NOEL L. HILLMAN, District Judge.
This is a breach of contract action involving payment under a homeowner's insurance policy following damage to Plaintiffs Lorraine Giacobbe and Joanne Wakefield's property after Superstorm Sandy. Before the Court is Plaintiff's Motion for Reconsideration of the Court's Opinion and Order granting summary judgment in favor of Defendant QBE Specialty Insurance Company. For the reasons that follow, the Court will deny the Motion for Reconsideration.
Plaintiffs are the owners of property located at 25 Pilot Road in Toms River, New Jersey. Defendant issued Plaintiffs a homeowner's insurance policy, which provided coverage for wind damage ("the Policy"). Following damage to the property from Superstorm Sandy, Defendant's adjusting company determined that the insured loss was $3,893.98.
Plaintiffs filed their Complaint with this Court on October 15, 2014 bringing four counts against Defendant. Following a Partial Stipulation of Dismissal, only the breach of contract claim remained. On May 8, 2018, the Court granted summary judgment in favor of Defendant. On May 21, 2018, Plaintiffs moved for reconsideration of that decision.
The purpose of a motion for reconsideration "is to correct manifest errors of law or fact or to present newly discovered evidence."
"A decision suffers from `clear error' only if the record cannot support the findings that led to that ruling."
A motion for reconsideration may not be used to re-litigate old matters or argue new matters that could have been raised before the original decision was reached.
The Court's May 2018 Opinion found that the Policy clearly and unambiguously allowed for recovery of only the actual cash value under the circumstances of the case, as opposed to replacement value, as Plaintiffs argued:
(footnote omitted). The Court thereafter concluded that summary judgment was appropriate because Plaintiffs did not offer any proof of actual cash damages and thus failed to satisfy an essential element of their breach of contract claim.
In Plaintiffs' moving brief, they recognize the limited nature of a motion for reconsideration, and the narrow circumstances that warrant granting such a motion. However, Plaintiffs' motion fails to show such circumstances exist here. Plaintiffs concede "there is no intervening change in law or newly available evidence." However, significantly, they do not cite any case law or fact the Court neglected to consider in its summary judgment decision. In their Preliminary Statement, Plaintiffs argue "the Court erred in granting the defendant's motion because the end result is simply unfair, fundamentally wrong, and constitutes a manifest injustice to those individuals who were without financial means to repair their homes as a result of Super Storm Sandy." However, Plaintiffs point to no basis in law or fact to justify the Court revisiting its decision.
Plaintiffs argue the Court "ignore[d] the plain language of the policy," and then merely provide a hypothetical which purports to show the "illogical results" of the Court's decision based on an argument that the Court's interpretation favors the rich over the poor. It is, of course, true that those with more financial resources will find it easier to meet the requirements of the policy at issue here that requires repairs be completed before a claim of replacement cost value may accrue, but that does not alter the plain language of the policy the Plaintiffs purchased. Plaintiffs do not pinpoint what "plain language" in the Policy the Court ignored. Rather, they want the Court as a matter of "fairness" to rewrite the bargain struck by the parties by reading out of the contract a provision they agreed to and now do not like because it limits their claim of damages. That the Court cannot do.
As to proving damages, Plaintiffs argue they can prove Defendant incorrectly calculated the replacement cost and that "[i]t is not necessary to show the actual amount of Actual Cash Value," since the actual cash value "is predicated on a correct RCV." However, proving that Defendant's calculation is wrong is not equivalent to Plaintiffs proving their damages. Even if replacement cost value and actual cash value are linked, Plaintiffs still had an obligation at summary judgment to offer enough proof from which a jury could determine a measure of damages greater than the amount of actual cost value already paid by the Defendant. Having placed all their eggs in the replacement cost value basket, their failure to do so rendered summary judgment for the Defendant not only appropriate but required.
The Court will deny Plaintiffs' Motion for Reconsideration. An appropriate Order will be entered.