FI LED U.S. COURT OF APPEALS ELEV ENT H CI RCUI T MARCH 3 1, 20 10
J OHN LEY CLERK [DO NOT PUBLISH]

IN THE UN ITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE ELE VENTH CIRCUIT

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
No. 0 9- 15 26 3 Non -Arg um en t Ca le nd ar

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D.C. Dock et No. 0 9- 60 92 2- CV-CM A

VOZZCOM, INC., a Flo rid a co rp or at io n,

Pl ai nt iff -Ap pe ll an t,

ve rs us

GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE COM PANY OF NEW YORK, a For ei gn Pro fit Co rp or at io n d .b.a. Great Am eri can Ins ur an ce,

Defen da nt -Ap pe ll ee.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

th e Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e So ut he rn Dis tri ct of F lo rid a

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (Ma rch 31 , 20 10 )

Befo re TJ OFLAT, W ILSON an d C OX, Circ ui t J ud ge s.

PER CURI AM:Voz zco m , In c., a cab le an d br oa db an d ou ts ou rci ng co m pa ny, ap pe al s th e gr an t

of su m m ary jud gm en t in fav or of Great Am eri can In su ran ce Co m pa ny of New Yor k

fo r Voz zco m ’s cl ai m fo r de cl arat or y rel ie f se ek in g a de te rm in at io n th at Great

Am eri can ha s a co nt ract ua l ob li ga ti on to co ve r de fen se co st s of a la wsu it fil ed ag ai ns t

Voz zco m by one of i ts for m er em

pl oyees. We affir m

.

Voz zco m ha d an em

pl oym en t pr act ic es li ab il it y po li cy wit h Bea zl ey In su ran ce

Co m pa ny, whi ch co ve red de fen se co st s in su it s by Voz zco m em pl oyees fo r vi ol at io ns

of wag e an d ho ur la ws. In Ju n e 2 00 7, Cl au di o Teix ei ra, a fo rm er Voz co m m cab le

in st al le r, su ed Voz z c o m a ll eg in g it de ni ed hi m ov ert im e co m pe ns at io n in vi ol at io n

of th e Fai r Lab o r S t a n da rd s Act (“ FLSA”). Bea zl y pa id th e co st s as so ci at ed wit h

de fen di ng th e Texe ir a su it

.

Voz zco m ’s in su ran ce po li cy wit h Bea zl ey th en ex pi red
, an d it ob t ai ne d a

si m il ar po li cy fro m Great Am eri can , whi ch co ve red th e pe rio d fro m Ja nu ary 1, 20 08

th ro ug h Decem

be r 31
, 20 08

. In Ja nu a r y 20 08
, Fran si sc o DaSi lv a, an ot he r fo rm er

cab le in st al le r, su ed Voz zco m

. The al le ga ti on s of th e DaS il va co m pl ai nt were si m il ar

to th e al le ga ti on s of th e Texe ir a co m pl ai nt

. Voz zco m so ug ht co ve rag e fo r th e de fen se

o f t h e Das il va la wsu it fro m bo th Bea zl ey an d Great Am eri can

. Bo th co mp a n i e s

de ni ed co ve rag e, an d Voz zco m de fen de d th e D a s i l v a cl ai m at it s own ex pe ns e. It

th en fil ed su it ag ai ns t Be azl ey an d Great Am eri can se ek in g a de cl arat or y jud gm en t

2as to each co mp a ny’ s ob li ga ti on s un de r th e in su ran ce po li ci es

. The co ur t gr an te d

su m m ary jud gm en t in fav or of Voz zco m as to B e a zl ey , an d ag ai ns t Voz zco m as to

Great Am er i c a n

. Voz

zc om, In c. v. Bea zl ey In s. Co

., No. 08 -6 20 44 -CIV, 20 09 W L

34 86 30 8, (S.D. Fl a. Ju ne 17
, 20 09 ). It fo un d th at th e al le ga ti on s in th e Ta ix ei ra an d

Das il va cl ai m s were “ rel at ed ” an d wer e to be co ns id ered fil ed at th e sa m e ti m e. Id

.

at *9

. The co ur t he ld th at th e Great Am eri can po li cy di d no t affo rd co ve rag e fo r th e

D as il va act io n be cau se it was de em ed to ha ve be en fil ed “ lo ng be fo re G r e a t

A mer ic an ’s po li cy cam e in to effe ct .” Id

. Bu t, it co nc lu de d th e Bea zl ey p o l i c y d i d

affo rd co ve rag e be cau se th e DaS il va act io n was fil ed wit hi n t h e p o l ic y ’s si xt y -d ay

win do w th at co ve red cla im s fi le d a fte r th e in su ran ce p ol ic y ex pi red

. Id

. at *8

.

In Ja nu ary 20 09
, Ri ch ard Ell io t, an ot he r fo rm er cab le in st al le r, su ed Voz zco m

.

The a l l e g a t i o n s in th e Ell io t co m pl ai nt are si m il ar to th os e m ad e in Texe ir a an d

DaS il va

. Voz zco m req ue st ed co ve rag e fro m Great Am eri can for th e d efen se of t he

Ell io t la wsu it

. Great Am eri can de ni ed co ve rag e, an d Voz zco m fil ed th is s ui t fo r

de cl arat or y rel ie f. Bo th pa rti es m ov ed fo r su m m ary jud gm en t. The di st ric t co ur t

co nc lu de d th at Great Am eri can was no t ob li ga te d un de r it s po li cy wit h Voz zco m to

pa y th e co st s of de fen di ng th e Ell io t la wsu it

. (R. 1- 30 at 16 .) So
, it gr an te d su m m ary

jud gm en t in fav or of Great Am eri can an d de ni ed Voz zco m ’s m ot io n fo r su m m ary

jud gm en t. (

Id

. ) Voz zco m

ap pe al s.

3The in su ran ce po li cy pr ov id es th at m ul ti pl e cl ai ms “ in vo lv in g th e sa m e

W ro ng fu l Act or Rel at ed Wr o n g f u l Acts ” are to be co ns id ered a si ng le cl ai m an d

sh al l be de em ed to ha ve be en m ad e on th e d a t e o n whi ch an y su ch cl ai m was fir st

m ad e o r o n w h i c h an y su ch act was rep or te d un de r th is po li cy or ot he r po li cy

pr ov id in g si m il ar co ve rag e. (R.1 -1 at 22 , 3 5; se e al so id

. at 19 (d efi ni ng W ro ng fu l

A c t an d Rel at ed W ro ng fu l Act) .) W e lo ok to th e al le ga ti on s in th e co m pl a i n t t o

de te rm in e whe th er Great Am eri can ha s a du ty to in su re. Se e Jo ne s v. Flo ri da In s.

Gua r. Ass ’n

, In c. , 90 8 So

. 2d 43 5, 44 2- 43 (Fl a. 20 05 ) (n ot in g th at a du ty t o i n su re

ari se s “ whe n th e c o mp l ai nt al le ge s fact s th at fai rly an d po te nt ia ll y br in g th e su it

wit hi n th e po li cy co ve rag e.”) W e fin d th a t t h e a l l e g at io ns in th e Ell io t act io n are

ne arl y i de nt ic al to an d, at th e ve ry le as t, are “ rel at ed ” to th os e in th e Tei xei ra an d

DaS il va act io ns

. ( Co mpa re R.1 -2 1 at Ex. A ( Tei xei ra co m

pl at in t) wi th R.1 -2 1 at Ex.

B ( DaS il va co m

pl ai nt ) an d R.1 -2 1 at Ex. E ( Ell io t co m pl ai nt ).) The pl ai nt iff

s in al l

th ree cas es are fo rm er cab le in st al l e r s w h o w or ke d fo r Voz zco m du rin g th e sa m e

ap pr oxi m at e tim e pe ri od, an d th e co m pl ai nt s al le ge si m il ar fact s an d FLSA vio la tio ns.

The refo re, we co nc lu de th at , un de r th e te rm s of th e po li cy , th e Tei xei ra , DaS il va , an d

Ell io t act io ns are to be co ns id ered a si ng le cla im . That cla im was fi rs t m ad e, at th e

la te st , in Ju ne 20 07 whe n th e Tei xei ra la wsu it was fil ed

. The Great Am eri can po li cy

pe rio d st art ed well aft er t h e Tei xei ra la wsu it was fil ed , s o Great Am eri can is un de r

4no du ty to de fen d th e Ell io t act io n. Hav in g co nc lu de d th at th e Ell io t cl ai m sh ou ld be

de em ed to ha ve be en m ad e be fo re th e in su ran ce po li cy be cam e effe ct iv e, we ne ed no t

co ns id er whe th er th e cl ai m is ex cl ude d unde r oth er pr ov is io ns in th e in su ran ce po li cy

.

W e ho ld th at th e di st ric t c o u r t d i d no t err in ho ld in g th at Great Am eri can is no t

ob li ga te d to de fen d th e Ell io t act io n an d by gr an ti ng su m m ary jud gm en t in it s fav or

.

AFFIR MED.

5