JOHN G. KOELTL, District Judge.
The plaintiff, Admiral Indemnity Company ("Admiral"), brings this action against Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America ("Travelers"), for declaratory judgment that Travelers is obligated to pay all or part of the costs Admiral incurred in defending 315 East 69th Street Owners Corporation ("Owners Corp.") in a state court action. Owners Corp. was insured by both Admiral and Travelers. Admiral and Travelers have each moved for summary judgment.
Because Admiral was the primary insurer for the defense costs of the state court action, and Travelers only provided excess coverage, Travelers is entitled to summary judgment dismissing the claim that it participate in the defense costs of that action.
The following facts are undisputed unless otherwise noted.
In 2005, Owners Corp., a condominium association, purchased insurance from both Admiral and Travelers. (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 1, 12; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 1, 12.) Admiral issued Owners Corp. a commercial general liability insurance policy ("Admiral Policy"). (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 12-15; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 12-15.) The Admiral Policy covered "bodily injury," "property damage," and "personal and advertising injury" among other things. (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 14-16; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 14-16.) The Admiral Policy was an occurrence policy that applied to any occurrence "during the policy period." (Admiral Policy, Affidavit of Jessica M. Mendelsohn, sworn to Oct. 12, 2011 ("Mendelsohn Aff."), Ex. 5, at 5.) "Occurrence" is defined by the policy as "an accident, including continuous or repeated exposures to substantially the same general harmful conditions." (Admiral Policy, Mendelsohn Aff. Ex. 5, at 18.)
Travelers issued Owners Corp. Non-Profit Management and Organization Liability Insurance ("Travelers Policy"). (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 1; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 1.) The Travelers Policy provided Owners Corp. with directors and officers liability coverage. (Compl. ¶ 9.) The Travelers Policy provided coverage on a "claims made" basis, for claims first made against the insured and reported to Travelers during the policy period or during a further three-year discovery period. (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 3; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 4.)
The policy periods for both the Admiral Policy and the Travelers Policy initially ran from February 1, 2005, until February 1, 2006. (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 1, 12; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 1, 12.) Both Travelers and Admiral issued identical successor policies for the period from February 1, 2006 until February 1, 2007. (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 10-11, 18-19; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 10-11, 18-19.)
Both the Admiral Policy and the Travelers Policy contain "Other Insurance" clauses. The Admiral Policy Other Insurance clause provides:
(Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 20; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 20.) In contrast, the Travelers Policy Other Insurance clause states:
(Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 9; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 9.) "Loss" under the Travelers Policy includes defense costs. (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 7; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 7.)
The Other Insurance clauses of the Admiral and Travelers Policies remained unchanged when the policies were reissued from 2006 to 2007. (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 10-11, 18-19; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶¶ 10-11, 18-19.) However, in 2007, Admiral issued a revised policy that succeeded the Admiral 2006-2007 Policy and ran from February 1, 2007, until March 1, 2008 ("Revised Admiral Policy"). In the Revised Admiral Policy, Admiral altered its Other Insurance clause. The Revised Admiral Policy Other Insurance clause provides:
(Affidavit of Robert Buchert, sworn to Nov. 2, 2011 ("Buchert Aff."), at ¶ 8.)
The Travelers Policy also has a "Property Damage Exclusion." (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 8; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 8.) The Property Damage Exclusion excludes liability for any "[l]oss in connection with any [c]laim ... for or arising out of any damage, destruction, loss of use or deterioration of any tangible property...." (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 8; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 8.)
Admiral seeks to hold Travelers liable for a share of the costs that Admiral has expended in the defense of a lawsuit that was brought in the New York State Supreme Court, New York County, entitled Stephen Gallup v. 315 East 69th Street Owners' Corp., et al. (the "Gallup Action"). The occurrence that formed the basis for the Gallup Action occurred in March 2005.
In or about March 2005, as the alleged result of ongoing repair work to the exterior of the Building undertaken by Owners Corp., Gallup's greenhouse was damaged. (See Gallup Complaint at ¶ 22.) Gallup and Owners Corp. spent months negotiating to resolve the damages issues. (See Gallup Complaint.) The negotiations included an alleged Alteration Agreement between the parties. (See Gallup Complaint at ¶ 66.) However, as a result of an impasse in negotiations, Gallup brought suit in state court in April, 2006 against Owners Corp. and others. (See Gallup Complaint at ¶¶ 1-9.)
Gallup's complaint asserted eleven causes of action seeking: (1) a permanent injunction barring Owners Corp. from attempting to repair or replace the greenhouse; (2) a declaration that the Alteration Agreement was enforceable; (3) a declaration that Gallup was in compliance with the Greenhouse Agreement; (4) a mandatory injunction requiring Owners Corp. to abide by the Greenhouse and Alteration Agreements; (5) recovery for damages to Gallup's real and personal property, due to faulty repairs; (6) constructive eviction from a part of Gallup's unit, due to faulty repairs; (7) breach of the warranty of habitability, due to faulty repairs; (8) a permanent injunction barring Owners Corp. from attempting to terminate Gallup's proprietary lease, based upon his refusal to pay costs and expenses that Owners Corp. incurred due to faulty repairs; (9) a claim against Steven Seplow, the building manager employed by Owners Corp., for damages from the faulty repairs; (10) a claim for defamation against Steven Seplow; and (11) attorneys' fees. (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 36; Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 36.)
In May 2006 Travelers disclaimed coverage for the Gallup Action, explaining in a letter dated May 11, 2006, that all claims in the action fell within the Property Damage Exclusion. (Pl.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 37 Def.'s R. 56.1 Stmt. at ¶ 37.) In a letter dated May 15, 2006, Admiral partially disclaimed coverage, citing exclusions in the Admiral Policy. (Buchert Aff. at ¶ 3; Buchert Letter, Buchert Aff. Ex. F.) Admiral disclaimed coverage as to all causes of action except the fifth (property damage), the ninth (faulty repairs by Steven Seplow), and the tenth (defamation against Steven Seplow). (Buchert Letter, Buchert Aff. Ex. F.) However, recognizing that "the duty to defend is broader than the duty to indemnify," Admiral agreed to defend Owners Corp. under the Admiral Policy for all claims in the Gallup Action. (Buchert Aff. at ¶ 3; see also Buchert Letter, Buchert Aff. Ex. F.)
On February 18, 2011, Admiral filed the present action against Travelers. Jurisdiction is based on diversity of citizenship jurisdiction. 28 U.S.C. § 1332. Admiral alleges three causes of action: (1) declaratory judgment that Travelers was obligated to pay all or part of the defense costs Admiral incurred defending the Gallup Action; (2) declaratory judgment that Travelers owed indemnification to Admiral for all or part of the liabilities that arose with respect to the Gallup Action; and (3) recovery for breach of contract on the theory that Admiral was an "implied third party beneficiary" of the contract between Owners
On June 17, 2011, Travelers answered Admiral's complaint. Both Admiral and Travelers have now moved for summary judgment.
The standard for granting summary judgment is well established. "The court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a); see also Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). "[T]he trial court's task at the summary judgment motion stage of the litigation is carefully limited to discerning whether there are genuine issues of material fact to be tried, not to deciding them. Its duty, in short, is confined at this point to issue-finding; it does not extend to issue-resolution." Gallo v. Prudential Residential Servs. Ltd. P'ship, 22 F.3d 1219, 1224 (2d Cir.1994). The moving party bears the initial burden of "informing the district court of the basis for its motion" and identifying the matter that "it believes demonstrate[s] the absence of a genuine issue of material fact." Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548. The substantive law governing the case will identify those facts which are material and "[o]nly disputes over facts that might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law will properly preclude the entry of summary judgment." Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986); see also Chepilko v. Cigna Group Ins., No. 08 Civ. 4033, 2012 WL 2421536, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. June 27, 2012).
In determining whether summary judgment is appropriate, a court must resolve all ambiguities and draw all reasonable inferences against the moving party. See Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986) (citing United States v. Diebold, Inc., 369 U.S. 654, 655, 82 S.Ct. 993, 8 L.Ed.2d 176 (1962)); see also Gallo, 22 F.3d at 1223. Summary judgment is improper if there is any evidence in the record from any source from which a reasonable inference could be drawn in favor of the non-moving party. See Chambers v. TRM Copy Ctrs. Corp., 43 F.3d 29, 37 (2d Cir.1994). If the moving party meets its burden, the burden shifts to the nonmoving party to bring forward "specific facts showing a genuine issue for trial." Ovesen v. Mitsubishi Heavy Indus. of Am., Inc., No. 04 Civ. 2849, 2012 WL 677953, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 1, 2012) (citation omitted). The non-moving party must produce evidence in the record and "may not rely simply on conclusory statements or on contentions that the affidavits supporting the motion are not credible." Ying Jing Gan v. City of New York, 996 F.2d 522, 532 (2d Cir.1993); see also Scotto v. Almenas, 143 F.3d 105, 114-15 (2d Cir.1998) (collecting cases); Ovesen, 2012 WL 677953, at *1. If there are cross motions for summary judgment, the Court must assess each of the motions and determine whether either party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Heublein, Inc. v. United States, 996 F.2d 1455, 1461 (2d Cir.1993) (citation omitted).
Under New York law, which both parties agree applies in this diversity case,
Admiral asserts that Travelers had a duty to defend Owners Corp. in the Gallup Action and therefore Admiral is entitled to recover some portion of its costs of defending Owners Corp. in the Gallup Action. Travelers argues that the Other Insurance clauses control, and because the Travelers Policy was only an excess coverage policy, Travelers had no duty to defend Owners Corp. Travelers also argues that, even if the Other Insurance clauses did not excuse Travelers failure to defend Owners Corp., the Travelers Policy Property Damage Exclusion applied to all of the claims in the Gallup Action. Because the Other Insurance clauses required Admiral to defend the Gallup Action without participation from Travelers, it is unnecessary to reach the arguments relating to the scope of the Travelers Property Damage Exclusion.
Travelers argues that the Admiral Policy and the Travelers Policy have "complementary" other insurance clauses that dictate the priority of defense costs. Admiral counters that the policies are neither concurrent nor complimentary because the Admiral Policy does not cover all the claims asserted in the underlying action. Furthermore, Admiral argues, even if the policies are concurrent, that requires the two insurers share the defense costs equally. The Fieldston decision, decided six days after Admiral filed the current complaint, is fatal to Admiral's claim. See Fieldston, 920 N.Y.S.2d 763, 945 N.E.2d at 1013 (N.Y.2011).
The facts in Fieldston are nearly identical to those in this lawsuit. In Fieldston, Hermitage Insurance Company issued a "per occurrence" commercial general liability ("CGL") policy to a property owners association that, like Admiral's policy, covered "bodily injury," "property damage," and "personal and advertising injury." See id., 920 N.Y.S.2d 763, 945 N.E.2d at 1013. The Hermitage policy contained an Other Insurance clause that was identical to the clause in the Admiral Policy: "[t]his insurance is primary except when b. below applies. If this insurance is primary, our obligations are not affected unless any of the other insurance is also primary." See id., 920 N.Y.S.2d 763, 945 N.E.2d at 1015.
The property owners association also purchased a "claims made" "Association Directors and Officers Liability" ("D & O") policy from Federal Insurance. See id. Federal's policy contained an Other Insurance clause that, like the clause in the Travelers Policy, provided that the policy would only cover the excess:
See id.
A federal and a state court action were brought against the property owners association for injurious falsehood, among other claims. See id. Federal refused to cover any of the litigation costs. See id., 920 N.Y.S.2d 763, 945 N.E.2d at 1016. Hermitage defended both actions under a full reservation of its rights. See id. Importantly, although Hermitage argued that its policy did not cover a majority of the causes of action asserted against the association, it admitted that at the very least, the claim of injurious falsehood was likely covered by both its policy and Federal's policy. See id.
Subsequently, the property owners association sued both insurers for declaratory judgment to establish their obligation to cover the defense costs in the federal action. See id. Hermitage sued Federal in a second declaratory judgment action to seek reimbursement for all or part of the defense costs of the state court action. In a consolidated appeal, the New York Court of Appeals reviewed well-established New York law that "[a]n insurer's duty to defend is liberally construed and is broader than the duty to indemnify...." Id., 920 N.Y.S.2d 763, 945 N.E.2d at 1017 (citation omitted). If "any of the claims against an insured arguably arise from the covered events, the insurer is required to defend the entire action." Id. (citation omitted). It is, the Court of Appeals explained, "immaterial" that the complaint against the insured asserts additional claims which fall outside the policy's general coverage. See id.
The New York Court of Appeals then held that Hermitage, the primary insurer, "has the primary duty to defend on behalf of its insured and it generally has no entitlement to contribution from an excess insurer." See id., 920 N.Y.S.2d 763, 945 N.E.2d at 1018 (citations omitted). The Court of Appeals concluded: "[b]ased on the broad duty to defend, and upon the conceded possibility that Hermitage's CGL policy covers at least one cause of action in each of the two underlying complaints, Hermitage has a duty to provide a defense to the entirety of both complaints." Id. Therefore the "loss" arising from the defense of these actions was a "loss" for which there was "other insurance," namely the primary Hermitage policy, within the terms of the exclusion for other insurance in the Federal policy. The Court found that "Hermitage had an obligation to defend both of the underlying actions without contribution from Federal, notwithstanding the fact that Federal would appear to have an obligation to indemnify Fieldston for a greater proportion of the causes of action, if successfully prosecuted." Id. (citations omitted).
Admiral has not demonstrated any way in which Fieldston is distinguishable from the current case. Admiral was the primary insurer of Owners Corp. and had a duty to defend the entire lawsuit. Travelers
To circumvent Fieldston, Admiral argues that of the eleven causes of action alleged in the Gallup Action, its policy was only responsible for, at most, three of the claims in the Gallup Action. Therefore, Admiral argues, because Travelers would have had to pay for the remainder of the causes of action had they been successful, it has a duty to reimburse Admiral for the defense costs of those claims. However, Fieldston speaks to and specifically rejects this argument. The Court of Appeals in Fieldston stated that "[b]ased on the broad duty to defend, and upon the conceded possibility that Hermitage's policy covers at least one cause of action in each of the two underlying complaints, Hermitage has a duty to provide a defense to the entirety of both complaints." See id. (emphasis added).
Admiral has conceded that, of the eleven alleged causes of action, its policy covered at least the fifth, ninth, and tenth causes of action. Based upon this admission, Admiral had a duty to defend the entire Gallup Action. Furthermore, Admiral is not entitled to any contribution from Travelers "notwithstanding the fact that [Travelers] would appear to have an obligation to indemnify [Owners Corp.] for a greater proportion of the causes of action, if successfully prosecuted." See id. Therefore, even if Travelers had been required to contribute if liability were found on any of the claims against Owners Corp. in the Gallup Action, that duty alone did not require it to share in the costs of defending against the claims during the litigation.
None of the cases Admiral cites involve an insurer that, after an occurrence and a claim and the onset of litigation which is covered by a policy, enters into a new and different policy with the insured. Rather, Admiral relies on a number of cases involving insurers who provided primary overlapping coverage at the time of the occurrence or over a long span of time in which the continuous harm occurred. See, e.g., New York v. Blank, 820 F.Supp. 697, 708 (N.D.N.Y.1993), aff'd in part, 27 F.3d 783, 797-99 (2d Cir.1994); Emons Indus., Inc. v. Liberty Mutual Fire Ins. Co., 481 F.Supp. 1022 (S.D.N.Y.1979); Con. Edison Co. of N.Y. v. Allstate Ins. Co., 98 N.Y.2d 208, 746 N.Y.S.2d 622, 774 N.E.2d 687 (2002). Here, in contrast, Admiral had a primary policy and Travelers had an excess policy during the policy periods during which the initial occurrence occurred, the initial claims were made, and the litigation was begun. Admiral became obligated to defend the Gallup Action before the 2007 policy ever went into effect.
Admiral also relies on Federal Insurance Co. v. Cablevision Sys. Dev. Co., 836 F.2d 54 (2d Cir.1987). Cablevision, dealt with three primary insurers who all had primary commercial general liability policies with the insured at the time of the occurrence. See id. at 55. Unlike the new excess clause upon which Admiral bases its 2007 Revised Policy argument, the insurance policies at issue in Cablevision had clauses that indicated that costs should be distributed equally among multiple insurers. Cablevision relies in part on a New York case in which two insurers had Other Insurance clauses that indicated costs should be defrayed equally as well. See id. (citing J.P. Realty Trust v. Public Service Mut. Ins. Co., 102 A.D.2d 68, 476 N.Y.S.2d 325 (1984) (per curiam)). These cases do not support the unilateral imposition of an excess insurance clause after an insurer has already become liable for defense costs.
Admiral's argument also fails because there is no relevant subsequent consecutive insurer in this case. While Admiral entered into a subsequent policy with Owners Corp. after the Gallup Action had commenced, Admiral conceded correctly, at the argument of the current motions, that it was obligated to defend Owners Corp. in the Gallup Action when that action was brought in 2006, before the 2007 Revised Admiral Policy was issued. The substitution by Admiral of the Revised Admiral Policy subsequent to the beginning of the Gallup Action did not alter the duty to defend that arose pursuant to the 2005 or 2006 Admiral policy. As Admiral
The Court has considered all of the arguments of the parties. To the extent not specifically addressed above, the remaining arguments are either moot or without merit. For the reasons explained above, Travelers' motion for summary judgment is