Castro v. Allstate Ins. Co., CV 93-1538 H (CM).
Decision Date | 22 March 1994 |
Docket Number | No. CV 93-1538 H (CM).,CV 93-1538 H (CM). |
Court | U.S. District Court — Southern District of California |
Parties | Jesus CASTRO, as Administrator of the Estate of Juan Castro, Deceased, Plaintiff, v. ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY, and Does 1 through 50, inclusive, Defendants. |
Frank De Santis, San Diego, CA, for plaintiff, Jesus Castro.
Peter H. Klee, Charles A. Danaher, Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps, San Diego, CA, for defendant Allstate Ins. Co.
ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT'S AND DENYING PLAINTIFF'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
Sometime prior to April 1989, Defendant Allstate Insurance Company issued a Deluxe Homeowner's Policy (the "Policy") to Carmelita Cook. The parties to this action agree that both Carmelita Cook and her son, Ariel Cook, were "Insured Persons" within the meaning of the Policy. On April 14, 1989, Ariel Cook killed Juan Castro in a "gang-style" shooting at a public recreation center. Ariel Cook was subsequently convicted of first degree murder.
On April 13, 1990, Plaintiff Jesus Castro, as administrator of his deceased son's estate, filed a wrongful death action against Carmelita Cook in state court. In sum, the complaint alleged Carmelita Cook's negligence in supervising Ariel Cook caused Juan Castro's death. Carmelita Cook tendered defense of the lawsuit to Allstate.
Defendant Allstate agreed to retain Cumis counsel for Ms. Cook, but declined to defend and/or indemnify her in the action. It did so based on 1) Section 533 of the California Insurance Code1; and 2) the "intentional act" and "criminal act" exclusions set forth in the Policy. The parties then settled the underlying lawsuit. Plaintiff received a stipulated judgment of $100,000 against Carmelita Cook and a complete assignment of Carmelita's rights against Defendant All-state. In return, Carmelita Cook received a covenant that Plaintiff would not execute or record the judgment.
On September 16, 1993, Plaintiff — now as assignee of Carmelita Cook's rights — filed suit against Defendant Allstate in the Superior Court of the State of California. The complaint asserted two causes of action: 1) "Breach of Insurance Contract"; and 2) "Breach of the Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing." On October 6, 1993, Defendant filed its notice of removal to this court. Plaintiff and Defendant now bring cross-motions for summary judgment.
Because Carmelita Cook had no reasonable expectation of coverage against Plaintiff's complaint in the underlying action, Allstate owed her no duty to defend. Accordingly, the court grants Defendant's and denies Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment.
The California Supreme Court, in Horace Mann Ins. Co. v. Barbara B., 4 Cal.4th 1076, 17 Cal.Rptr.2d 210, 846 P.2d 792 (1993), recently summarized the principles governing adjudication of the insurer's duty to defend its insured against a third party lawsuit:2
Id. at 1081, 17 Cal.Rptr.2d 210, 846 P.2d 792 (citations omitted).
Plaintiff moves for summary judgment that Allstate owed Carmelita Cook a duty to defend. Allstate moves for summary judgment that it owed no such duty.3 The court addresses each motion concurrently by comparing the allegations of the underlying complaint with the terms of the Policy.
The underlying complaint alleges in relevant part:
Castro v. Lasaga, et al., Complaint, ¶¶ 19-20.
The Policy states in relevant part:
The parties' cross-motions for summary judgment focus upon the same discrete issue: whether the criminal and/or intentional acts of Ariel Cook precluded coverage for Carmelita Cook's alleged negligence. In short, while both parties agree the Policy explicitly excludes coverage for criminal and/or intentional acts, they differ as to the scope of that exclusion.
Allstate relies upon the Policy's "Joint Obligations" provision to argue Ariel Cook's criminal and/or intentional acts were "binding upon" Carmelita Cook and thus, precluded coverage for any claim against her arising out of the same criminal and/or intentional acts. Plaintiff makes two contrary arguments. First, he argues the criminal and intentional act exclusions are vague insofar as they do not clarify whose criminal or intentional acts are excluded from coverage.4 Second, he argues the criminal act exclusion is vague because it refers, in part, to "the insured" as the person to whom "this exclusion applies."5
The court concludes the Policy's explicit exclusion of coverage for criminal and/or intentional acts, coupled with its "Joint Liability" provision, precluded coverage of claims asserted against Carmelita Cook in the underlying Castro lawsuit. While, "it is a well established principle of insurance law that exclusionary clauses in insurance policies are to be construed strictly against the insurer," the court "`may not, under the guise of strict construction, rewrite a policy to bind the insurer to a risk that it did not contemplate and for which it has not been paid.'" Allstate Ins. Co. v. Gilbert, 852 F.2d 449, 454 (9th Cir.1988) (quoting Safeco Ins. Co. v. Gilstrap, 141 Cal.App.3d 524, 533, 190 Cal. Rptr. 425 (1983)).
Plaintiff first argues the criminal and intentional act exclusions are vague because they fail to clarify whose criminal or intentional acts are excluded from coverage. The court rejects that argument. Allstate's wholesale and unmodified exclusion of coverage for injury or damage arising out of any criminal or intentional act broadens rather than restricts the exclusion's scope. Allstate explicitly excludes coverage for criminal and/or intentional acts, period. In short, it is the very absence of qualification which clarifies rather than obscures the scope of the exclusion.
Though ultimately unsuccessful, Plaintiff's second argument is more persuasive. In sum, Plaintiff argues the criminal act exclusion is vague because it refers to "the insured" as the person to whom "this exclusion applies." See Policy, § D(3). In light of the Policy's explicit "Joint Obligations" provision, however, the court rejects Plaintiff's second argument as well.
As both parties recognize, the question confronted by courts when interpreting intentional/criminal acts exclusions in the context of an "innocent co-insured" is whether the obligations of insureds under the policy are joint or several. See, e.g., Sales v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 849 F.2d 1383, 1385 (11th Cir.1988) ( ); Borbor, 826 F.2d at 894. Courts have generally interpreted policies which exclude the criminal or intentional acts of "an...
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