Opinion ID: 535590
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing and CUTPA and CUIPA

Text: 20 West Haven contends that statements by Commercial Union's attorney in letters to its client, which expressed hope that West Haven would lose its appeals from the officers' claims, breached the duty of good faith and fair dealing. We agree with the district court that a claim involving a duty of good faith and fair dealing sounds in tort, see Doyle v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 583 F.Supp. 554, 555 (D.Conn.1984) (applying Connecticut law), and is properly governed by Connecticut's three-year general tort statute of limitations. See Conn.Gen.Stat. Sec. 52-577. We also agree that inasmuch as the duty in tort stemmed from the continuing contractual duty to defend, it was of a continuing nature. We find, however, for the same reasons discussed above, that the duty was not terminated by Plainville with respect to the awards from which appeals were taken. The Collins appeal and the apparent Spragg appeal kept Commercial Union's liability in doubt until March 1989 and July 1984 respectively, both within the three-year limitations period. With respect to the Cerillo award, which was not appealed, West Haven points to no evidence of bad faith within the limitations period. 21 A similar analysis and result applies to the CUTPA and CUIPA claims. We agree with the district court that the three-year limitations period applies to the CUTPA claim, see Conn.Gen.Stat. Sec. 42-110g(f), and that at the maximum a six-year limitations period applies to the CUIPA claim. Because the alleged CUTPA and CUIPA violations parallel the breach of contract claim, we find that this contract creates a special relationship sufficient for tolling the statute of limitations. See Fichera, 207 Conn. at 210, 541 A.2d at 474. 22 Therefore, in regard to the good faith and fair dealing claim and the claims under CUTPA and CUIPA, we reverse as to the Collins award, remand as to the Spragg award, and affirm as to the Cerillo award, with identical accompanying instructions as for our disposition of the duty-to-defend claim above.