FOR PUBLICATION
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEES:
JAMES N. SCAHILL JULIE L. MICHAELIS
Schnorr, Good, Scahill & Maier Wooden & McLaughlin
Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana
LAWRENCE W. GASTON, JR.
JAMES P. CAVANAUGH, III
Moore & Gaston
Indianapolis, Indiana
R.N. THOMPSON & ASSOCIATES, INC., )
)
Appellant-Defendant, )
)
vs. ) No. 49A05-9609-CV-362
)
MONROE GUARANTY INSURANCE )
COMPANY and COMMERCIAL UNION )
INSURANCE COMPANY, )
)
Appellees-Plaintiffs. )
BARTEAU, Judge
We affirm.
Monroe and CU both issued CGL policies to Thompson. Both insurers' policies agree
to pay sums that Thompson becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of
"property damage" to which the insurance applies, and both impose a duty on the insurer to
defend Thompson in suits seeking those damages. The insurance applies to "property
damage" only if the property damage is caused by an "occurrence," and it defines
"occurrence" as an "accident, including continuous exposure to substantially the same
general harmful conditions." E.g., R. at 1163.
Thompson demanded that Monroe and CU defend it in the action by Sandpiper Bay,
and that they indemnify Thompson for any judgment entered in the action. Monroe and CU
then moved for summary judgment. Both motions asserted that the only damages claimed
by Sandpiper Bay were for economic loss, and not "property damage" caused by an
"occurrence." The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Monroe and CU,
concluding that Sandpiper was claiming only "economic loss," which cannot be considered
property damage,See footnote
2
and that the damages were not covered because they did not arise from
an "accident."
In reviewing the grant of a summary judgment motion, we apply the same standard
applicable in the trial court. Summary judgment is proper only when there is no genuine
issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of
law. Ind. Trial Rule 56(C). We do not weigh the evidence, but will consider the facts in
the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Grose v. Bow Lanes, Inc., 661 N.E.2d
1220, 1224 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996). We must reverse the grant of a summary judgment
motion if the record discloses an incorrect application of the law to those facts. Ayres v.
Indian Heights Volunteer Fire Dept, Inc., 493 N.E.2d 1229, 1234 (Ind. 1986). However,
if there is no genuine issue of material fact, we will affirm a summary judgment based on
any theory supported by the record. Anderson v. Horizon Homes, Inc., 644 N.E.2d 1281,
1289 (Ind. Ct. App. 1995), trans. denied. On appeal from a grant of summary judgment,
the burden is on the appellant to prove the trial court erred in determining there were no
genuine issues of material fact and that the moving party was entitled to judgment as a
matter of law. Welch v. Scripto-Tokai Corp., 651 N.E.2d 810, 813 (Ind. Ct. App. 1995).
plywood roofing material Thompson installed, such loss is not "property damage" as
contemplated by the provisions of a CGL policy.
We note at the outset that the language in the Monroe and CU policies is standard
language found in the great majority of CGL policies written in this country. These
provisions were developed in 1940 and have been periodically revised since, and they have
become an established norm of underwriting policy.
Weedo v. Stone-E-Brick, Inc., 405
A.2d 788, 790
(N.J. 1979).
Because of the uniformity of language in CGL policies, we find
factually similar decisions from courts elsewhere to be particularly persuasive.
The great weight of that authority is to the effect that CGL policies cover the
possibility that the goods, products, or work of the insured, once relinquished or completed,
will cause bodily injury or damage to property other than to the product or completed work
itself, and for which injury or damage the insured might be exposed to liability. The
coverage is for tort liability for physical damages to others, and not for contractual liability
of the insured for economic loss suffered because the completed work is not what the
damaged person bargained for. See, e.g., Weedo, 405 A.2d at 791; Bor-Son Bldg. Corp. v.
Employers Commercial Union Ins. Co., 323 N.W.2d 58, 63 (Minn. 1982); Vernon Williams
and Son Constr., Inc., v. Continental Ins. Co., 591 S.W.2d 760, 763 (Tenn. 1979).
This interpretation of the extent of CGL coverage is premised on the idea that an
insured contractor's work gives rise to two different types of risk. Typically, a contractor
holds himself out as being capable of completing the bargained-for construction in a
workmanlike manner. At the same time, the property owner relies upon that representation
and anticipates suitable goods and services. When the contractor's work is faulty, either
express or implied warranties are breached, and a dissatisfied customer may recover the cost
of repair or replacement of the faulty work from the contractor as the standard measure of
damages for breach of warranty. Weedo, 405 A.2d at 791. This consequence of not
performing well is part of every business venture, and the repair or replacement of faulty
goods and work is a business expense, to be borne by the contractor in order to satisfy
customers. Id.
But there is also a second kind of risk inherent in a contractor's line of work; that is,
injury to people and damage to property caused by faulty workmanship. This type of
accidental injury to persons or property can expose the contractor to almost limitless liability.
Id. And while the same neglectful craftsmanship can result in both a business expense of
repair or replacement and a loss represented by damage to persons or property, id.; Indiana
Ins. Co. v. DeZutti, 408 N.E.2d 1275, 1279 (Ind. 1980), the two results are vastly different
in relation to sharing the costs of such risks as a matter of insurance underwriting.
The Weedo court explained the distinction between "business risks" and occurrences
which give rise to insurable liability:
When a craftsman applies stucco to an exterior wall of a home in a faulty
manner and discoloration, peeling and chipping result, the poorly-performed
work will perforce have to be replaced or repaired by the tradesman or by a
surety. On the other hand, should the stucco peel and fall from the wall, and
thereby cause injury to the homeowner or his neighbor standing below or to
a passing automobile, an occurrence of harm arises which is the proper subject
of risk-sharing as provided by the type of policy before us in this case. The
happenstance and extent of the latter liability is entirely unpredictable[;] the
neighbor could suffer a scratched arm or a fatal blow to the skull from the
peeling stonework. Whether the liability of the businessman is predicated
upon warranty theory or, preferably and more accurately, upon tort concepts,
injury to persons and damage to other property constitute the risks intended to
be covered under the CGL.
Id. So, a claim limited to remedying faulty workmanship or materials, like the Association's
claim against Thompson, does not involve "physical injury to tangible property," or "property
damage." See Vernon Williams & Son, 591 S.W.2d at 763 (holding that such a claim does
not involve property damage defined as "injury to or destruction of tangible property").
Our supreme court followed Weedo in DeZutti, where the court determined that the
CGL policy at issue did not provide coverage to include reimbursement to a builder for
expenditures required to correct, repair, or replace his own poor workmanship.See footnote
4
408 N.E.2d
at 1279. There, a general contractor and his subcontractorsSee footnote
5
built a home in 1967 and sold
it to the DeZuttis. The DeZuttis sued the contractor several years later, alleging that cracking
in the bricks and mortar resulted from improper construction of the building's footings. The
supreme court found the damage was not covered by the contractor's CGL policy:
[T]he costs attendant upon the repair or replacement of the insured's own
faulty work is part of every business venture and is a business expense to be
borne by the insured-contractor in order to satisfy customers. It is a business
risk long excluded by comprehensive liability policies. Another form of risk
in the insured-contractor's line of work is injury to people and damage to other
property caused by the contractor's negligence or defective product. It is this
risk which the policy in question covers.
Id. at 1279.
We reached the same result in Aetna Life & Cas. v. Patrick Indus., 645 N.E.2d 656
(Ind. Ct. App. 1995), trans. denied. Patrick, the insured, bought particle board from a
supplier and glued a vinyl covering onto it. Patrick then sold the particle board to Fleetwood,
a manufacturer who installed the particle board in camper trailers. The vinyl began peeling
off the installed particle board, apparently because of defects in the particle board itself.
Fleetwood manufactured non-defective replacements and replaced the defective products at
a cost of about $200,000. Patrick settled with Fleetwood and sought coverage from Aetna
under a standard CGL policy which defines "property damage" in the same words as does
the Thompson policy at issue here.
We decided that summary judgment in favor of the insurer was appropriate because
the diminution in value to Fleetwood's campers resulting from the insured's defective
products was not "property damage" as defined in the CGL policy.See footnote
6
Id. at 660. Because "the
commercial parties bargain for limited coverage in exchange for modest premiums," id. at
662, we declined to hold that "physical injury will be deemed to occur every time a defective
component is integrated into another's tangible property." Id.
Because Thompson's claim arises from economic loss suffered by the Association, and
not from damage to property other than the contractor's completed work itself, there was no
"property damage" covered by Thompson's CGL policies.
an "accident" and thus was not the result of an "occurrence."See footnote
8
Rather, the claim against the
bank arose from a professional relationship, and not from an accident. Id. Similarly, the
economic losses alleged by the Association arise out of the contractual relationship of the
Association and Thompson, and not from an "occurrence."
The construction of the terms "occurrence" and "accident" in the context of a CGL
policy appears to be a question of first impression in Indiana, so we again turn to authorities
elsewhere for guidance in interpreting these standard provisions. In Hawkeye-Security Ins.
Co. v. Vector Const. Co., 460 N.W.2d 329 (Mich. Ct. App. 1990), the court addressed a CGL
policy definition of "occurrence" similar to that in the Thompson policies.See footnote
9
Vector, the
insured contractor, performed concrete work with concrete supplied to it by a subcontractor.
The concrete failed to comply with specifications, so Vector had to remove 13,000 yards of
concrete and pour new concrete. Hawkeye, Vector's insurer, denied coverage, and the trial
court granted summary judgment for Hawkeye, holding that the defect in the concrete was
not an "occurrence." The appellate court affirmed, finding there was no reasonable basis in
the policy language for Vector to expect coverage for defective workmanship. Id. at 334.
In Indiana Insurance Co. v. Hydra Corp., 615 N.E.2d 70 (Ill. App. Ct. 1993), the court
also found that an alleged breach of contract with a third party was not an "occurrence" as
contemplated by a CGL policy. Hydra contracted to build an industrial building for a third
party. It was sued after cracks appeared in the concrete floor, and the exterior of the building
became unsightly because of loose paint. The trial court found Indiana Insurance had no
duty to defend Hydra, and the appellate court affirmed. The court noted that the natural and
ordinary consequences of an act are not an "accident," id. at 73, and characterized the
cracking floors and peeling paint as "the natural and ordinary consequences of installing
defective concrete flooring and applying the wrong type of paint." Id.
Similarly, the degradation of the fire-resistant plywood used as roof decking in the
Sandpiper units was also the natural and ordinary consequence of the work done by
Thompson or under its supervision. The process of "acid hydrolosis" which degraded the
plywood was the result of increased temperature, inadequate ventilation, and moisture
accumulation in the attic area because the roof systems were installed without proper
ventilation. R. at 951-56.
Like the actions in Indiana Insurance and Vector, the Association's action against
Thompson is one for breach of contract arising from faulty workmanship and design, and
from use of defective materials. Furthermore, the economic losses suffered by the
Association are the natural and ordinary consequences of Thompson's breach. Because
a
typical CGL policy "does not cover an accident of faulty workmanship but rather faulty
workmanship which causes an accident," DeZutti, 408 N.E.2d at 1279, (quoting Weedo, 405
A.2d at 796), the Association's losses did not arise from an "occurrence" and are not covered
by Thompson's CGL policies.
Converted from WP6.1 by the Access Indiana Information Network