Aix Specialty Ins. Co. v. Ashland 2 Partners, LLC
Aix Specialty Ins. Co. v. Ashland 2 Partners, LLC
Opinion of the Court
This matter comes before the Court upon the Plaintiff's Amended Motion for Summary Judgment (the "Motion") (Doc. 44), Defendants' response in opposition (Doc. 47), and the Stipulation of Agreed Facts Pursuant to Local Rule 4.15 and Case Management and Scheduling Order (the "Stipulation") (Doc. 46). In the Motion, Plaintiff states it has no duty to defend or indemnify its insured, Ashland 2 Partners, LLC, in Demetra Asberry's underlying tort action because the assault and battery exclusion applies under these facts. The Court, having considered the Motion, Stipulation, complaint in the underlying action, policy at issue, and being fully advised in the premises will grant Plaintiff's Amended Motion for Summary Judgment.
I. BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF FACTS
Plaintiff, AIX Specialty Insurance Company ("AIX"), insured Defendant Ashland 2 Partners, LLC, ("Ashland") under a surplus commercial general liability policy numbered L1J-A582378-02 with effective dates March 13, 2017, through March 13, 2018, (the "Policy"). Doc. 46-1. Ashland operated a business called "The Hall" at 1330 U.S. Highway 301 N, Palmetto, Florida. Doc. 46 at ¶ 3. The Policy provided coverage for occurrences at the address that corresponds to The Hall's location. See Doc. 46-1 at 6. AIX is providing Ashland a defense in Asberry's underlying tort action subject to a reservation of rights. Doc. 46 at ¶ 7.
Plaintiff seeks a declaration that it has no duty to defend or indemnify Ashland against Asberry's lawsuit regarding an incident that occurred at The Hall Doc. 1. It requests a determination of no coverage under the Policy based on the "Assault and Battery and Other Physical Altercation" exclusion.
In the underlying litigation, Case No. 2017-CA-3469 pending before the 12th Judicial Circuit in and for Manatee County, Florida, Asberry alleges the following. On June 10, 2017, she was an invitee of a nightclub called "The Hall." Doc. 44-2 at ¶ 7. Ashland's employee/agent/servant, "John Doe," negligently handled her by grabbing her and knocking her to the floor. Id. Asberry sustained personal injuries. Id. at ¶ 8. Ashland is vicariously liable for John Doe's negligence and directly liable for its negligent supervision of its employee. Id. at ¶¶ 10, 14.
In her deposition, Asberry stated that while she was on the stage waiting for a music performer to arrive, "TJ, the bouncer"
*1337walked around and asked everyone to step back. The crowd stepped back, but he returned and asked them to step back more. She showed him her VIP badge to indicate that she could be on the stage. He told her "Fuck your badge," and "out of nowhere" grabbed her by wrapping both arms around her in a "bear hug." They fell off the stage and he landed on top of her. Doc. 44-3 at 36:4-18, 43:5-44:2. The grab and fall resulted in scratches on her side in the rib area. Id. at 49:1-25.
Asberry contests the application of the "Assault, Battery, or Other Altercation" exclusion. She argues that the evidence does not establish that the person who grabbed her intended to cause a fall from the stage; only that he negligently mishandled her. Thus, she argues, the Court cannot find as a matter of law that the exclusion applies under these facts.
II. LEGAL STANDARD
Summary judgment is appropriate when the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, show there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c) ; Celotex Corp. v. Catrett ,
When the moving party has discharged its burden, the nonmoving party must then designate specific facts showing there is a genuine issue of material fact.
III. DISCUSSION
In this diversity case, the substantive law of the forum state, Florida, applies. Sphinx Int'l, Inc. v. Nat'l Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa. ,
a. Duty to Defend
The duty to defend is generally determined from the allegations of the underlying suit. Stephens v. Mid-Continent Cas. Co. ,
There is no duty to defend if there is no doubt that the allegations of the underlying suit do not fall within the policy's coverage. Lawyers Title Ins. Corp. v. JDC (Am.) Corp. ,
The duty to defend is broader than the duty to indemnify because the duty to indemnify is determined by the actual underlying facts as opposed to the allegations. Jones v. Fla. Ins. Guar. Ass'n, Inc. ,
b. The "Assault, Battery or Other Altercation" Exclusion
The Court looks to the "eight corners" of the underlying suit and policy to assess whether they trigger Plaintiff's duty to defend. "[T]he trial court is restricted to the allegations of the [underlying] complaint, regardless of what the defendant and others say actually happened." Marr Inv., Inc. v. Greco ,
Here, the Policy's exclusion provides:
This insurance does not apply to:
...
Assault, Battery or Other Physical Alteration
"Bodily injury" or "property damage" or "personal and advertising injury" arising out of any:
(1) Assault or battery committed or attempted by any person; or
(2) Attempt by any person to avoid, prevent, suppress or halt any actual or threatened "assault" or "battery"; or
(3) Actual or threatened verbal or physical confrontation or altercation committed or attempted by any person, or any attempt by any person to avoid, prevent, suppress or halt any actual or threatened verbal or physical confrontation or altercation.
This exclusion applies to all acts or omissions and all theories of liability (direct or vicarious) asserted against any insured, including but not limited to all theories of negligence , gross negligence, recklessness or intentional tort and shall not be subject to any severability or separation of insureds provision in the policy.
Doc. 44-1 at 21 (emphasis added).
The Policy does not define the terms assault or battery, which is typical. See Evanston Ins. Co. v. S & Q Prop. Inv., LLC ,
Under Florida law, assault is "an intentional, unlawful threat by word or act to do violence to the person of another coupled with an apparent ability to do so, and doing some act which creates a well *1339founded fear of such violence being done."
The criminal definition of battery in Florida is when someone either "1. [a]ctually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other; or 2. [i]ntentionally causes bodily harm to another person." Fla. Stat.§ 784.03(1)(a). Under Florida civil law, battery "consists of the infliction of a harmful or offensive contact upon another with the intent to cause such contact or the apprehension that such contact is imminent." Evanston ,
The Policy's language is broad. It does not cover bodily injury "arising out of" any assault or battery. Doc. 44-1 at 21. Florida law generally considers the term "arising out of" unambiguous. See Taurus Holdings, Inc. v. U.S. Fid. & Guar. Co. ,
Florida courts generally find no coverage under an assault and battery exclusion where the alleged negligence arose from the assault and battery. See, e.g., Founders ,
As recently recognized, "[c]ases involving the interpretation of assault or battery exclusions are abundant and not necessarily easily reconciled." AIX Specialty Ins. Co. v. Sombreros, LLC , 8:17-CV-843-T-26TBM,
In Founders , a person died from being hit with a chair while at a nightclub. His estate sued the nightclub which had a commercial liability policy. The insurer argued that it had no duty to defend or indemnify the nightclub under the assault and battery exclusion, among other reasons. The decedent's estate argued that he died from "an act of negligence," not an assault or battery.
The court ultimately found the estate's argument unconvincing and reasoned that "[w]here the facts alleged establish intentional *1340conduct, but the claim asserts negligence, the negligence label should be disregarded."
In Burlington , a security guard became involved in an altercation with two individuals on the premises at an apartment complex; the guard ultimately stabbed and punched them. The two individuals sued the landlord and alleged numerous theories sounding in negligence, including negligent hiring and negligent supervision. The landlord's insurer argued that it had no duty to defend under the "assault, battery, or other physical altercation" exclusion because the negligence claims arose from what was clearly an assault and battery.
In Wilshire Ins. Co. v. Poinciana Grocer, Inc. , the complainant alleged he was legally on the insured's property when he was "attacked and brutally stabbed" by an assailant leaving the convenience store after purchasing a large amount of alcoholic beverages.
In Geovera Specialty Ins. Co. , the assailant shot the deceased in her neck. The deceased's estate sued the insured, with whom the assailant lived.
AIX also notes that although the court in Sombreros found that the assault and battery exclusion did not apply, the facts differ.
c. The Policy Exclusion Applies and Bars Coverage
Here, AIX argues this case is similar to Founders, Burlington , Wilshire , and Geovera because the bouncer's act of grabbing Asberry without warning creates an inference of intent to make an offensive contact. This inference, it argues, is enough to constitute a battery and trigger the exclusion because Florida law requires no intent to harm, only an intent to make the unwanted contact. The Court agrees.
Asberry appears to concede that the grabbing was intentional. See Doc. 47 at 2 ("the 'bear hug' initiated by the employee of Ashland 2 Partners, LLC., may have been on purpose[.]"). But she argues that the Court would have to make a factual inference, which is within the jury's province, that the bouncer intended to fall off of the stage with her. She argues that although the underlying complaint alleges that the bouncer negligently handled her and they fell, there is no evidence he intended to fall off the stage and cause her harm.
Here, AIX has met its burden to demonstrate that it is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law on AIX's duty to defend the underlying suit. Drawing all reasonable inferences in Asberry's favor, the Court finds, as a matter of law, that the bouncer intended to make offensive contact with Asberry, thus constituting a battery under Florida law. See Harris v. Miami-Dade County Dept. of Corrections and Rehabs. ,
The battery exclusion applies to this claim and AIX has no duty to defend Ashland in Asberry's underlying suit. Having no duty to defend, it also has no duty to indemnify.
Thus, AIX is entitled to judgment in its favor.
Accordingly, it is ORDERED AND ADJUDGED :
1. Plaintiff's Amended Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 44) is GRANTED .
2. AIX has no duty to defend Ashland in Asberry's underlying suit. Likewise, *1342AIX has no duty to indemnify Ashland in Asberry's underlying suit.
3. A declaratory judgment will be entered by separate Order.
DONE AND ORDERED in Tampa, Florida on April 19, 2019.
The Court has determined the facts based on the parties' submissions, including the Stipulation, complaint in the underlying action, and policy at issue.
In Barnes , the policy did not define assault and battery. The underlying complaint alleged that the deceased patron of a nightclub was hit by a "stray" bullet in the parking lot and died. The court reasoned that "the shooter may have discharged the gun intending not to make anyone apprehensive and intending not to hit anyone." Barnes ,
In Sudderth , the policy's endorsement defined battery as "a harmful or offensive contact between or among two or more persons."
The Court need not address Asberry's claims regarding the evidence in the record, in particular her testimony at deposition or any alleged factual dispute. The duty to defend relies only on the "eight corners" of the underlying complaint and the policy at issue.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- AIX SPECIALTY INSURANCE COMPANY v. ASHLAND 2 PARTNERS, LLC and Demetra Asberry
- Cited By
- 7 cases
- Status
- Published