T. ALEC RIGBY, APPELLANT,
v.
UNDERWRITERS AT LLOYD'S, LONDON, APPELLEE

Fla. 3d DCA | 2005-05-25
No. 3D04-1202
Before GERSTEN, FLETCHER and RAMIREZ, JJ.
907 So. 2d 1187 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (2005) Caution
Cited by 3 cases

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Holding

The court held that the insured versus insured exclusion in the Directors and Officers liability policy did not apply to a claim brought by a bankruptcy trustee, even though the trustee was later added as an insured.


Headnotes

[1] An insured versus insured exclusion in a Directors and Officers liability policy does not apply when a trustee, acting in their statutory capacity on behalf of creditors,…

[2] A trustee's endorsement as an insured under an insurance policy does not alter their distinct legal capacity and duties when acting on behalf of creditors.

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Facts & Procedural History

A bankruptcy trustee, Kapila, sued former officer Rigby for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty. Rigby sought coverage under a D&O policy issued b…

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Opinion of the Court
FLETCHER, Judge.

FLETCHER, Judge.

T. Alec Rigby seeks reversal of the trial court’s decision denying insurance coverage under a policy issued by Underwriters At Lloyd’s, London. The trial court concluded that the plain language1 of the policy unambiguously excludes coverage of Rigby’s claim. We disagree and reverse.

Rigby is a former president and director of Atlas Environmental, Inc., which was in the business of operating landfill facilities and providing petroleum soil decontamination and trucking services. In 1997 Atlas filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief, which, in 1999, was converted to Chapter 7, at which time Soneet Kapila was appointed permanent Chapter 7 trustee.

Prior to the bankruptcy filing, Lloyd’s issued a Directors and Officers Liability and Company Reimbursement policy2 to Atlas, and continued to issue renewals of the policy during the bankruptcy proceedings. After his appointment as permanent Chapter 7 trustee Kapila requested that Lloyd’s list him as an insured under the policy. In response Lloyd’s, for an additional premium, issued endorsements to the policy, adding Kapila as an insured.

In 2000 Kapila, specifically as trustee, filed an adversary complaint against Rigby on behalf of Atlas’ creditors in the bankruptcy proceeding for Rigby’s negligence and breach of his fiduciary duties as an Atlas officer.3 Rigby sought defense and indemnity of the trustee’s claim from Lloyd’s pursuant to the directors and officers liability policy. In response Lloyd’s denied coverage under the policy’s insured versus insured exclusionary clause.4 The clause provides:

“[Lloyd’s] shall not be liable to make any payment in connection with any Claim:
F. by, on behalf of, or at the direction of any of the Assureds, except and to the extent such Claim is brought derivatively by a security holder of the Company who, when such Claim is first made, is acting independently of all of the Assureds.”

Under the definition provisions of the policy “Assureds means the Company and the Directors and Officers.” “The Directors and Officers” as originally defined are:

“Directors and Officers means all persons who were, now are, or shall be directors or officers of the Company including their estates, heirs, legal representatives or assigns in the event or their death or bankruptcy.”

As we previously noted, after Kapila was appointed as permanent Chapter 7 trustee, he requested that Lloyd’s list him as an insured, which Lloyd’s did by definition amendment:

“IN CONSIDERATION of the premium charged for this Certificate, it is hereby understood and agreed that Clause II. DEFINITIONS G. is deleted and the following is substituted therefor:

G. Directors and Officers means any persons who were, now are or shall be

(1) Directors or Officers of the Company, or

(2) Soneet Kapila.”5

Lloyd’s argues that Kapila is an officer or director, therefore Rigby, as a fellow officer or director, was excluded from the Lloyd’s policy coverage pursuant to the insured vs. insured exclusion. We do not agree. Kapila’s endorsement as an officer or director did not detract from his function as trustee. Kapila as trustee had filed suit against Rigby on behalf of Atlas’ creditors, based upon his statutory duty as trustee under 11 U.S.C. §§ 704(1) and 704(4)6 to collect and reduce to money the property of the debtor’s estate for the benefit of the debtor’s creditors. Kapila did not bring the adversary action acting as an officer or director. As a result the insured versus insured exclusion did not apply.

The declaratory judgment of no coverage is reversed and the cause is remanded for further proceedings consistent herewith.

. Under Florida law, the words utilized in an insurance policy are to be given their plain and ordinary meaning. Sphinx Int'l, Inc. v. National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, PA., 226 F. Supp. 2d 1326 (M.D.Fla.2002); Thomas v. Prudential Prop. & Cas., 673 So. 2d 141 (Fla. 5th DCA 1996).

. A directors and officers liability and company reimbursement policy provides, inter alia, financial protection for corporate directors and officers in the event they are sued in conjunction with the performance of their duties as they relate to the company.

. The style of the adversary complaint against Rigby was In Re: Atlas Environmental, Inc; Soneet R. Kapila, as trustee v. T. Alec Rigby.

. After which Rigby agreed to entry of judgment against him in the adversary action brought by Me trustee and filed the instant action against Lloyd's seeking a declaration of coverage.

. As in the original definition, the new definition includes "their estates, heirs, legal representatives or assigns in the event of their death, incapacity or bankruptcy."

. Which reads in pertinent part:

"(a) The trustee shall—

(1) collect and reduce to money the property of the estate for which such trustee serves ...

(4) investigate the financial affairs of the debtor; ...”


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Citator

Cited By

  • Bethel v. Sec. Nat'l Ins. Co., 949 So. 2d 219 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006)
    …contracts are construed in accordance with the plain language of the policies .... ”). Furthermore, under Florida law, the words used in an insurance policy are to be given their plain and ordinary meaning. Rigby v. Underwriters At Lloyd’s, London, 907 So. 2d 1187,1188, n. 1 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005). Giving the words their ordinary import, we conclude that a “family member” is the same thing as a “member of the family” and that this is clear from the plain meaning of the words in the policy. State Farm Fire & Cas.…
  • …PER CURIAM. We originally accepted jurisdiction to review Rigby v. Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London, 907 So. 2d 1187 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005), pursuant to article V, section 3(b)(3) [*1184] of the Florida Constitution. Upon further consideration, we have determined that jurisdiction was improvidently granted. Accordingly, this review proceeding is hereby dismissed. It…
  • Durant v. James, 189 So. 3d 993 (Fla. 1st DCA 2016)
    …the policy as any demand “against an Insured Person for a Wrongful Act.” The fact that Durant and James each meet the policy’s definition of “insured person” was also not disputed. However, Durant relies on Rigby v. Underwriters At Lloyd’s, London, 907 So. 2d 1187 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005), for his position that his claim against James is covered by the D & 0 policy because the claim was not brought in Durant’s capacity as a director or former director of the company, but in his personal capacity under a money judgm…

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