Bogatin v. Federal Insurance Company, CIVIL ACTION NO. 99-4441 (E.D. Pa. 6/__/2000)
| Decision Date | 01 June 2000 |
| Docket Number | CIVIL ACTION NO. 99-4441. |
| Parties | JACOB BOGATIN, Plaintiff v. FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, Defendant. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Pennsylvania |
This action pending before the Court is brought by an insured against his insurer for coverage under an Executive Protection insurance policy. Plaintiff alleges that he faces an array of litigation involving evidence and witnesses from countries in both North America and Eastern Europe, and entailing legal, factual and even cultural issues of immense complexity. Plaintiff contends that defendant has breached the Executive Protection insurance policy by refusing to afford him coverage. He asserts that defendant should advance him defense costs that were promised to him through the policy. Specifically, plaintiff seeks the advancement of defense costs with a reservation of rights by defendant to deny or rescind coverage based on the outcome of the underlying litigation.
Defendant claims that it is entitled to rescind its insurance policy as to plaintiff on the grounds that he knowingly misrepresented, and failed to disclose in the policy applications, information material to the insurer's underwriting risk. Further, defendant asserts that plaintiff breached his express contractual duty to cooperate in the insurer's coverage investigation by refusing to submit to an interview by defendant and by refusing in his deposition to answer virtually every question the insurer posed to him concerning his knowledge of material information.
In accordance with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 52, after a three day bench trial and upon consideration of the testimony of the witnesses, admitted exhibits, and arguments of counsel, as well as the parties' post-trial submissions, the Court makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law.
1. Plaintiff Jacob Bogatin is the former President and Chief Executive Officer, and a former member of the Board of Directors, of YBM Magnex International, Inc. ("YBM"). YBM is a Canadian corporation with headquarters in Newtown, Pennsylvania. According to its published statements and reports, YBM and its subsidiaries were engaged in, among other things, the manufacture and distribution of industrial magnets.
2. Defendant Federal Insurance Company ("Federal") is a stock insurance company, organized and incorporated under the laws of the State of Indiana, with its principal place of business and administrative office in Warren, New Jersey. Federal is a subsidiary of Chubb & Son, Inc.
3. On or about May 1, 1996, YBM submitted an Executive Protection Policy Application ("1996 Application") to Chubb Custom Insurance Company ("Chubb"). The 1996 Application sought coverage for executive liability and indemnification with a $5,000,000 policy limit for the period of May 1, 1996 to May 1, 1997.
4. As President of YBM, plaintiff Jacob Bogatin signed and dated the 1996 Application on May 1, 1996 on behalf of the company.
5. Immediately above plaintiff's signature, the 1996 Application included the following provisions:
9. FALSE INFORMATION
Any person, who, knowingly and with intent to defraud an insurance company or other person, files an application for insurance containing any false information, or conceals for the purpose of misleading, information concerning any fact material thereto, commits a fraudulent insurance act, which is a crime.
10. DECLARATION AND SIGNATURE
The undersigned declares that to the best of his or her knowledge and belief the statements set forth herein are true. . . . [T]he undersigned agrees that this application and its attachments shall be the basis of the contract should a policy be issued and shall be deemed attached to and shall form part of the policy.
6. Paragraph 5 of the 1996 Application was entitled "PAST ACTIVITIES" and required YBM to state whether "the Parent Organization, a subsidiary, any director, officer or other proposed Insured Person [had] been involved" in any: "[c]ivil or criminal action or administrative proceeding charging violation of a federal or state security law or regulation" or "[a]ny other criminal actions." Details were to be attached if there had been any such involvement. The boxes labeled "No" were checked next to the questions posed in Paragraph 5 of the 1996 Application.
7. The 1996 Application also contained in Paragraph 8 a section entitled "PRIOR KNOWLEDGE/WARRANTY" that stated, in part:
No person proposed for coverage is aware of any facts or circumstances which he or she has reason to suppose might give rise to a future claim that would fall within the scope of the proposed coverage, except: (If no exceptions, please state.)
It is agreed that if such facts or circumstances exist, whether or not disclosed, any claim arising from them is excluded from this proposed coverage.
The words "No exceptions" were typed in the blank.
8. On or about May 7, 1996, Chubb issued an Executive Protection Policy to YBM with a $5,000,000 policy limit effective May 1, 1996 through May 1, 1997 ("1996 Policy").
9. On or about April 30, 1997, YBM submitted an Executive Protection Policy Application to Chubb for the period May 1, 1997 to May 1, 1998 ("1997 Application"). The 1997 Application requested a $20,000,000 policy limit for executive liability and indemnification. The application also indicated that at that time YBM had a $5,000,000 insurance policy from Chubb for the period May 1, 1996 to May 1, 1997 and another $5,000,000 policy from a separate insurance company for the period October 1, 1996 to May 1, 1997.
10. Like the 1996 Application, the 1997 Application had paragraphs entitled "Prior Knowledge/Warranty", "False Information", and "Declaration and Signature". Plaintiff signed and dated the 1997 Application on April 30, 1997.
11. On or about June 10, 1997, Chubb issued an Executive Protection Policy to YBM with a $5,000,000 policy limit effective May 1, 1997 through May 1, 1998 ("1997 Policy").
12. On or about April 14, 1998, YBM submitted to defendant Federal a Renewal Application for an Executive Liability and Indemnification Policy ("1998 Renewal Application"), requesting that Federal renew the Chubb policy for the period May 1, 1998 to May 1, 1999. YBM requested an increased policy limit of $20,000,000.
13. The 1998 Renewal Application included paragraphs on "Declaration and Signature" and "False Information" as follows:
Declaration and Signature
The undersigned declares that to the best of his or her knowledge and belief the statements set forth herein are true. The undersigned agrees that this renewal application is supplemental to the original application submitted to the Company and together with that application and all attachments submitted shall be the basis of the renewal contract.
Any person, who, knowingly and with intent to defraud any insurance company or other person, files an application for insurance containing any false information, or conceals for the purpose of misleading, information concerning any fact material thereto, commits a fraudulent act, which is a crime.
Plaintiff read the "False Information" section of the 1998 Renewal Application.
14. Plaintiff signed and dated the 1998 Renewal Application on April 13, 1998.
15. Federal's renewal applications do not ask for as much information as Federal's new business applications. For instance, the renewal applications do not request the applicant to list all facts and circumstances which the applicant has reason to suppose might give rise to a claim in the future. However, when asked whether he would expect YBM to provide such information, Brad Sensibar, the underwriter responsible for acting on YBM's 1998 Renewal Application, testified that he would "expect YBM to provide any information that paints a better picture of their company as a whole, whether that is something that leads to a claim or not."
16. The 1998 Renewal Application also required YBM to attach its "[l]atest audited Annual Report (including balance sheet and income statement)." YBM submitted with the 1998 Renewal Application a copy of a document entitled "YBM Magnex international incorporated annual report 1997" ("1997 Annual Report").
17. The 1998 Policy contains a provision entitled "Representations and Severability" that states:
In granting coverage to any one of the Insureds, the Company has relied upon the declarations and statements in the written application for this coverage section and upon any declarations and statements in the original written application submitted to another insurer in respect of the prior coverage incepting as of the Continuity Date set forth in Item 9 of the Declarations for this coverage section. All such declarations and statements are the basis of such coverage and shall be considered as incorporated in and constituting part of this coverage section. (emphasis in original).
18. On or about July 7, 1998, based on its underwriter's analysis and recommendation, Federal issued an Executive Protection Policy to YBM and doubled YBM's policy limit to $10,000,000 effective May 1, 1996 through May 1, 1997 ("1998 Policy").
19. The 1998 Policy is a "claims made" policy, and is triggered upon the filing of a claim against an insured. However, if during the policy period an insured becomes aware of circumstances which could give rise to a claim and gives notice of such circumstances to Federal, then any claims subsequently arising from such circumstances shall be considered to have been made during the policy period in which the circumstances were first reported to Federal.
20. The 1998 Policy provides the following coverage, up to a limit of $10,000,000:
The Company [Federal] shall pay on behalf of each of the Insured...
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