall occurred "in a common area outside of the leased premises and under Duke's control." We further noted that "there was no physical connection between the accident and the leased premises or Trilithic's business operations thereon," and that "[t]here is no allegation that the ice and snow on which Swann slipped originated on the leased premises, was caused by the leased premises, was connected to work done on the leased premises, or had any other significant
More recently, this Court again addressed additional insured endorsements in Peabody Energy Corp. v. Roark, 973 N.E.2d 636 (Ind.Ct.App.2012), aff'd on reh'g, 978 N.E.2d 503 (Ind.Ct.App.2012), trans. denied. In Peabody, an employee of Beelman, who provided trucking services to Peabody Energy Corporation ("Peabody"), the owner of a site where mining operations were conducted, was injured when the "ground gave away" while he was standing near his truck to deliver a load of ash from a power plant to the mine. 973 N.E.2d at 637-638. Peabody was listed as an additional insured on Beelman's commercial general liability insurance policy provided by North American Capacity Insurance Company ("NAC") pursuant to their Master Performance Agreement ("MPA"), in which the endorsement stated as follows: "WHO IS AN INSURED (Section II) is amended to include as an insured the person or organization shown in the Schedule as an insured but only with respect to liability arising out of your operations or premises owned by or rented to you." Id. at 638 (emphasis omitted). Roark, the employee, filed a complaint against Peabody alleging negligence, Peabody demanded coverage from NAC, and NAC rejected Peabody's demand, concluding that "Roark's claim did not arise `from Beelman's work'...." Id. at 639. Peabody filed a third-party complaint requesting indemnification from Beelman and seeking a declaratory judgment regarding NAC's duty to defend, and Peabody subsequently filed a motion for partial summary judgment against NAC. Id. NAC and Beelman both filed motions for summary judgment against Peabody, and following a hearing the court entered final judgment in favor of Beelman and NAC and against Peabody. Id.
On appeal, this Court discussed Liberty Mut. and noted that there we applied a narrow interpretation of the "arise out" language of the additional insured endorsement. Id. at 640-641. The Peabody court summarized the holding of Liberty Mut. as follows:
Id. at 641. In a footnote, the Peabody court observed that in rejecting a "broad
The Peabody Court first noted that, under the applicable endorsement language, "[a]t issue here is whether the liability arises `out of [Beelman's] operations,' not whether the liability arises out of `ownership, maintenance or use of a leased premises," and that "although Liberty Mutual's focus on the `connection with the leased premises' may be appropriate in the landlord-tenant context, [it] is of limited application here." Id. (quoting Liberty Mut., 891 N.E.2d at 104). The Court stated that "NAC's suggestion that Peabody's potential liability arises out of Peabody's own alleged negligence in maintaining its own property misses the mark because it does not resolve the question of whether Peabody's potential liability arises out of Beelman's operations." Id. at 642. The Court further observed that Liberty Mut. was also factually distinguishable in that "Roark was not on Peabody's property as a means to an end — to get to work — as [Swann] was. Instead, Roark was at Peabody's mine as part of his employment as a truck driver for Beelman." Id. The Court held that "[r]egardless of whether Roark was injured because of Peabody's sole negligence, the designated evidence shows that Roark's injuries — the basis of Peabody's potential liability — arose out of Beelman's operations," that further, "[u]nlike in Liberty Mutual, the connection between Roark's presence at the mine and his injuries was not `incidental' or `isolated;' instead, Roark's injuries were directly related to his work as a truck driver for Beelman," and that accordingly Peabody was an additional insured under the policy for the purposes of Roark's complaint. Id.
Based on this Court's previous statements in Peabody and Liberty Mut., we find Rangeline to be an additional insured under Erie's Policy in the Underlying Litigation. As noted above, the A/I Endorsement contains language identical to the language of the endorsement in Liberty Mut. and states that: "WHO IS AN INSURED (Section
As noted in the facts section, the Policy contained the following exclusion (the "Care Exclusion"):
Id. at 108, 110-111.
The Appellants argue that the plain language of the Care Exclusion does not apply because Erie concedes that Hammons had custody of the damaged personal property, the insulation. The Appellants assert that Erie made a two-pronged argument to the trial court that the exclusion — applied
Erie "does not dispute that ... Hammons exercised care, custody and/or control over the Knauf insulation," but "it is undisputed that [] Rangeline also exercised `control' over the Knauf insulation as that term is defined" recently by the Indiana Supreme Court in Holiday Hospitality Franchising. Appellee's Brief at 20. Specifically, Erie argues that Rangeline had a non-delegable duty to maintain the sprinkler system, that Rangeline controlled the sprinkler system, that the failure of the sprinkler system was the proximate cause of the loss, and that "[t]hus, Hammons and [] Rangeline exercised joint `control' or `power of influence' over the Knauf insulation...." Id. at 21. Erie also acknowledges that the Appellants' argument regarding the separation of insureds provision in the Policy applies for the purpose of the Care Exclusion.
Also, Allianz, who is Knauf's insurer and who filed an appellee's brief as an interested party, argues that "Erie's arguments fail because case law clearly establishes that the party in possession of stored personal property is the party with the care, custody, and control, not the owner of the storage building." Allianz's Brief at 4. Allianz argues that the "argument that warehouse maintenance amounted to care, custody, and control of the stored property... `confuse[s] responsibility for the premises with responsibility for property stored on the premises.'" and that "[o]nly a bailee, not a lessor, assumes this ... responsibility." Id. at 5 (quoting Marine Indent. Ins. Co. of Am. v. Lock-wood Warehouse & Storage, 115 F.3d 282, 288 (5th Cir.1997), reh'g denied, cert. denied, 522 U.S. 967, 118 S.Ct. 414, 139 L.Ed.2d 317 (1997)). Allianz argues that both Lockwood and Bentley "demonstrate that there is no joint control of stored property between a party that merely maintains a warehouse and the party that possesses the stored property." Id. at 6. Allianz also maintains that the cases cited by Erie below and on appeal are distinguishable and unpersuasive.
We turn first to Bentley, in which this Court affirmed the trial court in a declaratory judgment action ruling in favor of
On appeal, this Court addressed the question of whether the trial court erred in ruling that the Troop's property "was not in the care, custody or control of Bentley and Bentley did not exercise physical control over said property." Id. at 325, 352 N.E.2d at 862. American argued that the exclusion cited above "excludes from coverage any third party property over which an insured has control, and further contend[ed] that the facts adduced in evidence were that the insured did have physical control of the property of the Troop. Id. at 327, 352 N.E.2d at 864. Bentley argued that the exclusion did not apply because he had no control over the Troop's property "and specifically permitted them access to their property at all times." Id. at 327, 352 N.E.2d at 864. The Court agreed with the trial court's finding that Bentley did not have care, custody, or control of the property and held that the exclusion did not apply. Id. at 328-329, 352 N.E.2d at 864-865.
Additionally, we find the Lockwood case cited by Allianz instructive. In Lockwood, a fire destroyed a warehouse owned by Grand Lockwood Partners Limited Partnership and managed and leased by Lockwood Warehouse & Storage ("Lockwood"). 115 F.3d at 284. Lockwood maintained insurance coverage with Insurance Company of America ("Marine Indemnity") for certain property inside the warehouse, and numerous owners of property stored inside the warehouse made claims against Marine Indemnity for the value of their damaged property. Id. Marine Indemnity initiated an interpleader action to resolve conflicting claims for the insurance proceeds, and the district court determined the amount of insurance available to be $1,275,610 plus accrued interest. Id. The court ordered
On appeal, two of the intervenor-defendants, Enterplast, Inc. ("Enterplast") and H. Muehlstein & Company ("Muehlstein"), objected to the district court's order denying them recovery from the interpleaded funds and sought review of the court's interpretation of the Marine Indemnity insurance policy. Id. at 284-285. Lockwood had subleased space in the warehouse to Ultra Warehouse ("Ultra") and Lance Cowan, doing business as Shippers International ("Shippers"), who each stored, respectively, the property of Muehlstein and Enterplast. Id. at 285. The district court found "given Enterplast's and Muehlstein's bailment relationship with sublessees of Lockwood, the Marine Indemnity policy provisions governing covered property barred the two entities from recovery." Id.
The court observed the following:
The special master determined that the policy had three coverage requirements with respect to the property belonging to those other than Lockwood that was stored in the warehouse. First, the property must have been "directly connected" with Lockwood's business. Second, the property must have been in the "care, custody, or control" of Lockwood. Third, Lockwood must either have been "responsible" for the property or have had agreed in writing, prior to the fire, to insure the property. In construing the first requirement, the special master determined that the policy covered the property of those who stored property directly with Lockwood, but did not cover the property of those, including Enterplast and Muehlstein, who stored property with a sublessee of Lockwood. Because Enterplast and Muehlstein did not enter into an agreement with Lockwood for the storage of property, the court adjudged that neither entity could establish that it had a direct relationship or involvement with Lockwood, and thus also concluded that their property could not be found to have been "directly connected" with Lockwood's business.
Id. The special master also found under the third requirement that Enterplast and Muehlstein were barred from recovery in that they failed to establish that Lockwood was "responsible" for their property. Id. at 285-286. The special master further found that Ultra's and Shippers' leases with Lockwood "exonerated Lockwood and its insurers from any damage claims for Ultra's and Shippers' property," and that "based on these waiver of liability provisions, Lockwood was not responsible for the goods of Ultra and Shippers or the goods of their bailees, including Muehlstein and Enterplast." Id. at 286.
Muehlstein and Enterplast argued that Lockwood was responsible for their property
Id. (footnote omitted).
Here, we first note that Indiana law regarding landlord-tenant and bailment relationships are sufficiently similar to the provisions of Texas law cited by the court in Lockwood, and we accordingly find Lockwood to be persuasive authority in determining whether Rangeline controlled the Knauf insulation. See Pitman v. Pitman, 717 N.E.2d 627, 631 (Ind.Ct.App. 1999) (noting that "[a] bailment is an agreement, either express or implied, that one person will entrust personal property to another for a specific purpose and that when the purpose is accomplished the bailee will return the property to the bailor" and that "[t]he standard of care required of a bailee is determined by the benefit each party derives from the bailment"); see also Houin v. Burger by Burger, 590 N.E.2d 593, 597 (Ind.Ct.App.1992) (noting that "[i]n the absence of statute, covenant, fraud or concealment, a landlord who gives a tenant full control and possession of leased property will not be liable for personal injuries sustained by the tenant and other persons lawfully upon the leased property").
This court specifically ruled in Bentley that an exclusion similar to the instant Care Exclusion did not apply to circumstances
For the foregoing reasons, we reverse the trial court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Erie and denial of the Appellants' motion for partial summary judgment, and we remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Reversed and remanded.
BARNES, J., concurs.
ROBB, J., dissents with opinion.
Because I agree with the trial court that the A/I Endorsement of the Policy does not provide coverage for Rangeline in the Underlying Litigation, I respectfully dissent from the majority's decision reversing the trial court.
Rangeline is an additional insured under the Policy "only with respect to liability arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of that part of the premises leased to [Hammons]...." Op. at 120. As noted in Liberty Mut. Ins. Co. v. Michigan Mut. Ins. Co., 891 N.E.2d 99, 104 (Ind.Ct.App. 2008), which construed an identical provision, additional insured endorsements in this context are "meant to provide specialized protection rather than all-encompassing coverage." The Policy, entered into between Erie and Hammons, does not provide blanket coverage for Rangeline. "One of the primary functions of an additional insured endorsement in the landlord-tenant context is to protect the landlord from vicarious liability for acts of its tenant on the leased premises." Id. I agree with the majority that there is a significant connection between the accident and the leased premises. See op. at 120. However, because there is no connection between the accident and Hammons, extending coverage to Rangeline in this circumstance would not serve the purpose of such coverage. As the trial court found, Rangeline retained control over and responsibility for the sprinkler system; Hammons had no duty with respect to the system. Under these circumstances, there could be no expectation that the tenant's insurance would cover the landlord who had the sole responsibility for the instrument of the damage.
As the majority notes in footnote 6, the sprinkler system was physically a part of the premises leased to Hammons. Whether Rangeline maintained responsibility for its care and maintenance by the terms of the lease or simply by its actions, Hammons had nothing to do with system. I therefore do not believe the inquiry can or should be singularly focused on the connection between the accident and the leased premises themselves. That the A/I Endorsement includes the arising out of the "ownership, maintenance or use" language suggests to me that a consideration of which entity is responsible for the failure on the leased premises causing or contributing to the loss is reasonable and appropriate. Rangeline's potential liability for a failure of the sprinkler system did not arise out of Hammons's maintenance or use of the premises; it arose out of its own failures. It did not maintain the sprinkler system; it told Hammons it was going to drain the sprinkler system but then did not do so; it did not apprise Hammons that the sprinkler system had not been drained; and it did not tell Hammons that because the sprinkler system had not been drained, the warehouse temperature needed to be maintained above a certain degree. Not only did Hammons have no responsibility with regard to the sprinkler system; it had no knowledge regarding it. There is no vicarious liability here; Rangeline's liability is its own.
Accordingly, I would affirm the trial court's grant of partial summary judgment to Erie and denial of partial summary judgment to Rangeline on this issue.
Id. (quoting Ind. Lumbermens, 260 Ind. at 34, 291 N.E.2d at 899). Liberty Mutual suggested that Ind. Lumbermens, as well as similar cases, were distinguishable because the premises owner "was not a stranger to the contract but, rather, was specifically named as an additional insured in an endorsement attached to the policy." Id. We noted that Liberty Mutual's argument had "merit" because the premises owner "was an additional named insured (under limited circumstances, of course) and the policy was procured for its benefit, as well as" the tenant's. Id. We did not decide the issue, however, noting that we would reach the same conclusion regardless of how the policy was construed. Id.
Here, we similarly arrive at the same conclusion regardless of whether the Policy is construed from a neutral stance or from a stance favoring Rangeline. However, we note that the argument advanced by Liberty Mutual in Liberty Mut. carries more weight than it did in that case because while, the premises owner was removed as a real party in interest prior to the appeal in that case, 891 N.E.2d at 101, here, Rangeline, who was named as an insured pursuant to the A/I Endorsement, continues as a real party in interest.
Finally, as noted above we reject the notion that the sprinkler system was not a part of the premises leased by Hammons. Hammons leased the warehouse, which made up the leased premises, and we see no basis for the assertion that the sprinkler system, located within such leased premises, was excluded from the scope of the A/I Endorsement.
Lockwood, 115 F.3d at 286 (internal citations omitted).