Alterra Am. Ins. Co. v. James W. Fowler Co.
Alterra Am. Ins. Co. v. James W. Fowler Co.
Opinion of the Court
This case arises out of an insurance contract between plaintiff Alterra America Insurance Company ("Alterra") and defendant James W. Fowler Company ("JWF"). Defendant suffered a loss of equipment and made a claim pursuant to the contract which was paid in part and denied in part by plaintiff. Plaintiff filed the present suit seeking declaratory relief that it has satisfied the terms of the insurance agreement. Defendant filed affirmative defenses and raised counterclaims against plaintiff for breach of insurance contract, promissory estoppel, reformation, bad faith claims handling, declaratory judgment, and violations of Washington's Consumer Protection Act ("CPA") and Washington's Insurance Fair Conduct Act ("IFCA"). Plaintiff now moves for partial summary judgment (doc. 53) on its claim for declaratory judgment that it fulfilled its obligations under the coverage in effect at the time of the loss. Plaintiff also seeks summary judgment in its favor regarding defendant's counterclaims for breach of contract, promissory estoppel, reformation, and declaratory judgment. Plaintiff also moves for partial summary judgment (doc. 37) in its favor on three of defendant's counterclaims for bad faith claims handling as well as the alleged violations of Washington's CPA and IFCA. Defendant has also filed a cross-motion for summary judgment (doc.55) regarding the choice-of-law on these counterclaims. For the reasons that follow, Defendant's motion (doc.55) is DENIED and plaintiff's motions (docs. 37 and 53) are GRANTED.
BACKGROUND
Defendant JWF is a diversified general contractor that provides heavy civil and tunneling construction solutions to municipalities, agencies, and private owners across North America.
Plaintiff is incorporated in Delaware and has its principal place of business in Virginia. Plaintiff sole agent in Washington was Parker Smith & Feek ("PS & F"), an insurance producer and defendant's insurance broker. PS & F is incorporated and has its principal place of business in Washington. At all relevant times in this case PS & F's office was in Washington.
To insure its equipment from damage or loss, JWF purchased contractor's *608equipment insurance coverage from plaintiff through PS & F and paid its premiums to PS & F. Thus, plaintiff has provided contractor's equipment coverage to JWF since 2011. Kathy Bare was the primary contact at PS & F for both JWF and Alterra. JWF renewed its contractor's equipment coverage with Alterra each year from 2012 through 2015 through PS & F.
In August 2013, defendant entered into a contract with the North Dakota State Water Commission to construct approximately 2,800 lineal feet of pipeline under Lake Sakakawea near Beulah, North Dakota. The project called for lake water to be pumped from the bottom of the Lake Sakakawea, piped to the shore, and screened by a water treatment plant operated by the North Dakota State Water Commission. The treated water would then be used to supply potable water for both domestic and livestock use in Southwest North Dakota.
In August 2015, PS & F sent a letter to JWF starting the renewal process for the 2015-2016 policy period effective November 1, 2015 to November 1, 2016. In October 2015, JWF prepared to renew its insurance. It updated and revised its original Equipment Schedule, listing the machinery, equipment, and tools that it wanted to insure under the next policy. JWF provided that Revised Equipment Schedule to PS & F, which in turn provided it to Alterra on October 16, 2015.
On or about October 28, 2015, Alterra issued a renewal binder to JWF for commercial output insurance coverage effective during the November 1, 2015 to November 1, 2016 coverage period. The renewal binder contained the Revised Equipment Schedule submitted by JWF on October 16, 2015, identifying the individual items of contractors' equipment covered and their respective limits. According to the Renewal Binder, the Contractors Equipment coverage was subject to limits of $9,306,134.
While working on the North Dakota Project, JWF employed a Micro-Tunnel Boring Machine ("MTBM") and other related equipment to tunnel horizontally under the lake in order to install an underground intake pipeline. Early on November 1, 2015, the first day of the policy, while defendant was working on project, the tunnel caved in and caused a total loss of some of JWF's equipment. JWF made a claim under the policy seeking to recover for the lost equipment.
Twelve days later, on November 13, 2015, JWF submitted to Alterra, through PS & F, a Revised Equipment Schedule with deletions and additions of various equipment, revisions of the stated equipment values, and other modifications. Some of the added equipment to be covered by the policy included the equipment lost in the North Dakota cave-in. One such item that was listed on the November 13, 2015 Equipment Schedule-that was previously unlisted-was an "Umbilical system" with a reported value of $2,926,300. The umbilical system was comprised of a collection of equipment put together to create one line-time for the November 13, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule. Some of the equipment in the system had been included in the October 16, 2016 Revised Equipment Schedule.
From January to March, 2016, Alterra issued payments to JWF for items listed on the October 16, 2015 Amended Equipment Schedule, including a payments for five components of the umbilical system which were listed in that Amended Equipment Schedule, for a total amount of $2,255,134. However, the remaining amount associated with the umbilical system as listed in the November 13, 2016 Revised Equipment Schedule was not reimbursed to JWF, on the basis that it was *609not included in the October 16, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule. Id.
Plaintiff then filed the present action on March 24, 2016 before this Court seeking a declaratory judgment that it had no duty to indemnify JWF for the loss of any equipment not included in the October 16, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule. The parties have filed several motions for the Court's consideration. The parties have filed Cross-Motions for Summary Judgment (doc. 37 and 55) on whether Oregon or Washington law applies to defendants' counterclaims. Plaintiff has also filed a Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (doc. 53) on its declaratory relief claims, as well as defendants' counterclaims. I address each motion in turn.
LEGAL STANDARD
Summary judgment is appropriate if "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). A fact is material if it "is relevant to an element of a claim or defense and [its] existence might affect the outcome of the suit." T. W. Elec. Serv., Inc. v. Pac. Elec. Contractors Ass'n ,
When cross-motions for summary judgment are presented, the court must "review the evidence properly submitted in support of [each] motion to determine whether it present[s] a disputed issue of material fact[.]" Fair Hous. Council of Riverside Cty., Inc. v. Riverside Two ,
The interpretation of an insurance policy is a matter of law. Emp 'rs Ins. of Wausau v. Tektronix, Inc. ,
The insured bears the initial burden of proving that a loss is covered under an insurance policy, while the insurer bears the burden of proving that a loss is excluded from coverage. Wausau ,
DISCUSSION
I. Choice of Law Dispute
The parties contest whether Oregon or Washington law governs defendants' counterclaims. I find that Oregon law, not Washington law, applies to defendants' counter claims in this case. Thus, defendants' counter claims for bad faith claims handling as well as violations of Washington's CPA and IFCA are not actionable under Oregon law, and those claims must be dismissed.
Because JWF and Alterra are citizens of different states and the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000, the United States District Court for the District of Oregon has diversity jurisdiction over this case pursuant to 28 U.S.C § 1332. Additionally, under 28 U.S.C § 1391, venue is proper because defendant JWF is a citizen of the Oregon and has its principal place of business in this District.
A federal court sitting in diversity uses the choice of law rules of the forum state in which it sits. Klaxon Co. v. Stentor Elec. Mfg. Co. ,
[i]f the injured person and the person whose conduct caused the injury were domiciled in the same state, the law of that state governs.... persons domiciled in different states shall be treated as if domiciled in the same state to the extent that laws of those states on the disputed issues would produce the same outcome."
Or. Rev. Stat. 15.440(2)(a-b).
The statute further notes that if the injurious conduct occurred in one state and the resulting injury in another state, then the law of the state of conduct governs.
Additionally, Oregon courts rely on the principles set forth in the general and residual approach of *611
(1) Identifying the states that have a relevant contact with the dispute, such as the place of the injurious conduct, the place of the resulting injury, the domicile, habitual residence or pertinent place of business of each person, or the place in which the relationship between the parties was centered;
(2) Identifying the policies embodied in the laws of these states on the disputed issues; and
(3) Evaluating the relative strength and pertinence of these policies with due regard to:
(a) The policies of encouraging responsible conduct, deterring injurious conduct and providing adequate remedies for the conduct; and
(b) The needs and policies of the interstate and international systems, including the policy of minimizing adverse effects on strongly held policies of other states.
Here, applying Washington law to the present case is not substantially more appropriate than applying Oregon law. The claim was brought by a non-Washington residents against another non-Washington resident. JWF is domiciled in Oregon, and Alterra is domiciled in Virginia. The claim concerns conduct that took place outside of Washington, and it concerns an alleged injury outside of Washington. As a matter of law, there is nothing injurious to Washington's public interest that would persuade the court to apply Washington law. Additionally, the private interests factors involved do not make litigating the matter in Washington substantially more appropriate than litigating the matter in Oregon.
The states with relevant contacts to this dispute are Oregon and Virginia. Oregon is where JWF is domiciled, where JWF's place of business is located, where it will suffer any resulting injury if it does not receive insurance benefits, and where JWF often communicated about the claim directly with Alterra. Virginia, Alterra's principal place of business, is where the claim decisions were made. Washington's contacts related to JWF's claim are minimal, weakening the contention that Washington law is substantially more appropriate to resolve the disputed issues than Oregon law. Regarding public policy interests, "Oregon has a substantial interest in adjudicating disputes involving Oregon residents." Exp. Global Metals, Inc. v. Memking Recycling Group , LLC,
In this case, I hold that the Court must apply the law of the forum state in which it sits, Oregon. Moreover, Oregon law, not Washington law, applies to defendants' counter claims for bad faith claims handling and violations of the Washington's CPA and the IFCA. As Oregon law does not recognize the three claims in question, they are dismissed.
II. Plaintiff's Claim for Declaratory Relief
Next, I turn to defendant Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on its claim for declaratory relief. I hold that there was no coverage for the equipment, including parts of the "Umbilical" system, lost as a result of the November 1, 2015, North Dakota Project tunnel collapse which was not included in the October 16, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule.
The interpretation of an insurance policy's terms is a question of law that must be decided by the court. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co. v. McCormick & Baxter Creosoting Co. ,
Oregon courts follow a series of analytical steps to interpret disputed policy provisions. Id. at 474-75,
Oregon's rules of interpretation apply to binders.
*613Baylor v. Continental Cas. Co. ,
Lastly, "[w]hen a written instrument refers in specific terms to another writing as containing part of the agreement, the other writing is itself part of the contract between the parties." Snow Mountain Pine v. Tecton Laminates Corp. ,
Here, the loss of defendants' umbilical system is not covered by the terms of the Renewal Binder. The Renewal Binder at issue is unambiguous. Under its plain terms, Contractors Equipment coverage is subject to a limit of $9,306,134, per the schedule dated October 16, 2015. This language has one reasonable meaning-the Contractors Equipment coverage is limited to the equipment on the October 16, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule. The Renewal Binder specifically references to the October 16, 2015 Revised Schedule. That schedule is, therefore, part of the Renewal Binder and limits the amount of coverage available to JWF for each item of equipment. Alternate interpretations of the Renewal Binder are not plausible. There is only one equipment schedule dated October 16, 2015, and the Scheduled Equipment limit in the Renewal Binder of $9,306,134 matches the values on the October 16, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule. The Contractors Equipment coverage set forth in the Renewal Binder is subject to the October 16, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule. Thus, the Renewal Binder should be enforced as written.
Defendant argues that the record shows that the parties manifested their intent to insure all equipment being used on the North Dakota Project starting on November, 1 2015. Moreover, JWF points to emails contemporaneous to the issuance of the renewal binder which it argues shows that the parties agreed to revise the Equipment Schedule in future.
Indeed, on October 23, 2015, prior to the issuance of the Renewal binder, Kathy Bare of PS & F had a meeting with JWF to discuss contractor's equipment coverage. At that meeting, JWF raised the concerns that the equipment schedule may be incomplete and may have low values. At the meeting, PS & F and JWF also discussed whether the scheduled equipment values would be the limit of insurance for a single piece of equipment or whether the overall scheduled equipment value would control.
In an October 28, 2015 email to Bare, Philip Nelson, Vice President for Underwriting for Alterra, wrote, "[w]e will issue a new policy this year and your new number is on the binder. Also, we'll adjust accordingly after they have had had an opportunity to review their equipment schedule and values." Butler Decl., Ex. I. Nelson also noted in deposition that there would be some expected changes in values once JWF submitted a new equipment schedule.
Defendant argues that these statements and other are part of the insurance agreement itself. However, plaintiff persuasively argues that this was at best an agreement to negotiate a new contract in future, rather than an unqualified agreement to cover all equipment communicated at a future date from the date of the binder's inception. There was no agreement as to what else was to be covered or the premiums to be paid, or any allusions in the binder itself to an agreement to receive a new *614schedule. I am bound to give effect to the terms of the renewal binder and "not to insert what has been omitted, or to omit what has been inserted" in construing the agreement.
Plaintiff also moves for summary judgment on plaintiff counterclaims for breach of contract, promissory estoppel, reformation, and declaratory judgment. My consideration of these claims turns heavily on my ruling granting summary judgment on plaintiff's declaratory judgment claim. I briefly address each issue in turn.
Plaintiff is entitled summary on defendant's counterclaim for breach of contract. I have held that express terms of the Renewal Binder governed coverage for the loss. It is not disputed that plaintiff made payments pursuant to October 16, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule referenced in the Renewal Binder. Moreover plaintiff repaid any unearned premiums, and it did not violate any terms of the renewal binder dealing with claims handling.
Likewise defendant's counter claims for promissory estoppel should also be dismissed. Promissory estoppel is not a separate cause of action, even though a party may plead it separately. Glob. Exec. Mgmt. Sols., Inc. v. Int'l Bus. Machines Corp. ,
Plaintiff is also entitled to summary judgment on defendant's counterclaims for reformation. There is no evidence outside of the October 16, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule that the parties agreed on what additional equipment, if any, would be insured under the policy or the amount of insurance on such equipment or the premiums to be paid. Moreover there is no evidence that Alterra ever agreed that the any later Revised Schedules would be effective as of the inception date of the agreement. Apart from the Renewal Binder, itself, there is evidence of a prior agreement to which the policy could be reformed. Thus, plaintiff is entitled to summary judgment on this counterclaim as well.
Finally, defendant's counterclaim for declaratory relief asks for inter alia a declaration that the November 12, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule governs the November 1, 2015 loss and that Alterra is in *615breach of the insurance policy and it's good faith obligations. I have already held that the Renewal Binder is unambiguous and limits the Contractors Equipment coverage to the October 16, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule. Thus, summary judgment on this counter claim is granted in favor of plaintiff.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons set for the herein, plaintiff's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (doc. 37) is GRANTED and defendant's Cross Motion for Summary Judgment (doc. 53) is DENIED. Plaintiff's Motion for Partial Summary (doc. 53) regarding its declaratory relief claim is GRANTED. Plaintiff's motion for Protective Order (doc. 44) is DENIED. The Motion for Extension of discovery and PTO deadlines is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part to the extent that parties still require any additional time to complete any remaining discovery or engage in additional motion practice.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Defendant, Northwest Rental Equipment, was a named insured under the insurance coverage at issue and is owned by the ownership group as defendant JWF.
(1) Binders or other contracts for temporary insurance may be made orally or in writing, and shall be deemed to include all the usual terms of the policy as to which the binder was given together with such applicable endorsements as are designated in the binder, except as superseded by the clear and express terms of the binder.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section and ORS746.195, within 90 days after issue of a binder a policy shall be issued in lieu thereof, including within its terms the identical insurance bound under the binder and the premium therefor.
Plaintiff also argues that defendant interpretation of the contract would negate the nature of fortuitous risk under Oregon law, as it would require plaintiff to insure equipment that the insured already knew was destroyed. I need not address the argument as I have already held that the terms of the renewal binder created coverage only for equipment listed in the October 16, 2015 Revised Equipment Schedule.
A pretrial order has already been filed. (doc. 71)
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ALTERRA AMERICA INSURANCE COMPANY, a Delaware corporation v. JAMES W. FOWLER CO. an Oregon corporation and Northwest Rental Equipment, Inc., an Oregon corporation
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published