Diamond Shamrock Chemicals Co. v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co.

• Court: New Jersey Superior Court — Appellate Division
• Writing for the Court: In attempting to determine the date of injury in fact
• Citation: Diamond Shamrock Chemicals Co. v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., 609 A.2d 440, 258 N.J.Super. 167 (N.J. Super. App. Div. 1992)
• Decision Date: 04 June 1992
• Docket Number: No. 2,2
• Parties: , 60 USLW 2657 DIAMOND SHAMROCK CHEMICALS COMPANY, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. The AETNA CASUALTY & SURETY COMPANY; The London Market Insurers: Accident and Casualty Company of Winterthur; Alba General Insurance Company Ltd.; Allianz International Insurance Company Ltd.; Andrew Weir Insurance Company Ltd.; Anglo-French Insurance Company Ltd.; Argonaut Northwest Insurance Company Ltd.; Assicurazioni Generali S.P.A. (U.K. Branch); Aviation and General Insurance Company Ltd.; Bermuda Fire & Marine Insurance Company Ltd.; Bishopsgate Insurance Limited; British Aviation Insurance Company Ltd.; British National Insurance Ltd.; British National Insurance Company Ltd. as successor to North Atlantic Insurance Company Ltd.; Brittany Insurance Company Ltd.; Bryanston Insurance Company; Camomile Underwriting Agencies Ltd. on behalf of Compagnie D'Assurances Maritimes Ariennes Et Terrestres; City General Insurance Company Ltd.; CNA Reinsurance of London Ltd.; Compagnie Europeene D'Assurances Industrielles S.A.; Companhia De Seguros Imperio; Compania Agricola De Seguros, S.A.; Dart Insurance Company Ltd.; The Dominion Insurance Company Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of the Anglo-Saxon Insurance Association Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of the British Merchants Insurance Company Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of London and Edinburgh Insurance Company Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Co. Ltd. on behalf of the Royal Scottish Insurance Co.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of the Trent Insurance Company Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of the Vanguard Insurance Co. Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of the World Marine and General Insurance Corporation; Drake Insurance Company Ltd.; Economic Insurance Company Ltd.; The Edinburgh Assurance Co. Number 2 Account; El Paso Insurance Company Ltd.; English and American Insurance Company Ltd.; Excess Insurance Company Ltd.; Fidelidade Grupo Segurador; Folksam Intern

Page 167

258 N.J.Super. 167

609 A.2d 440, 60 USLW 2657

DIAMOND SHAMROCK CHEMICALS COMPANY, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. The AETNA CASUALTY & SURETY COMPANY; The London Market Insurers: Accident and Casualty Company of Winterthur Alba General Insurance Company Ltd.; Allianz International Insurance Company Ltd.; Andrew Weir Insurance Company Ltd. Anglo-French Insurance Company Ltd.; Argonaut Northwest Insurance Company Ltd.; Assicurazioni Generali S.P.A. (U.K Branch); Aviation and General Insurance Company Ltd. Bermuda Fire & Marine Insurance Company Ltd.; Bishopsgate Insurance Limited; British Aviation Insurance Company Ltd.; British National Insurance Ltd.; British National Insurance Company Ltd. as successor to North Atlantic Insurance Company Ltd.; Brittany Insurance Company Ltd.; Bryanston Insurance Company; Camomile Underwriting Agencies Ltd. on behalf of Compagnie D'Assurances Maritimes Ariennes Et Terrestres; City General Insurance Company Ltd.; CNA Reinsurance of London Ltd.; Compagnie Europeene D'Assurances Industrielles S.A.; Companhia De Seguros Imperio; Compania Agricola De Seguros, S.A.; Dart Insurance Company Ltd.; The Dominion Insurance Company Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of the Anglo-Saxon Insurance Association Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of the British Merchants Insurance Company Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of London and Edinburgh Insurance Company Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Co. Ltd. on behalf of the Royal Scottish Insurance Co.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of the Trent Insurance Company Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of the Vanguard Insurance Co. Ltd.; Dominion Insurance Company Ltd. on behalf of the World Marine and General Insurance Corporation; Drake Insurance Company Ltd.; Economic Insurance Company Ltd.; The Edinburgh Assurance Co. Number 2 Account; El Paso Insurance Company Ltd.; English and American Insurance Company Ltd.; Excess Insurance Company Ltd.; Fidelidade Grupo Segurador; Folksam International Insurance Company (UK) Ltd.; Heddington Insurance Company (UK) Ltd.; Helvetia Accident Swiss Insurance Company; Highlands Underwriting Agency on behalf of Highlands Insurance Co.; Highlands Underwriting Agency on behalf of American Home Assurance Co.; Highlands Underwriting Agency on behalf of London and Edinburgh Insurance Co.; INSCO Ltd.; La Royal Belge Group; Latino Americana de Reasugursos S.A.; Lexington Insurance Company Ltd.; London & Edinburgh General Insurance Company Ltd.; London and Overseas Company PLC ('A' Account); London and Overseas Co. PLC ('A' Account) as successor to Hull Underwriters Association; Louisville Insurance Company Ltd.; Ludgate Insurance Company Ltd.; Minster Insurance Company Ltd.; Mutual Reinsurance Company Ltd.; National Casualty Company; National Casualty Company of America Ltd.; New India Insurance Company Ltd.; Orion Insurance Company Ltd.; Prudential Assurance Company Ltd.; River Thames Insurance Company Ltd.; Slater Walker Insurance Company Ltd.; Southern Insurance Company Ltd. (now known as the Box Hill Investment Ltd.); Sovereign Marine and General Insurance Company Ltd.; Sphere Insurance Company Ltd.; Storebrand Insurance Company (UK) Ltd.; Stronghold Insurance Company Ltd.; Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance Company Ltd.; Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance Company (Europe) Ltd.; St. Katherine Insurance Company Ltd.; Swiss National Insurance Co. Ltd.; Swiss Union General Insurance Co.; The Taiso Marine & Fire Insurance Company (UK) Ltd.; Terra Nova Insurance Company Ltd.; Threadneedle Insurance Company Ltd.; The Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance (UK) Ltd.; Turegum Insurance Company Ltd.; United Standard Insurance Company Ltd.; Universal Reinsurance Corporation of New Jersey as successor to Bellefonte Insurance Company; Walbrook Insurance Company Ltd.; Winterthur Swiss Insurance Company, World Auxiliary Insurance Corporation Ltd.; Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance Company (UK) Ltd.; AIU Insurance Company; American Centennial Insurance Company; American Excess Insurance Company; American Home Assurance Company; American Re-Insurance Company; California Union Insurance Company; Commercial Union Insurance Company (Successor to Employers Liability Assurance Corporation Ltd.); Employers Mutual Casualty Company; Evanston Insurance Company; Fireman's Fund Insurance Company; First State Insurance Company; General Reinsurance Corporation; Gibraltar Casualty Company; Granite State Insurance Company; the Home Insurance Company; Insurance Company of North America (Successor to Indemnity Insurance Company of North America); Lexington Insurance Company, Ltd.; National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa.; North Star Reinsurance Corporation; Pacific Employers Insurance Company; Prudential Reinsurance Company; Ranger Insurance Company; Royal Indemnity Company; Underwriters at Lloyd's London, Defendants-Respondents, Cross-Appellants, and Arrow Life Insurance Company (Successor to Slater, Walker Insurance Company); Assicurazioni Generali; Assicurazioni Generali S.P.A. (U.K. Branch); Assicurazioni Generali Di Trieste E Venezia S.P.A.; Atlanta International Insurance Company; Bellefonte Reinsurance Company Limited (Successor to Bellefonte Insurance Company); Bellefonte Insurance Company (U.K. Branch); British Merchants Insurance Company Ltd.; Bryanston Insurance Company Ltd.; Compagnie D'Assurances Maritimes Ariennes Et Terrestres; The Continental Insurance Company; Dart and Kraft Insurance Company Limited; the Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York; Friends Provident Life Office (Successor to Southern Insurance Company); Great Southwest Fire Insurance Company; Highlands Insurance Company; Imperio Companhia De Seguros; The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania; La Royale Belge I.R. S.A. D'Assurances; Latino Americano De Reasuguros; London Guarantee and Accident Company of New York; National Casualty Company of America Ltd.; North Atlantic Insurance Company Limited; Pacific and General Insurance Company Ltd.; Republic Insurance Company; Royal Scottish Insurance Company Ltd.; Security Insurance Company of Hartford (Successor to New Amsterdam Casualty Company); Sovereign Marine & General Insurance Company Ltd. 'C' Account; Sovereign Marine & General Insurance Company Ltd. H.D.N. Account; St. Katherine Insurance Co. PLC; St. Katherine Insurance Company Ltd. (No. 2 Account); St. Katherine Insurance Co. Ltd. (X Account); St. Paul Mercury Insurance Company; Sumitomo Marine and Fire Insurance Company Ltd. (Tokyo); Swiss National Insurance Company Limited (Basle); Swiss Union General Insurance Co.; Transit Casualty Company; Trent Insurance Company Limited; Turegum Insurance Company; Twin City Fire Insurance Company; United States Fire Insurance Company; Vanguard Insurance Company Limited, Defendants.

Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.

Argued March 24, 1992.

Decided April 6, 1992.

Reargued May 19, 1992.

Decided June 4, 1992.

Michael P. Tierney, New York City, for plaintiff-appellant (Pitney, Hardin, Kipp & Szuch, attorneys; James C. Pitney and Dennis R. LaFiura, Morristown on the brief; Cahill Gordon & Reindel (Raymond L. Falls, Jr., Leonard A. Spivak, Michael P. Tierney, Thorn Rosenthal and Peter F. Lake, New York City) of counsel).

Allan B. Taylor, Hartford, Conn., for defendants-respondents, cross-appellants, The Aetna Cas. and Sur. Co. (Connell, Foley & Geiser Roseland, and Day, Berry & Howard, Hartford, Conn., attorneys; John B. LaVecchia, Roseland, of CF & G and Allan B. Taylor, Thomas J. Groark, Jr., Scott P. Moser, Ruth A. Kurien, Hartford, Conn., of DB & H on the joint brief).

Robert J. Bates, Jr., Chicago, Ill., for defendants-respondents, cross-appellants, American Re-Insurance Co. and American Excess Ins Co. (Phelan, Pope & John, Ltd., Chicago, Ill., and Budd, Larner, Gross, Picillo, Rosenbaum, Greenberg & Sade, Short Hills, attorneys; Robert J. Bates, Jr. and Maryann C. Hayes, Chicago, Ill., of PP & J and Carl Greenberg, Short Hills, of BLGPRG & S on the joint brief).

Peter I. Sheft, New York City, for defendants-respondents, cross-appellants, London Market Insurers (Sheft & Sweeney, attorneys; Peter I. Sheft, David Holmes and Rosemary A. Juster on the joint brief).

Paul R. Koepff, New York City, for defendants-respondents, cross-appellants, Ins. Co. of North America, Cal. Union Ins. Co., and Pacific Employers Ins. Co., (Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander & Ferdon, New York City, and Ribis, Graham, Verdon & Curtin, Morristown, attorneys; Paul R. Koepff and George A. Pierce, New York City, of MRGA & F and Thomas R. Curtin, Morristown, of RGV & C on the joint brief).

Stephen D. Cuyler, Morristown, for defendants-respondents, cross-appellants, General Reinsurance Co., Gibralter Cas. Ins. Co., North Star Reinsurance Co., Prudential Reinsurance Co., Ranger Ins. Co., Employers Mut. Ins. Co., and American Centennial Ins. Co. (Cuyler, Burk & Matthews, attorneys; Stephen D. Cuyler and Peter Petrou on the joint brief).

Respondent Home Ins. Co. relied on the argument of Stephen D. Cuyler (Morgan, Melhuish, Monaghan, Arvidson, Abrutyn & Lisowski, attorneys; Henry Morgan, Livingston, on the joint brief).

Respondent Commercial Union Ins. Co. relied on the argument of Stephen D. Cuyler (Griffith & Burr, Moorestown, attorneys; James W. Christie, Haddonfield on the joint brief).

Respondent Fireman's Fund Ins. Co. relied on the argument of Stephen D. Cuyler (Kunzman, Coley, Yospin & Berstein, Warren and Gilberg & Kurent, Washington, D.C., attorneys; Steven A. Kunzman, Warren, of KCY & B and K. Thomas Shahriari, Washington, D.C., of G & K on the joint brief).

Respondents Nat. Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa., American Internl. Underwriters, American Home Assur. Co., Lexington Ins. Co. and Granite State Ins. Co., relied on the argument of Stephen D. Cuyler (Garrity, Fitzpatrick, Graham, Hawkins & Favetta, attorneys; Antonio D. Favetta, Montclair,...