First Marine Insuran v. Scott ( 2000 )

F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
SEP 18 2000
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
FIRST MARINE INSURANCE
COMPANY,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
No. 99-5163
v. (D.C. No. 97-CV-113-E)
(N.D. Okla.)
JIM D. SCOTT; BRENDA SCOTT;
BANCFIRST, sued as: City Bank and
Trust Company of Oklahoma City,
now Bancfirst, f/k/a City Bank and
Trust Company of Oklahoma City,
Defendants-Third-Party-
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
v.
STEVE YOUNG,
Third-Party-Defendant-
Appellee.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before BRORBY, PORFILIO, and MURPHY , Circuit Judges.
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court
generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order
and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination of
this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is
therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
This appeal presents a boat insurance issue arising in a declaratory
judgment action. Defendants the Scotts bought a boat costing approximately
$157,000, but bought insurance only for $85,000, the amount they borrowed from
defendant Bancfirst. During a windstorm on Grand Lake in Oklahoma, the boat
sustained approximately $72,000 in damage which, the Scotts say, was mostly
cosmetic damage. The Scotts filed a claim on their insurance policy, and First
Marine informed them that the loss plus the boat’s estimated $50,000 salvage
value exceeded the stated value of the boat, $85,000, and that, under the policy
language, it could pay the policy limits and take the boat as salvage to offset its
loss on the claim.
First Marine filed this declaratory judgment action to determine its liability.
The Scotts, in turn, sued their insurance agent, Steve Young. They argued that
Mr. Young: (1) had told them that the boat would be self-insured for any loss
greater than $85,000; (2) never gave them a copy of the policy with the salvage
provision in it before they bought it; and (3) admitted after this problem arose that
he did not understand the salvage provision.
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The district court issued three orders, issuing its first decision in response
to cross-motions for summary judgment from First Marine and the Scotts and
Bancfirst. The court held that the policy language supported First Marine’s view
of the case and that First Marine was entitled to summary judgment. The court
was not persuaded by the Scotts’ argument that the agent’s letter confirming that
the boat was underinsured affected the valuation provision of the policy, which
ties First Marine’s rights and obligations to the amount of insurance on the
declarations page, not the value of the boat. It was also not persuaded by the
Scotts’ argument that the term “salvage” was ambiguous and should be construed
against First Marine. It held that the Scotts were urging a different definition
than the ordinary use of the word, and that its cases were inapposite. Finally, the
court held that the Scotts were responsible for reading and knowing the terms of
the policy.
In response to defendants’ motion for clarification and for reconsideration,
the district court issued its second decision. The court explained that a salvage
value of as little as $15,000, added to the estimated repair cost of over $70,000,
would reach the policy limit of $85,000. The court concluded, based on
defendants’ arguments rather than on evidence challenged by defendants as
inadmissible hearsay, that the salvage value of the boat was at least $15,000. As
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a result, the district court denied the Scott’s motion for reconsideration of its
prior decision that First Marine was entitled to summary judgment.
The district court issued its final decision in response to cross-motions for
summary judgment from Steve Young and the Scotts and Bancfirst. The court
held that Mr. Young was entitled to summary judgment on the Scotts’ state-law
fraud and negligence claims against him. It found that the evidence supported
Mr. Young’s view of the case, which was that the Scotts wanted insurance only
for the bank’s interest in the boat, and that is exactly what he obtained for them.
The court rejected the Scotts’ argument that Mr. Young had a duty to read and
explain the policy to them. Considering that the evidence showed that the Scotts
had the policy within days after the effective date and more than two years before
the windstorm damaged their boat, the court held that they should have read the
policy for themselves. The court found the cases the Scotts offered in support of
their position to be inapposite. As a consequence of finding that Mr. Young had
no duty to explain the policy to the Scotts, the court concluded that he was also
not liable for constructive fraud or negligent misrepresentation.
On appeal, the Scotts argue that the district court erred in granting summary
judgment in favor of First Marine and Steve Young, in denying the Scott’s motion
for partial summary judgment, and in denying the Scott’s motion to reconsider.
“We review a grant of summary judgment de novo, applying the same legal
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standard as the district court.” Myers v. Oklahoma County Bd. of County
Comm’rs , 151 F.3d 1313, 1316 (10th Cir. 1998). Summary judgment is
appropriate “if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and
admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no
genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to
a judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c).
We have carefully reviewed the district court’s orders in light of the
parties’ briefs and the record on appeal. We find no error in the district court’s
reasoning. As First Marine points out, the Scotts are relying on principles of
maritime law in cases arising under federal admiralty jurisdiction to make their
argument about the definition of salvage. In the absence of an argument
supported by facts showing that Grand Lake is navigable, these cases are
inapplicable because admiralty jurisdiction cannot arise. See, e.g. , LeBlanc v.
Cleveland , 198 F.3d 353, 356 (2d Cir. 1999) (discussing Jerome B. Grubart, Inc.
v. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. , 513 U.S. 527, 534 (1995)).
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Therefore, for substantially the same reasons as those set forth in the
district court’s orders dated September 21, 1998, January 13, 1999, and July 12,
1999, the judgment of the United States District Court for the Northern District of
Oklahoma is AFFIRMED.
Entered for the Court
Michael R. Murphy
Circuit Judge
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