Freeman v. Am. Integrity Ins. Co. of Fla.

• Decision Date: 11 December 2015
• Docket Number: No. 1D15–1221.,1D15–1221.
• Citation: 180 So.3d 1203
• Parties: Norman David FREEMAN and Christy Ann Freeman, Appellants, v. AMERICAN INTEGRITY INSURANCE COMPANY OF FLORIDA, Appellee.
• Court: Florida District Court of Appeals

180 So.3d 1203

Norman David FREEMAN and Christy Ann Freeman, Appellants,

v.AMERICAN INTEGRITY INSURANCE COMPANY OF FLORIDA, Appellee.

No. 1D15–1221.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.

Dec. 11, 2015.

Ty Tyler of Tyler & Hamilton, P.A., Jacksonville, for Appellants.

Kathryn L. Smith and Lissette Gonzalez of Cole, Scott, Kissane, P.A., Miami, for Appellee.

LEWIS, J.

Appellants, Norman David Freeman and Christy Ann Freeman, appeal a final summary judgment entered in favor of Appellee, American Integrity Insurance Company of Florida. Appellants argue that section 627.702, Florida Statutes (2008), Florida's Valued Policy Law ("FVPL" or "VPL"), applied to their insurance claim, entitling them to recover the full policy limits for the total loss of their mobile home, or at least a genuine issue of material fact remained about its applicability. For the reasons that follow, we reverse the final summary judgment and remand for further proceedings.

Facts

Appellee issued to Appellants a Dwelling Policy ("Policy") that was in effect from December 15, 2007, through December 15, 2008, and insured Appellants' mobile home against perils, including but not limited to vandalism or malicious mischief. The Policy limited the insurance proceeds for "Coverage A—Dwelling" to $86,640 and specified that the loss settlement would be based on replacement cost. The Policy also contained the following appraisal provision:

If you and we fail to agree on the amount of loss, either may: ... Demand an appraisal of the loss. In this event, each party will choose a competent appraiser within twenty (20) days after the receipt of a written request from the other. The two appraisers will choose a competent and independent umpire. If they cannot agree upon an umpire within fifteen (15) days, you or we may request that the choice be made by a judge of a court of record in the state where the ‘residence premises' is located. The appraisers will separately set the amount of the loss. If the appraisers submit a written report of an agreement to us, the amount agreed upon will be the amount of the loss. If they fail to agree, they will submit their difference to the umpire. A decision agreed to by any two will set the amount of the loss.

On December 5, 2008, Appellants' home was damaged as a result of burglary and vandalism. Appellants submitted a proof-of-loss statement and informed Appellee of their belief that FVPL applied. In September 2010, Appellee invoked the appraisal provision of the Policy to resolve the dispute over the damages it owed to Appellants. In May 2011, Appellants filed suit against Appellee for breach of contract and declaratory relief, alleging in part that FVPL applied to their claim, entitling them to recover the full policy limits for the total loss of their mobile home.

Appellee filed a motion to dismiss and/or to abate and compel appraisal, wherein it argued in part that pursuant to the terms of the Policy, appraisal became a mandatory condition precedent to maintaining an action upon demand by either party. Appellee alleged that following its invocation of the appraisal provision, the parties conducted an appraisal and their independent appraisers agreed upon an award amount, which was to be set as the amount of the loss under the terms of the Policy, but Appellants' appraiser refused to sign the award. Appellee contended that Appellants' failure to complete the appraisal process was a failure of a mandatory condition precedent and required dismissal of the action; alternatively, Appellee asked the trial court to abate the prosecution of the case and compel Appellants to fully participate in the appraisal process provided for in the Policy. The trial court entered an order abating the action and compelling appraisal upon finding that Appellee properly invoked the appraisal provision prior to the filing of the lawsuit and that conducting an appraisal in accordance with the terms of the Policy became a mandatory condition precedent to maintaining the suit.

Subsequently, the appraisal was completed and the umpire's appraisal report/appraisal award letter stated:

I along with Mr. Steve Schmitt and Mr. William E. Fisher, Jr., conducted a site interior and exterior inspection....

During the inspection all three of us agreed that due to the improvements condition, it is not economically feasible to make the necessary repairs to bring said into reasonable living condition. We agreed that the manufactured home is a total loss. We reviewed and discussed each gentleman's conclusions and reconciliation of estimated value.

After my analysis of the improvements and Marshall & Swift residential manufactured home cost manual I agree with Mr. Schmitt's estimated replacement cost value less estimated non-recoverable depreciation of $46,496.88 as reasonable cash value of subject.

Appellee filed a motion for summary judgment on the ground that no dispute of law or fact existed about the inapplicability of FVPL; that the amount of insurance proceeds payable under the Policy was established at $46,496.88 by the appraisal process that was provided for by the Policy and ordered by the court; and that Appellee fulfilled its obligation by issuing a payment of $45,496.88, which represented the undisputed appraisal award minus the applicable deductible, to Chase Home Finance, LLC, the successor mortgagee of the subject property. Appellee argued in part that the appraisal provision of the Policy and the trial court's order compelling appraisal made FVPL inapplicable as a matter of law, that the appraisal process set the amount of loss recoverable and the appraisal provision of the Policy took precedence over the application of FVPL, and that Appellants failed to present evidence in support of the applicability of FVPL, which was inapplicable on its face.

Appellants filed a response, disputing Appellee's contention that no genuine issue of material fact or law existed and FVPL did not apply, and arguing in part that they established a total loss and thus their automatic entitlement to the full policy amount under FVPL. Appellants attached to their response their appraiser's inspection report, which stated in part:

The value under normal conditions would have been around $20,656.00 dollars for this year and model home. At this time the home has no value as a dwelling because it is uninhabitable. Every system has been destroyed such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC, HVAC ductwork, carpeting, interior walls, windows, doors both interior and exterior[,] [c]eilings, interior trim work, exterior siding and all interior furnishings. At this time without having the benefit of estimates from all of the disciplines involved that would be required to rebuild this home[,] I would speculate that the damages far exceed the value of the structure making it a total loss. I believe that damaged [sic] would exceed the $30,000.00 dollar plus range at this time.

The trial court entered a final summary judgment in favor of Appellee upon finding that "there are no material facts in dispute and summary judgment in favor of [Appellee] is appropriate as a matter of law." This appeal followed.

Analysis

A trial court's order granting final summary judgment is reviewed de novo to determine whether there are genuine issues of material fact and whether the court properly applied the correct rule of law. Glaze v. Worley, 157 So.3d 552, 553–54 (Fla. 1st DCA 2015) (explaining that even the slightest doubt about the existence of a genuine issue of material fact precludes summary judgment). Likewise, the de novo standard of review applies to an issue involving a question of statutory interpretation, as well as to a trial court's interpretation of an insurance policy provision. See Fortune v. Gulf Coast Tree Care Inc., 148 So.3d 827, 828 (Fla. 1st DCA 2014) ; Citizens Prop. Ins. Corp. v. Ashe, 50 So.3d 645, 650 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010).

The parties dispute whether FVPL applies. The statute provides in part as follows:

(1)(a) In the event of the total loss of any building, structure, mobile home as defined in s. 320.01(2), or manufactured building as defined in s. 553.36(13), located in this state and insured by any insurer as to a covered peril, in the absence of any change increasing the risk without the insurer's consent and in the absence of fraudulent or criminal fault on the part of the insured or one acting in her or his behalf, the insurer's liability under the policy for such total loss, if caused by a covered peril, shall be in the amount of money for which such property was so insured as specified in the policy and for which a premium has been charged and paid.

§ 627.702, Fla. Stat. (2008) (emphasis added).

FVPL was originally enacted in 1899 "to promote clarity and predictability for property insurers and insureds alike by predetermining the value of insured real property and having that value set out in the policy of...