Mid-Continent Cas. Co. v. Greater Midwest Builders, LTD
Mid-Continent Cas. Co. v. Greater Midwest Builders, LTD
Opinion of the Court
This matter comes before the Court on defendants' motion to dismiss (Doc. # 11). The Court agrees with defendants that plaintiff has not stated a plausible claim for breach of contract. Accordingly, as more fully set forth below, the motion is granted , and this action is hereby dismissed.
*1156I. Background
This case arises from liability insurance policies issued by plaintiff Mid-Continent Casualty Company ("MCC") to defendant Greater Midwest Builders, LTD ("GMB"). MCC alleges that GMB has breached those contracts by failing to pay MCC deductible amounts relating to MCC's payment of proceeds under the policies to claimants injured by GMB.
GMB built a number of townhomes in Kansas. The homeowners association ("HOA") and various owners of the townhomes sued GMB in Kansas state court to recover for water damage to the property. MCC and another insurer defended GMB in that litigation under reservations of rights. MCC then filed a declaratory judgment action in this Court, seeking a declaration of no coverage, but that action was stayed pending resolution of the Kansas case. GMB terminated the defense provided by the insurers, and it settled the claims against it; under the terms of that settlement agreement, GMB would not contest the claimants' claims at trial, and the plaintiffs could collect a judgment only from GMB's insurers. The Kansas state court subsequently issued a judgment in the claimants' favor against GMB in an amount in excess of $7,000,000.
The Kansas claimants then filed a statutory garnishment action against MCC in Missouri state court. In light of that filing, this Court dismissed MCC's declaratory judgment action; the Court reasoned that any issue concerning the applicability of certain policy exclusions would necessarily be decided in the Missouri garnishment action. See Mid-Continent Cas. Co. v. Greater Midwest Builders, LTD ,
MCC alleges that it settled that liability to the HOA, paying an amount in excess of $5,000,000. In this suit, MCC claims that application of the policies' $1000-peroccurrence deductibles would have offset the amount it paid in settlement, and it now asserts a claim against GMB for breach of contract to recover such deductibles. MCC also asserts a claim based on alter ego liability against GMB's parent company, defendant Greater Missouri Builders, Inc. ("Greater Missouri").
II. Personal Jurisdiction
The Court first addresses defendants' argument that the Court may not exercise personal jurisdiction over them. In Marcus Food Co. v. DiPanfilo ,
Where a federal lawsuit is based on diversity of citizenship, the court's jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant is determined by the law of the forum state. The party seeking to establish personal jurisdiction over a foreign defendant must make two showings: first, that the exercise of jurisdiction is sanctioned by the state's long-arm statute;
*1157and second, that it comports with the due process requirements of the Fourteenth Amendment. Kansas's long-arm statute is construed liberally so as to allow jurisdiction to the full extent permitted by due process principles. Consequently, this court need not conduct a statutory analysis apart from the due process analysis.
The due process analysis is also two-fold: First, [the defendant] must have "minimum contacts" with the forum state, demonstrating that he purposefully availed himself of the protections or benefits of the state's laws and should reasonably anticipate being haled into court there....
If [the defendant] is found to have the requisite minimum contacts with Kansas, then we proceed to the second step in the due process analysis: ensuring that the exercise of jurisdiction over him does not offend traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice. [The defendant] bears the burden at this stage to present a compelling case that the presence of some other considerations would render jurisdiction unreasonable.
See
Defendants first argue that MCC cannot establish the requisite minimum contacts with Kansas to permit jurisdiction over defendant Greater Missouri. In their initial brief, however, defendants failed to address specifically the alter-ego basis for liability asserted by MCC. This Court has consistently ruled that if personal jurisdiction exists with respect to the primary defendant, alter ego allegations may support the exercise of jurisdiction over another defendant. See, e.g. , In re Syngenta AG MIR 162 Corn Litig. ,
It is not clear whether defendants argue that GMB also lacks the requisite minimum contacts with Kansas. In the introduction and in the relevant sub-heading for this section of their brief, defendants stated that minimum contacts are lacking for Greater Missouri specifically. Defendants did argue in one paragraph of that brief, however, that the claim against GMB does not arise out of that defendant's contacts with Kansas. Thus, the Court will address the issue of GMB's minimum contacts as well.
*1158Defendants argue that MCC's claim arises solely out of the insurance agreements and thus does not arise out of any activity in Kansas, although it does not cite any supporting authority. In response, MCC relies on Employers Mutual Casualty Co. v. Bartile Roofs, Inc. ,
In their reply brief, defendants did not address this issue of the sufficiency of GMB's contacts, and thus defendants have not explained why Bartile Roofs would not control here. As in that case, MCC's claim here arose ultimately from GMB's construction activity in Kansas. Thus, the Court rejects any argument that GMB's contacts with Kansas are insufficient.
Defendants also argue that the exercise of jurisdiction over them in this case would offend traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice (the second step in the due process analysis). Defendants have not met their burden, however, to present a compelling case that jurisdiction here would be unreasonable.
Defendants also argue that venue is lacking here. Venue is proper in "a judicial district in which any defendant resides, if all defendants are residents of the State in which the district is located," see
III. Res Judicata and Collateral Estoppel
Defendants argue that MCC's present claim is barred by res judicata because MCC's liability under the insurance policies was already determined in the Missouri garnishment action. The Court rejects this basis for dismissal, as defendants have not shown that the requirements for that defense are met here. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(c) (listing res judicata as an affirmative defense). Specifically, defendants have not established the requisite identities between this action and the Missouri *1159garnishment action with respect to the thing sued for, the cause of action, the parties to the action, and the quality of the person against whom the claim is made. See Gu v. Hu ,
Defendants also argue that MCC's claim is barred by collateral estoppel because the issue of the applicability of deductibles was already decided in the garnishment action against MCC. This is a much closer question, which the Court ultimately declines to answer.
In addressing this issue, the Court first disposes of MCC's argument that it could not have raised the deductibles as a defense in the garnishment action. The insurance policies limit MCC's liability to amounts in excess of the applicable deductibles, and thus that issue would have been relevant in any garnishment action. MCC's reliance on Western Heritage Insurance Co. v. Love ,
MCC also argues that collateral estoppel does not apply here because it did not actually litigate the applicability of the deductibles in the garnishment action. See Gu ,
The parties did not cite any legal authority on this issue of whether MCC's mere assertion of the defense in its answer constitutes "actual litigation" of the defense for purposes of collateral estoppel. The comments to the Restatement (which the Missouri Court of Appeals cited with approval in Gu ) provide that an issue is actually litigated when it is "properly raised, by the pleadings or otherwise, and is submitted for determination, and is determined;" and that an issue is not actually litigated if it could have been asserted as an affirmative defense but was not so asserted. See Restatement (Second) of Judgments § 27 cmts. d, e. A leading treatise seems to favor the rule that "preclusion applies to any issue framed by the pleadings and not withdrawn, even though it has not been raised at trial in any way." See 18 Chas. A. Wright, et al., Federal Practice and Procedure: Juris. 2d § 4419 (footnote omitted). Such a rule is supported by the rationale that, once a defense is raised (and not withdrawn), the opposing party has the right to rely on the expectation that the issue will be resolved in that action. See
In this case, there is no information from which the Court may determine as a matter of law whether MCC ever affirmatively withdrew its deductibles defense before the garnishment trial. If MCC did not withdraw the defense before trial, then under the rule espoused in the above-quoted treatise, the issue would be deemed to have been actually litigated. Defendants bear the burden of establishing this affirmative defense of collateral estoppel, however, and they have provided no information concerning the pretrial conduct of the litigation, including whether any discovery was taken concerning the defense asserted in the answer. See Restatement (Second) of Judgments § 27 cmt. f (extrinsic evidence may be relevant concerning whether an issue was actually litigated). Thus it appears that there may remain a question of fact concerning whether MCC actually litigated the defense of the deductibles in the garnishment action, which would mean that the issue of collateral estoppel could not be resolved at this stage. The Court need not decide whether such a question of fact remains, however, in light of its ruling *1161below that the case should be dismissed because MCC has failed to state a plausible claim for relief.
IV. Failure to State a Claim for Breach of Contract
Defendants also seek dismissal of MCC's complaint for failure to state a claim.
In its complaint, MCC asserts a cause of action only for breach of the insurance policies' deductible endorsements, which provided that MCC's obligation as insurer applied "only to the amount of damages in excess of any deductible amounts." In the complaint, MCC alleges that defendants' obligation to pay MCC the deductible amounts arises from the following settlement provision in those endorsements:
We [the insurer] may pay any part or all of the deductible amount to effect settlement of any claim or "suit" and, upon notification of the action taken, you [the insured] shall promptly reimburse us for such part of the deductible amount as has been paid by us.
The policies define "suit" as follows:
"Suit" means a civil proceeding in which damages because of "bodily injury", "property damage" or "personal and advertising *1162injury" to which this insurance applies are alleged. "Suit" includes:
a. An arbitration proceeding in which such damages are claimed and to which the insured must submit or does submit with our consent; or
b. Any other alternative dispute resolution proceeding in which such damages are claimed and to which the insured submits with our consent.
Defendants argue as a matter of law that this settlement provision does not apply to the present situation in which MCC settled the garnishment action against it by the HOA.
MCC responds by arguing that the settlement provision does not require that the settlement have benefitted the insured. The Court agrees with defendants, however, that the only reasonable interpretation is that the provision applies and the reimbursement obligation arises only in the context of a settlement by the insurer of a claim or suit against the insured. See Columbia Mut. Ins. Co. v. Schauf ,
The other terms of the policies support this limiting interpretation of the settlement provision. The policies are intended to provide insurance for liabilities incurred by the insured. The policies obligate the insurer to defend any covered "suit" against the insured, which naturally involves the insured's liability to a claimant. The settlement provision applies to settlement of a claim or "suit", and "suit" is defined as a proceeding involving certain types of damages (bodily injury, property damages, personal and advertising injury) covered by the policies that the insured has caused. Examples given in the definition include arbitrations and other dispute resolution proceedings to which the insured submits. The policies cover damages caused by the insured, and the deductible endorsements' settlement provisions must be interpreted in that context, applying when the insurer settles a claim for damages caused by the insured. MCC did not settle a claim against GMB; therefore, the settlement provisions do not apply here, and MCC has not stated a plausible claim for breach of that provision by GMB.
MCC also appears to argue that it relies on the settlement provision as an alternative basis for liability, and that defendants simply owe the deductible amounts because those amounts are not covered under the policies. MCC has not identified any other term of the policies that defendants allegedly breached, however. For instance, as defendants note, the policies do not state that the insured must reimburse the insurer if the insurer has paid on a garnishment claim without an offset for applicable deductibles. MCC has not alleged any other basis for liability other than a claim for breach of contract, and as ruled above, MCC has not stated a plausible claim for breach of any particular provision of the policies. Accordingly, the Court dismisses the action against GMB. Moreover, because any liability of Greater Missouri is derivative of GMB's liability (as alter ego), the claim against Greater Missouri also fails, and the Court dismisses this action in its entirety.
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED BY THE COURT THAT defendants' motion to dismiss (Doc. # 11) is hereby granted , and this action is hereby dismissed.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED BY THE COURT THAT plaintiff's motion for oral argument (Doc. # 23) is hereby denied .
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Because the parties' briefs are sufficient for resolution of the motion, the Court denies plaintiff's motion for oral argument (Doc. # 23).
GMB's other insurer was also a defendant in the garnishment action, but it settled its liability to the Kansas claimants during the Missouri appeal.
Defendants cited this case in arguing that MCC's allegations were insufficient for alter ego liability under Missouri law.
Defendants did not address this issue concerning the second step in their reply brief.
Defendants did not address the issue of venue in their reply brief.
The Court applies the law of the state from which the allegedly preclusive judgment came. See Raab Sales, Inc. v. Domino Amjet, Inc. ,
The Court rejects MCC's argument that the Court should not consider the answer and findings from the garnishment action, which defendants provided, in ruling on the motion to dismiss without conversion to a motion for summary judgment. The Court may take judicial notice of such public records without effecting such a conversion. See Grynberg v. Koch Gateway Pipeline Co. ,
In its brief, MCC suggests that it asserted the affirmative defense in answer to claims by GMB in that action (which claims were never resolved on the merits), and not necessarily in answer to the garnishment claim, for the reason that the defense did not apply to the garnishment claim. As noted above, however, the defense did apply to the garnishment claim, and MCC would have had every incentive to assert it in response to that claim. Moreover, the affirmative defense is listed in the answer under the heading "Affirmative Defenses Common to All Counts." Thus, MCC is deemed to have asserted the defense in its answer with respect to the garnishment claim.
The Court rejects defendants' related argument that it was relieved of any obligation under the policies (including any obligation to pay deductible amounts) when MCC failed to defend without a reservation of rights. The cases cited by defendants do not go beyond the loss of the right to enforce contractual provisions relating to cooperation and the right to control the defense of the insured, and the Missouri garnishment court cited those cases only in rejecting arguments asserting a lack of cooperation or attacking the reasonableness of the underlying judgment against the insured. There is no basis to relieve defendants of any obligations under the policies concerning the amount of coverage.
Defendants purport to make their merits-based argument in the context of a motion for judgment on the pleadings, although they argue that MCC has failed to state a plausible claim under the usual motion-to-dismiss standards. The rules allow for a motion for judgment on the pleadings after the pleadings have been closed. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(c). In this case, however, defendants have not yet filed an answer. Thus, defendants' argument is more appropriately considered in the context of a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6).
Defendants also seem to dispute whether there was an actual settlement between MCC and the HOA, in light of the fact that the HOA received a judgment against MCC, MCC exhausted its appeals of that judgment, and MCC eventually filed with the Missouri court a satisfaction of that judgment. MCC has alleged a settlement, however, and the parties have not presented evidence or provided details of the settlement. Thus, at this stage, the Court does not dispute the existence of a settlement between MCC and the HOA.
Each side cites Missouri cases concerning the interpretation of the insurance policies, and thus they appear to agree that Missouri law governs this issue.
MCC cites Zurich American Insurance Co. v. NewMech Companies, Inc. ,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- MID-CONTINENT CASUALTY COMPANY v. GREATER MIDWEST BUILDERS, LTD and Greater Missouri Builders, Inc.
- Cited By
- 9 cases
- Status
- Published