Opinion ID: 749839
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Dismissal Under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(c)

Text: 10 The district court found that Ashland's complaint alleged a series of knowing and intentional acts, including misrepresentation, fraud, willful breach of contract, knowing violations of the tariff and conspiracy. It held that Montana's public policy and accepted standards of fair play would be violated if Enron were permitted to benefit from its intentional and willful acts by recovering indemnity for the Ashland settlement. 11 We do not need to reach the issue of Montana's public policy. A district court will render a 'judgment on the pleadings when the moving party clearly establishes on the face of the pleadings that no material issue of fact remains to be resolved and that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.'  George v. Pacific-CSC Work Furlough, 91 F.3d 1227, 1229 (9th Cir.1996) (quoting Yanez v. United States, 63 F.3d 870, 872 (9th Cir.1995)), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 117 S.Ct. 746, 136 L.Ed.2d 684 (1997). Judgment may only be granted when the pleadings show that it is 'beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.'  B.F. Goodrich v. Betkoski, 99 F.3d 505, 529 (2d Cir.1996) (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 101-02, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957)); see also Alexander v. City of Chicago, 994 F.2d 333, 336 (7th Cir.1993). 12 Enron's complaint states a claim for breach of the insurance contract; it alleges coverage and refusal to indemnify in breach of the contract. The complaint in the underlying action shows that Ashland's claims were not limited to the intentional wrongful acts to which the district court adverted, but also included claims for negligence and strict liability not barred by Montana's public policy. Enron would be entitled to prove in this action that the settlement payment was, in whole or in part, attributable to the negligence and strict liability claims; it would be entitled to prove that the claims based on intentional acts were not factors--or were minor factors--in the settlement because they lacked merit. It was not required to allege in its complaint the evidentiary facts in support of its theory of recovery. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a) (A pleading ... shall contain ... (2) a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief ....). 2 See also Trustees, Missoula County Sch. Dist. No. 1 v. Pacific Employer's Ins. Co., 263 Mont. 121, 866 P.2d 1118, 1122-23 (1993) (stating that [a]s a general rule, an insurance company must look to the allegations of a complaint to determine if a loss is covered, and finding the potential for damages based on negligence, covered by the policy, sufficient to require insurer to cover loss despite applicable exclusion for other theories of recovery). Even if Montana's public policy provided a defense, it did not entitle defendants to judgment on the pleadings.