INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA v. LIBERTY MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY
D.N.J.8/15/2024
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY : INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE : STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA, : Civil Action No. 20-15280 (JXN) (JRA) : Plaintiff, : : OPINION v. : : LIBERTY MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE : COMPANY, : : Defendant. : : NEALS, District Judge: This matter comes before the Court on Defendant Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Companyâs (âLiberty Mutualâ) motion pursuant to L. Civ. R. 7.1(i) to reconsider (ECF No. 69) the Courtâs September 30, 2023 Opinion (ECF No. 64) (the âSeptember 30 Opinionâ) and Order (ECF No. 65) (together, the âSeptember 30 Orderâ). Plaintiff Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania (âPennsylvania Insuranceâ) opposed. (ECF No. 72). The Court has carefully considered the partiesâ submissions and decides the matter without oral argument under Fed. R. Civ. P. 78(b) and L. Civ. R. 78.1(b). For the reasons set forth below, Liberty Mutualâs motion to reconsider (ECF No. 69) the September 30 Order is DENIED. I. BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY1 On October 30, 2020, Pennsylvania Insurance filed a three-count complaint. (ECF No. 1). On August 5, 2022, and August 15, 2022, Liberty Mutual filed a motion and cross-motion for summary judgment, respectively. (ECF Nos. 44, 46). Liberty Mutual argued in part that non-party Jacobs Engineering, Inc. (âJacobsâ) is not an additional insured under Liberty 1 The Court refers to the parties to the September 30 Opinion, which discusses the relevant facts at length. Mutualâs Commercial Automobile General Liability Policy No. AS2-631-509639-013 (the âLiberty Policyâ). On August 5, 2022, Pennsylvania Insurance filed a motion for partial summary judgment (ECF No. 45), seeking an Order âdeclaring that: (1) Jacobs . . . is an âadditional insuredâ underâ the Liberty Policy; that (2) Liberty Mutual âhas to indemnify Jacobs [] because the âaccidentâ involving Joao Silvaâ (the âSilva Actionâ) concerned a âcovered âautoââ under the Liberty Policy; and that (3) the Liberty Policy âis primary to that of any other insurance, including . . . the policy issued by [Pennsylvania Insurance] under Policy No. GL 514-25-61.ââ (Id. at 22). The Court entered the September 30 Order that: (i) denied Liberty Mutualâs motions for summary judgment; and (ii) granted in part and denied in part Pennsylvania Insuranceâs motion for partial summary judgment. The Court found Jacobs to be an additional insured under the Liberty Policy. On November 3, 2023, Liberty Mutual filed an un-timely motion to reconsider the September 30 Order. On November 20, 2023, Pennsylvania Insurance opposed the motion. This matter is now ripe for consideration. II. THE COURT WAIVES THE DEADLINE TO CONSIDER THE RECONSIDERATION MOTION Motions for reconsideration must be âfiled within 14 days after the entry of the order or judgment on the original motion by the Judge.â L. Civ. R. 7.1(d)(i). Because the September 30 Order was entered on September 30, 2023, the motion was to be filed no later than October 16, 2023.3 Liberty Mutual did not file its motion until November 3, 2023â32 days after the September 30 Order was entered. However, the Court waives the 14-day deadline. Argued in a footnote, Liberty Mutual requests waiver of the 14-day deadline because the âissues in this case are complicated, and an injustice will result if the Court does not reconsider 2 The Court refers to the ECF page numbers in this Opinion. 3 Saturday, October 14, 2023, is 14 days from entry of the September 30 Order. theâ September 30 Order. (Liberty Mutualâs Mem. of Law (ECF No. 69-1) (the âMem. of Lawâ) at 9 n.1). In opposition, Pennsylvania Insurance argues Liberty Mutual âfailed to show that the issues here are so complicated that a manifest injustice will result ifâ the 14-day deadline âis not relaxed.â (ECF No. 72 at 7). âAn untimely filed motion for reconsideration may be deniedâ on procedural grounds. Oriakhi v. Bureau of Prisons, No. 7-264, 2009 WL 1874199, at *3 (D.N.J. June 29, 2009) (citations and internal quotations omitted); see also Mitchell v. Twp. of Willingboro Mun. Govât, 913 F. Supp. 2d 62, 78 (D.N.J. 2012) (denying motion filed â28 days after the court entered its order denying summary judgmentâ); Luxama v. Ironbound Express, Inc., No. 11-2224, 2021 WL 3630290, at *3 (D.N.J. Aug. 16, 2021) (denying motion filed 30 days after order denying summary judgment entered). Here, Liberty Mutual contends that the September 30 Order âoverlooked independent argumentsâ and ârelied on manifest errors in facts and law[.]â (Mem. of Law at 5). See Andreyko v. Sunrise Sr. Living, Inc., 993 F. Supp. 2d 475, 478 (D.N.J. 2014) (District Court may âgrant a motion for reconsideration only where its prior decision has overlooked a factual or legal issue that may alter the disposition of the matter.â) (citations omitted). Indeed, the issues raised in the reconsideration motion fall within the acceptable grounds considered on reconsideration, namely âto correct a clear error of law or fact or to prevent manifest injustice.â Maxâs Seafood Cafe, by LouâAnn, Inc. v. Quinteros, 176 F.3d 669, 677 (3d Cir. 1999) (citation omitted) (emphasis added). Accordingly, the Court considers Liberty Mutualâs grounds for reconsideration.4 4 Liberty Mutual filed a letter and Declaration with exhibits (ECF Nos. 84 to 84-5) (together, the âApril 4 Letterâ) seeking to supplement the reconsideration motion. Because replies are not allowed without leave of court, the April 4 Letter is procedurally deficient. L. Civ. R. 7.1(d)(3); see also L. Civ. R. 7.1(d)(6). Accordingly, the Court declines to consider the April 4 Letter. Seidle v. Neptune Twp., No. 17-4428, 2020 WL 4349901, at *1 n.1 (D.N.J. III. STANDARD OF REVIEW Reconsideration âis an extraordinary remedy that is to be granted very sparinglyâ because â[t]he standard of review involved in a motion forâ reconsideration is âquite high. . . .â Interfaith Cmty. Org. v. Honeywell Intâl, Inc., 215 F. Supp. 2d 482, 507 (D.N.J. 2002) (citations and internal quotations omitted); United States v. Jones, 158 F.R.D. 309, 314 (D.N.J. 1994) (citation omitted). The standard âis an exacting one.â Ivan v. Cnty. of Middlesex, 612 F. Supp. 2d 546, 550 (D.N.J. 2009). L. Civ. R. 7.1(i) âallow[s] a party to seek a motion for reconsideration if the party believes the judge has overlooked certain matters or controlling decisions in rendering the original decision.â Ivan, 612 F. Supp. 2d at 550. âThe Third Circuit has held that the purpose of a motion for reconsideration is to correct manifest errors of law or fact or to present newly discovered evidence.â Id. at 550 (internal quotation marks, ellipses, and citations omitted). âA reconsideration motion, however, may not be used to relitigate old matters, or to raise arguments or present evidence that could have been raised before a judgment has been entered.â Id. at 550- 51 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Thus, parties must demonstrate âmore than a disagreement with the Courtâs decision, and recapitulation of the cases and arguments considered by the court before rendering its original decision fails to carry the moving partyâs burden.â Id. at 551 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). To prevail, the moving party must show âat least one of the following grounds: (1) an intervening change in the controlling law; (2) the availability of new evidence that was not available when the courtâ issued the order or judgment; or â(3) the need to correct a clear error of law or fact or to prevent manifest injustice.â Maxâs Seafood CafĂ©, 176 F.3d at 677 (citation July 29, 2020). Liberty Mutual also did not seek leave under Local Civil Rule 7.2(b) before filing its 19-page memorandum of law. (Mem. of Law). Because leave was neither requested nor granted, the Court may disregard the arguments raised therein. omitted). Reconsideration is granted âonly when dispositive factual matters or controlling decisions of law were brought to the courtâs attention but not considered.â Ivan, 612 F. Supp. 2d at 551 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). IV. DISCUSSION A. The Court Will Not Reconsider the September 30 Order Liberty Mutual submits that reconsideration of the September 30 Order is warranted on three primary grounds: (1) if Jacobs is an additional insured under the Liberty Policy, as the Court found in the September 30 Order, there is no coverage because Jacobsâ liability is not the result of its âuseâ of a covered auto; (2) the Court overlooked Liberty Mutualâs argument that by assuming exclusive control of Jacobâs defense without seeking contribution, Pennsylvania Insurance waived or is estopped from seeking recovery from Liberty Mutual; and (3) the Court relied on facts not in the record in finding Jacobs is an additional insured. (See, gen., Mem. of Law). The Court addresses each argument in turn.5 1. Whether Jacobâs Liability Resulted from the âUseâ of a Covered Auto is a Genuine Issue of Material Fact Liberty Mutual posits the âargument that Jacobs is not entitled to coverage, even if Jacobs were deemed an additional insured under the Liberty Auto Policy, because Jacobsâ liability . . . was not the result of its ownership, maintenance or use of a covered vehicle under the Liberty Auto Policy. . . .â (Mem. of Law at 10) (emphasis removed). In short, the Court disagrees that summary judgment should be granted on this record. (Id. at 14). In the reconsideration motion, Liberty Mutual contends Pennsylvania Insurance âcould not, has not, and cannot, show that Jacobsâs liability resulted from its ownership, maintenance of 5 Liberty Mutual repeats similar arguments raised in its summary judgment motions, which is not permitted on reconsideration. See NL Indus., Inc. v. Commercial Union Ins. Co., 935 F. Supp. 513, 516 (D.N.J. 1996); Tischio v. Bontex, Inc., 16 F. Supp. 2d 511, 532 (D.N.J. 1998). use of the Conti pickup truck. . . .â (Mem. of Law at 12). Whether Liberty Mutual is correct in this contention cannot be decided by summary judgment on this record. And because neither party has provided authority on this issue, the Court deems it appropriate to provide guidance. Courts focus on the âuseâ of the vehicle and not the user to determine whether coverage is triggered. Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P. v. Govât Employees Ins. Co., No. 19-12073, 2021 WL 11723250 (D.N.J. Dec. 9, 2021). In applying Florida law in Old Republic Ins. Co. v. Kemper Cas. Co., the Third Circuit considered whether the District Court correctly decided that liability resulting from personal injuries in unloading a truck was covered by an auto policy that provided in pertinent part that âWe will pay all sums an âinsuredâ legally must pay as damages because of bodily injury . . . to which this insurance applies, caused by an âaccidentâ and resulting from the ownership, maintenance or use of a covered âauto.ââ 130 F. App.âx 616, 618- 19 (3d Cir. 2005). There, the court applied a three-part test in a Florida state court case for determining whether the finding of coverage under âuseâ was appropriate, which it found it was. Id. at 619-21. The âuse ofâ an âautoâ or âmotor vehicleâ is liberally applied in insurance matters. See Ohio Farmers Ins. Co. v. Landfried, 348 F. Supp. 486, 489 (W.D. Pa. 1972) (â[T]he word âuseâ in an automobile liability insurance policyâ âincludes [the police carâs] function as a place for the storage of weapons and emergency gear.â); see also Carolina Cas. Ins. Co. v. Travelers Property Cas. Co., 90 F. Supp. 3d 304, 316 (D.N.J. 2014) (âIt is well established that the phrase âuse of a motor vehicleâ includes the loading of cargo[,]â and, thus, a âperson injured during the loading of cargo is therefore considered a âuserâ of the motor vehicle.â) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Indeed, âcourts have extended statutory coverage based on the status of the injured person as a user of the motor vehicle.â Id. at 316. The âonly connection required is a substantial nexus between the injury and the use of the vehicle.â Id. at 316 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). Nonetheless, âuseâ of a covered vehicle requires a review of the whole of the policy. See Consumers Ins. USA v Huntleigh Dealership Services, Inc., No. 19- 1853, 2022 WL 1423621, at * 8 (E.D. Pa. May 5, 2022) (limiting coverage to a specified time). Here, the intent of the Liberty Policy is to provide coverage for âbodily injuryâ that is âcaused by an âaccidentâ and resulting from the ownership, maintenance[,] or use of a covered âauto.ââ (Sept. 30 Op. at 4). The injury in the Silva Action, and Jacobsâ liability thereto, may or may not trigger coverage. But it is Liberty Mutualâs burden at summary judgment to demonstrate the lack of genuine dispute as to any material fact and its entitlement to summary judgment as a matter of law. Liberty Mutual did not do so. The only related assertion of fact, which reads that the Silva Action âdid not go to the jury on a theory of Jacobs Engineeringâs negligent ownership, maintenance, or use of the Conti Enterprises pickup truck[,]â is disputed. (Liberty Mutualâs Statement of Undisputed Material Facts (ECF No. 44-2) (the âLMSOFâ) ¶ 37; Pa Ins.âs Responsive Statement of Undisputed Material Facts (ECF No. 47-1) (the âPRSOFâ) ¶ 40). And in reviewing Silvaâs Updated Pre- Trial Exchange ((ECF No. 44-14) (the âPre-trial Exchangeâ)), Liberty Mutual relies on the Statement of the Case that states in part that â[t]his is a workplace safety rules injury case.â (Id. at 7). However, this sentence alone does not entitle Liberty Mutual to summary judgment. First, the Pre-Trial Exchange does not include the jury charges, so the Court cannot confirm whether the jury considered whether the injuries sustained resulted from the âownership, maintenance or use of a coveredâ vehicle. Second, even if Liberty Mutual is correct that â[t]here is no dispute that [] the insured bears the burden of establishing that a claim lies within the policyâs scope of coverage[,] (Mem. of Law at 11), Liberty Mutual, and not Pennsylvania Insurance, is seeking summary judgment on this basis. Third, because Liberty Mutual did not respond to certain of Pennsylvania Insuranceâs assertions of fact, the Court accepted them as true and undisputed for purposes of summary judgment. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(e). For example, Liberty Mutual does not dispute that the Liberty Policy covered additional insureds âfor injuries to persons (including death) and damage to property arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of any owned, hired, or non-owned motor vehicle.â (ECF No. 45-2 ¶ 22; ECF No. 47-1 ¶ 22) (emphasis added). It is undisputed that the Liberty Policy requires Liberty Mutual to pay damages âbecause of âbodily injuryâ or âproperty damageâ . . ., caused by an âaccidentâ and resulting from the ownership, maintenance or use of a covered âauto.ââ (LMSOF ¶ 21; PRSOF ¶ 21). Beyond this, Liberty Mutual points to no undisputed material facts to support summary judgment in Liberty Mutualâs favor. See Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322 (1986) (Moving party bears the initial burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine issue of material fact) (citations omitted). This is required before Pennsylvania Insurance may âcounter with specific facts which demonstrate that there exists a genuine issue for trial.â Orson, Inc. v. Miramax Film Corp., 79 F.3d 1358, 1366 (3d Cir. 1996) (citation omitted). Here, reconsideration is denied because Liberty Mutualâs summary judgment motions failed at the initial hurdle. See Clark v. Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 940 F. Supp. 2d 186, 189 (D.N.J. 2013) (â[R]econsideration is an extraordinary remedy, that is granted very sparingly.â) (citation and internal quotations omitted). 2. Genuine Issues of Material Fact Exist Regarding Whether Pennsylvania Insurance Waived or is Estopped from Recovery a) Consideration of Hinsinger Does Not Trigger Reconsideration Liberty Mutual fails to cite an âintervening change in the controlling law;â or the âavailability of new evidence that was not available when the courtâ issued the September 30 Order. Max's Seafood CafĂ© by Lou Ann, Inc., 176 F.3d at 677 (citation omitted). In short, Liberty Mutual has not met its burden to demonstrate that the September 30 Order merits reconsideration on these grounds. Rather, Liberty Mutual argues that the September 30 Opinionâs âreliance onâ Hinsinger v. Conifer Ins. Co., 2022 WL 17820259 (D.N.J. Dec. 20, 2022) âis a manifest error[,]â which conflates the reconsideration standard, because the Court âmisread[]â the case and it âpost-dated the briefing in thisâ matter. (Mem. of Law at 6). First, Liberty Mutual points to no authority to support its argument that the Court cannot consider Hinsinger because it âpost-datedâ the briefing. Second, Liberty Mutual argues that the Court incorrectly relied on Hinsinger âfor the proposition that Liberty [Mutual] must demonstrate detrimental reliance i.e., prejudiceâ (see Mem. of Law at 15-16). However, Hinsinger quotes Northfield Ins. Co. v. Mount Hawley Ins. Co., 454 N.J. Super. 135, 145 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 2018), a New Jersey Appellate Division decision decided nine years after Nazario v. Lobster House, 2009 WL 1181620 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. May 5, 2019),6 which provides that courts consider reliance when deciding estoppel. In analyzing this issue, the Court similarly cited Nazario, an unpublished opinion that Liberty Mutual included in its cross-motion brief (ECF No. 46-1 at 17). See New Jersey Depât. of Envât. Prot. v. Amerada Hess Corp., 323 F.R.D. 213, 226 (D.N.J. 2017) (â[D]ecisions of state intermediate appellate courts . . . should be accorded significant weightâ and â[w]hile unpublished opinions are not binding on New Jersey courts, the federal courts may refer to them when predicting state law.â) (internal quotation marks, brackets, and citations omitted). Thus, Northfield Ins. Co., and Hinsinger are controlling. See CDK Global, LLC v. Tulley Auto. Grp., Inc., 489 F. Supp. 3d 282 (D.N.J. 2020), reconsideration denied, No. 15-3103, 2021 WL 1187123, at *4 (D.N.J. Mar. 30, 2021). And Liberty Mutual failed to demonstrate that such 6 Liberty Mutual neither cited Northfield Ins. Co. here nor in its summary judgment briefs (ECF Nos. 44-3, 46-1). authority should not have been considered. Accordingly, the reconsideration motion is denied. b) Liberty Mutualâs âExclusive Controlâ Argument Does Not Entitle it to Summary Judgment Liberty Mutual contends that the September 30 Order merits reconsideration because âby assuming exclusive control over the defense of Jacobs and choosing not to tender the defense of Jacobs to Liberty [Mutual] until after a judgment had been entered[,]â Pennsylvania Insurance âwaived and/or is estopped from any ability to seek a recover fromâ Liberty Mutual. (Mem. of Law at 16). The Court disagrees. In the September 30 Opinion, the Court held â[t]here is no dispute that Liberty Mutual âdid not receive notice ofâ Pennsylvania Insuranceâs and Jacobâs âclaim for a duty to defend and indemnify for theâ Silva Action âuntil July 2, 2020, approximately 8 months after a verdict for $2,579,000 was returned against Jacobs in theâ Silva Action.â (Sept. 30 Op. at 14). Liberty Mutual contends that this finding favors its exclusive control argument and relies heavily on American Home Ass. Co. v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 233 N.J. Super. 137 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 1989), certif. den., 177 N.J. 632 (1989). There, the New Jersey Appellate Division found in part that one carrierâs policy was primary because it âexclusively assumedâ the attorneyâs âdefense for four-and-a-half years without a murmur of protest. . . .â As a result, the court affirmed the trial courtâs decision to dismiss the complaint for contribution of defense costs. The case is distinguishable for several reasons. First, American Home concerned âa dispute between two professional liability carriers over their respective obligations to provide a defense to the same insured covered by a policy issued by each.â Id. at 138. In affirming the trial courtâs dismissal of the contribution action, the court considered two competing insurance policies. Here, Liberty Mutual is disputing coverage under the same policy that Pennsylvania Insurance claims entitles it to contributionâthe Liberty Policy. Indeed, the issue in American Home was whether one policy provided primary coverageâand the otherâexcess coverage. See Gen. Acc. Ins. Co. of America v. Safety Nat. Cas. Corp., No. 92-4150, at *5 n.6 (E.D. Pa. Aug. 30, 1993) (âAmerican Home concerned two primary carriers with concurrent duties to defend and rights to control.â). Next, the case involved a malpractice insurer for an attorney bringing an action against the attorneyâs firm for contribution in defending the attorney, which is not the case here. Also, the carrier in American Home waited over four years to seek indemnification and/or contribution. Here, Pennsylvania Insurance waited 8 months. Moreover, in American Home there was no verdict in the underlying trial. Additionally, in Jefferson Ins. Co. v. Health Care Ins. Exch., which Liberty Mutual did not cite in its reconsideration brief, the New Jersey Appellate Division found American Home unpersuasive because the case âdoes not discuss at all the obligation of a concurrent carrier to contribute to a settlement.â 247 N.J. Super. 241, 245 (N.J. Sup. App. Div. 1991). There, the court held that a âsettling carrier has a cause of action against a non-settling carrier for contribution to a settlement effected on behalf of their common insured.â Id. at 247. Further, in citing American Home, this court held that âan insurerâs duty to defend accrues when proper demand is made.â Sentry Select Insurance Company v. Clark, No. 20- 9754, 2021 WL 2472705, at *9 (D.N.J. June 17, 2021) (internal quotations, brackets, and citations omitted). Here, Liberty Mutual argues that it has no duty to contribute to the Silva Action, and not that its duty is triggered once Pennsylvania Insurance noticed Liberty Mutual. Because American Home does not undermine the Courtâs finding that genuine issues of material fact exist regarding whether âLiberty Mutual is required to indemnify Jacobs and contribute to the verdict entered against Jacobsâ (see Sept. 30 Op. at 12), the motion is denied. Finally, Liberty Mutual claims that the Court overlooked its arguments because the Court did not specifically address them in the September 30 Opinion. However, â[a]n argument is not deemed overlooked because it is not specifically addressed in a courtâs opinion.â Byrne v. Calastro, No. 5-68, 2006 WL 2506722, at *2 (D.N.J. Aug. 28, 2006) (citation omitted). Moreover, âargument[s] may be regarded as having been considered if it is presented to the court in written submissions and in oral argument.â Id. at *2 (citation omitted). The same is true here. Certainly, a âdistrict court cannot be shown to have overlooked an argument simply because the court does not expressly discuss it in an opinion.â Gutierrez v. Johnson & Johnson, 743 F. Supp. 2d 418, 423 (D.N.J. 2010) (citations omitted). Indeed, this court has similarly held. Compare High 5 Games, LLC v. Marks, No. 13-7161, 2019 WL 6828391, at *4 (D.N.J. May 30, 2019); and Hoover v. Sears Holding Corp., No. 16-4520, 2017 WL 3923295, at *7 (D.N.J. Sept. 7, 2017). Put simply, the Court need not list every argument it considered, and reconsideration is not a vehicle by which a party is free to restate its prior arguments. 3. The Court Did Not Rely on Presumed Facts not in the Record Liberty Mutual raises additional arguments that Jacobs is not an additional insured because âonly a tortured misreading of different provisions of the Turnpike Contract that use the words âindemnified partiesâ, would include Jacobs as an âIndemnified Party.ââ (Mem. of Law at 18). Further, that reconsideration is triggered because the Court âdid not findâ reasonable Liberty Mutualâs âinterpretationâ of the Turnpike Authority contract. (Id. at 18-22). In short, Liberty Mutualâs disagreement with the September 30 Opinion is not a basis for reconsideration. See Local Civil Rule 7.1(i); Maxâs Seafood CafĂ© by Lou Ann, Inc., 176 at 677.7 7 It is also âsettled that any ambiguity or contradiction in an insurance policy [m]ust be construed against the insurer, and in a manner which is more favorable to coverage.â Buntin v. Contât Ins. Co., 583 F.2d 1201, 1207 (3d Cir. 1978) (citations omitted). Thus, âif there is more than one reasonable reading of a policy provision,â as is the case Liberty Mutual concedes that it did not argue in its opening brief that the terms of the contract with the Turnpike Authority are ambiguous to require entry of summary judgment. (Compare Sept. 30 Op. at 11; and Mem. of Law at 18; see also, gen., ECF No. 44-3). Liberty Mutual cited authority that provides that the contract terms should be enforced if they are clear. (ECF No. 52 at 13-14). In finding that the terms called for Jacobs to be an additional insured, the Court determined that the terms were clear and unambiguous. Finally, the portion of Liberty Mutualâs footnote cited in the September 30 Opinion (Id. at 10), quotes Liberty Mutualâs cross-motion brief. (ECF No. 46-1 at 4 n.1). There, Liberty Mutual argues that Jacobs âbreached the Duties In the Event of Accident, Claim, Suit or Loss Condition of the Liberty [] Policy by failing to give prompt notice. . . .â (Sept. 30 Op. at 16). In the September 30 Opinion, the Court stated that â[i]n suggesting Jacobs breached the Liberty Policy, Liberty Mutual appears to acknowledge that Jacobs is bound by its terms.â (Ibid.). This is similarly not a basis for reconsideration. See Andreyko, 993 F. Supp. 2d at 478 (âThe Court will grant a motion for reconsideration only where its prior decision has overlooked a factual or legal issue that may alter the disposition of the matter.â) (citations omitted). Accordingly, the motion is denied. V. CONCLUSION For the reasons set forth above, Liberty Mutualâs motion to reconsider (ECF No. 69) the September 30 Order is DENIED. An appropriate Order accompanies this Opinion. s/ Julien Xavier Neals DATED: August 15, 2024 JULIEN XAVIER NEALS United States District Judge here, âthat provision must be construed against the insurance company which has drafted it.â Id. at 1207 (citations omitted).
Case Information
- Court
- D.N.J.
- Decision Date
- August 15, 2024
- Status
- Precedential