Opinion ID: 2327368
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Underlying Civil Action Against Viking Stone

Text: The insurance coverage dispute at issue in this case stems from a civil action brought by Ronald Destremps and Mildred Destremps against Viking Stone and a principal of that corporation, Frank Mello, and his wife Shirley Mello. The Destremps filed their complaint in September of 2007 in the Superior Court for Newport County. [2] In the first count of their complaint, the Destremps averred that they were the owners of real property located at 1570 Fish Road in Tiverton, and they further averred that their property was directly across the street from a quarry located at 1635 Fish Road, which quarry was owned and operated by Viking Stone. The complaint alleged that Frank Mello was actively involved in the operation of the quarry and that the Mellos owned other property on Fish Road adjacent to the Viking Stone property that was used in connection with the quarry operation. The complaint further alleged that Viking Stone had begun its quarry operation on Fish Road in or about 2001. The complaint then set forth the following allegation: Over the years since then, Viking Stone and defendant Frank Mello have caused water containing contaminants from the quarry operation to cross over and under Fish Road from their respective properties and onto the Destremps' property. The Destremps further alleged that, [a]s a result, numerous trees and other vegetation on their property had been killed; in addition, they alleged that the foundation of their home had been infiltrated by the contaminated water; and they also alleged, on information and belief, that the quality of the soils and well on their property had been impaired. The Destremps also alleged that water from Viking Stone's quarry operation [from] time to time has flooded Fish Road causing the road to be impassable and dangerous. The first count of the complaint additionally alleged that the Destremps had requested that defendants take action to prevent water from the quarry operation to continue to flood their property, but it then averred that defendants had failed and refused to do so. The Destremps asserted that, as a result of what they alleged in their complaint, their property continue[d] to be damaged   . They further alleged that, unless defendants were enjoined from depositing water under and over Fish Road onto their property, they would suffer further irreparable harm. The second count of the Destremps' complaint incorporated all of the allegations contained in the first count and then proceeded to further allege that [t]he flooding condition caused by Viking Stone's quarry operations constitute[d] a public and/or private nuisance. The Destremps requested that the court enjoin defendants from causing water from [the] quarry operation to be deposited on, over, and under Fish Road [and] onto their property, and they also sought an award of compensatory damages, punitive damages in the amount of $1 million, and attorneys' fees. At the time that the Destremps filed their complaint in the underlying civil action (September of 2007), Viking Stone was insured by Employers, the plaintiff in the instant case. Arbella, the defendant in the instant case, had previously provided insurance coverage to Viking Stone under a commercial general liability policy from March 30, 1999 through November 6, 2002. It appears that Viking Stone was uninsured from the latter date until March 30, 2004at which time Employers began to provide it with insurance coverage, also under a commercial general liability policy. Both the Arbella and the Employers commercial general liability policies provided coverage for property damage which was caused by an `occurrence' and which took place during the policy period. Significantly, both policies defined an occurrence as being an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful conditions. B