Stauffer Chemical Co. v. INSURANCE COMPANY OF NO. AMER.

• Decision Date: 05 November 1973
• Docket Number: No. 70 Civ. 4015.,70 Civ. 4015.
• Citation: 372 F. Supp. 1303
• Parties: STAUFFER CHEMICAL COMPANY, Plaintiff, v. INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA, Defendant.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York

372 F. Supp. 1303

STAUFFER CHEMICAL COMPANY, Plaintiff, v. INSURANCE COMPANY OF NORTH AMERICA, Defendant.

No. 70 Civ. 4015.

United States District Court, S. D. New York.

November 5, 1973.

Hart & Hume, New York City, for plaintiff; Jack Hart, Cecil Holland, Jr., New York City, of counsel.

D'Amato, Costello & Shea, New York City, for defendant; Mortimer C. Shea, New York City, of counsel.

OPINION

GAGLIARDI, District Judge.

This is an action by Stauffer Chemical Company (hereinafter "Stauffer") seeking recovery under a Blanket Liability Policy issued to Stauffer by defendant, Insurance Company of North America (hereinafter "INA"). Upon an agreed statement of facts, Stauffer has made a motion for summary judgment on the issue of defendant's liability and INA has made a cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.

From the stipulated facts it appears that Stauffer manufactured a product known as Captan 4 Flowable, which was designed to protect potato seed pieces against "seed rot" and "damp off." In reliance upon Stauffer's representations that Captan 4 Flowable would so protect their potato seed pieces, various third parties (hereinafter "claimants") purchased large quantities of the product in March 1966 and applied it, in accordance with Stauffer's instructions, in the treatment of their potato seed pieces which were thereafter planted for the growing of potato crops. Such application of the product by claimants proved ineffectual as substantial damage, caused by "seed rot" and "damp off", resulted to claimants' potato seed pieces and potato crop. In June 1966 the claimants made claims against Stauffer for which an action was ultimately commenced in the United States District Court, District of Idaho, in October 1966. The complaint in the Idaho action alleged negligence and breach of warranty in Stauffer's representing that Captan 4 Flowable would prevent "seed rot" and "damp off"; it was further alleged that Stauffer was negligent either in manufacturing the product with an insufficient quantity of Captan, the active ingredient, or in giving incorrect instructions for diluting the product.

Between the time the claims were first made against Stauffer and the time the Idaho suit was instituted, Stauffer gave written notice of the claims to INA pursuant to the terms of a Blanket Liability Policy issued to Stauffer by INA covering the period January 1, 1966 to January 1, 1967. Immediately after the commencement of the Idaho action, also in compliance with the terms of the Blanket Liability Policy, Stauffer forwarded copies of the summons and complaint in that action to INA. INA refused to defend the Idaho action, denying coverage of the claims. Said refusal was grounded upon INA's contention that its Blanket Liability Policy did not apply to liability which arose out of the inefficacy of Stauffer's products or the failure of its products to perform as represented. Stauffer thereupon defended the Idaho action with its own retained attorneys and settled the action prior to trial.

Upon the stipulated statement of facts, as summarized above, the parties to this action have presented two issues to this court for determination: (1) whether the Blanket Liability Policy afforded coverage to Stauffer for amounts reasonably paid in settlement of the Idaho claims; and, (2) whether INA is liable to Stauffer for reasonable amounts paid by Stauffer for attorneys' fees and disbursements incurred in the defense of the Idaho claims. The questions of the reasonableness of the amounts paid by Stauffer and the total amount, if any, of liability of INA in the instant action are expressly reserved by the parties for future determination.

COVERAGE

With respect to the first question presented, INA agreed, in Insuring Agreement II of the Blanket Liability Policy in issue, subject to the limits of liability, exclusions, conditions, and other terms of the policy,

To pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use thereof.

As stated in item 5 of the Declarations of said policy, liability pursuant to Insuring Agreement II is limited to $100,000 per "each occurrence." The term "occurrence" is defined in paragraph D(c) of the conditions of the policy as follows:

With respect to Insuring Agreement II "occurrence" means either an accident happening during the policy period or a continuous or repeated exposure to conditions which unexpectedly and unintentionally caused injury to or destruction of property during the policy period. . . .

In the instant case, it is clear that the alleged injury to and destruction of the claimants' potato seed pieces and potato crops constituted "injuries to or destruction of property" within the meaning of the very broad coverage afforded under Insuring Agreement II of this Blanket Liability Policy. See St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co. v. Northern Grain Co., 365 F.2d 361, 365-367 (8th Cir. 1966). It is further apparent that the injury to claimants' potato seed pieces and potato crops "unexpectedly and unintentionally" resulted from "a continuous or repeated exposure to conditions," thus constituting an "occurrence" within the meaning of paragraph D(c) of the policy. INA argues, however, that there was no "occurrence" because the "conditions" that caused the injury was not Stauffer's product, Captan 4 Flowable, which merely failed to prevent the "conditions" ("seed rot" and "damp off") that unexpectedly and unintentionally caused the injury. This contention must be rejected because there is nothing in the definition of the term "occurrence" nor is there language anywhere else in the policy, which prescribes what or who must cause the "conditions" which cause the injury to or destruction of property.

The case of Aerial Agricultural Service of Montana, Inc. v. Till, 207 F. Supp. 50 (N.D.Miss.1962), involved a suit against an insurer on a liability policy similar to the one in the instant case. That policy, however, defined the term "occurrence" to mean either an accident or "a condition created by the insured which during the policy period accidentally causes injury or destruction. . . ." 207 F.Supp. at 55 (emphasis added). There would have been no occurrence in the instant case under the definition set forth in the Till policy since the condition ("seed rot" and "damp off") which caused the injury here was not created by the insured (Stauffer); the insured's product merely passively failed to prevent the condition, contrary to the representations of the insured. However, it was not made a condition of coverage with respect to the definition of occurrence in the instant policy that the condition causing the injury be created by the insured, and the court may not inject a clause into the policy or make a new contract for the protection of the insurer. Sperling v. Great American Indemnity Co., 7 N.Y.2d 442, 447, 199 N.Y.S.2d 465, 469, 166 N.E.2d 482, 485 (1959); Taylor v. United States Casualty Co., 269 N.Y. 360, 363, 199 N.E. 620, 621 (1936).

Apart from the broad coverage afforded by Insuring Agreement II, the definition of "products hazard", in paragraph D(d), one of the hazards covered by the policy, specifically includes ". . . a warranty of goods or products manufactured, sold, handled, or distributed by the named insured. . . ." In this case, Stauffer's liability to the claimants was predicated, in part, upon breach of its warranty that Captan 4 Flowable would prevent "seed rot" and "damp off." It is further provided in paragraph D(d) that a products hazard exists only "if the...