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Electronically Filed
Supreme Court
SCCQ-14-0000727
29-JUN-2015
10:56 AM
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF HAWAII
---o0o---
________________________________________________________________
ST. PAUL FIRE & MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY,
a Minnesota corporation, Plaintiff-Appellant,
vs.
LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY,
a Massachusetts corporation, Defendant-Appellee.
________________________________________________________________
SCCQ-14-0000727
ORIGINAL PROCEEDING
JUNE 29, 2015
RECKTENWALD, C.J., NAKAYAMA, McKENNA, POLLACK, AND WILSON, JJ.
OPINION OF THE COURT BY WILSON, J.
The United States District Court for the District of
Hawai‘i1 (district court) certified the following question to
this court:
1
The Honorable Helen Gillmor, United States District Judge,
presided.
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May an excess liability insurer bring a cause of action,
under the doctrine of equitable subrogation to the rights
of the insured, against a primary liability insurer for
failure to settle a claim against the mutual insured within
the limits of the primary liability policy, when the
primary insurer has paid its policy limit toward
settlement?
We modify the certified question slightly to hold that an excess
liability insurer can bring a cause of action, under the
doctrine of equitable subrogation, against a primary liability
insurer who in bad faith fails to settle a claim within the
limits of the primary liability policy, when the primary insurer
has paid its policy limit toward settlement.2
I. Background
The factual background relevant to a certified
question proceeding “is based primarily upon the information
certified to this court by the district court . . . .” Davis v.
Four Seasons Hotel Ltd., 122 Hawai‘i 423, 425, 228 P.3d 303, 305
(2010) (citing TMJ Hawaii, Inc. v. Nippon Trust Bank, 113 Hawai‘i
373, 374, 153 P.3d 444, 445 (2007)).
Plaintiff St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company
(St. Paul), the excess insurer, and Defendant Liberty Mutual
2
The district court’s “phrasing of the question[] should not
restrict [this] court’s consideration of the problems and issues involved.”
Allstate Ins. Co. v. Alamo Rent–A–Car, Inc., 137 F.3d 634, 637 (9th Cir.
1998) (first alteration in original) (citation omitted). This court “may
reformulate the relevant state law questions as it perceives them to be, in
light of the contentions of the parties.” Id. (citation omitted) (internal
quotation marks omitted).
2
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Insurance Company (Liberty Mutual), the primary insurer, issued
insurance policies to Pleasant Travel Service, Inc. dba Royal
Kona Resort and Hawaiian Hotels and Resort (Pleasant Travel).
Pleasant Travel was insured from January 1, 2010 through January
1, 2011 by both St. Paul and Liberty Mutual. A primary insurer
provides insurance against liability risk from $0 up to the
limits of the policy. An excess insurer provides insurance
beyond the limits of the primary insurance policy. In this
case, the primary insurance policy covered up to $1 million.
In July 2010, Pleasant Travel was sued in the Circuit
Court of the Third Circuit for the State of Hawai‘i for damages
resulting from an accidental death.3 As the primary insurer,
Liberty Mutual appointed counsel to represent Pleasant Travel.
As the excess insurer, St. Paul alleges that Liberty Mutual
rejected multiple pretrial settlement offers within the $1
million limit of its primary liability policy.
The subsequent trial resulted in a finding of
liability against Pleasant Travel and a verdict of $4.1 million.
In 2012, after the verdict, the action was settled for a
3
Pleasant Travel was named as a defendant in the case entitled
Estate of Karen Celaya, et al. v. Pleasant Travel Service dba Royal Kona
Resort and Hawaiian Hotels and Resorts, et al., Case No. 10-01-265K.
3
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confidential amount in excess of the Liberty Mutual policy
limit. St. Paul claims that it paid the amount in excess.
On June 10, 2013, St. Paul filed a Complaint against
Liberty Mutual in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit for the
State of Hawai‘i (circuit court). St. Paul, the excess insurer,
alleged that Liberty Mutual, the primary insurer, acted in bad
faith by rejecting multiple settlement offers within the limit
of its primary liability policy. On July 22, 2013, Liberty
Mutual filed a Notice of Removal from the circuit court to the
district court.
The certified question arose following the filing of
Liberty Mutual’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings on
November 20, 2013, in which Liberty Mutual argued that St. Paul
lacked standing to assert a claim for insurer bad faith and that
St. Paul had no claim against Liberty Mutual for equitable
subrogation. On February 5, 2014, a hearing on the Motion for
Judgment on the Pleadings was held. The district court ordered
the parties to meet and confer to frame a question for
submission to this court. Because the parties were unable to
agree upon the question for submission, the district court
drafted the certified question.
4
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II. Standard of Review
This court has “jurisdiction and powers . . . [t]o
answer, in its discretion . . . any question or proposition of
law certified to it by a federal district or appellate court if
the supreme court shall so provide by rule[.]” Hawai‘i Revised
Statutes (HRS) § 602–5(a)(2) (Supp. 2010).
When a federal district or appellate court certifies to the
Hawai‘i Supreme Court that there is involved in any
proceeding before it a question concerning the law of
Hawai‘i that is determinative of the cause and that there is
no clear controlling precedent in the Hawai‘i judicial
decisions, the Hawai‘i Supreme Court may answer the
certified question by written opinion.
Hawai‘i Rules of Appellate Procedure Rule 13(a) (2010).
A question of law presented by a certified question is
reviewable de novo under the right/wrong standard of review.
Miller v. Hartford Life Ins. Co., 126 Hawai‘i 165, 173, 268 P.3d
418, 426 (2011) (citing Francis v. Lee Enters., Inc., 89 Hawai‘i
234, 236, 971 P.2d 707, 709 (1999)).
III. Discussion
We hold that St. Paul can bring a cause of action as
an excess insurer against Liberty Mutual, a primary insurer,
under the doctrine of equitable subrogation. Hawai‘i state
courts broadly apply the doctrine of equitable subrogation and
thus, allowing the excess insurer a cause of action here
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comports with our prior jurisprudence. Further, this broad
application is in line with the majority of jurisdictions, which
have recognized equitable subrogation claims under similar
circumstances. Finally, permitting an excess insurer to
subrogate to the rights of the insured, and assert a claim
against a primary insurer for a bad faith failure to settle a
claim within the limits of the primary liability policy,
protects the public interest in ensuring equity in insurance
matters and encouraging settlement.
A. Hawai‘i Case Law Supports a Broad Application of the
Doctrine of Equitable Subrogation
Hawai‘i has recognized the doctrine of equitable
subrogation as an appropriate remedy when equity demands.
Through subrogation, the subrogee “is put in all respects in the
place of the party to whose rights he is subrogated.” Peters v.
Weatherwax, 69 Haw. 21, 27, 731 P.2d 157, 161 (1987) (quoting
Kapena v. Kaleleonalani, 6 Haw. 579, 583 (Haw. Kingdom 1885))
(internal quotation mark omitted). Subrogation is a “creature
of equity jurisprudence,” and is “so administered as to secure
real and essential justice without regard to form[.]” Id.
(alteration in original) (citation omitted) (internal quotation
marks omitted).
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Equitable subrogation has a broad scope4 and we have
defined the doctrine as “broad enough to include every instance
in which one party pays a debt for which another is primarily
answerable, and which, in equity and good conscience, should
have been discharged by the latter[.]” Id. (alteration in
original) (citation omitted) (internal quotation mark omitted).
In considering this broad application, the district court has
previously explained that “[s]ubrogation is proper between a
primary and excess insurer.” Reliance Ins. Co. v. Doctors Co.,
299 F. Supp. 2d 1131, 1151 (D. Haw. 2003), aff’d sub nom.
Reliance Ins. Co. v. Doctors’ Co., 132 F. App’x 730 (9th Cir.
2005).
Notwithstanding the broad scope of equitable
subrogation, Liberty Mutual asserts that St. Paul’s claim should
be dismissed because “St. Paul has not paid a debt or satisfied
some liability for which another party . . . is primarily
responsible.” Liberty Mutual explains that it defended Pleasant
4
Courts apply the doctrine of equitable subrogation in a “broad
and expansive” manner to take account of the need for “justice and equity
[in] particular situations.” Seabright Ins. Co. v. Matson Terminals, Inc.,
828 F. Supp. 2d 1177, 1194 (D. Haw. 2011) (quoting Han v. United States, 944
F.2d 526, 529 (9th Cir. 1991)). In Seabright, for example, the district
court permitted an insurer to seek recovery of attorneys’ fees from the
defendant under the doctrine of equitable subrogation despite a lack of
relevant case law because “[c]ommon sense dictates here that, to find
otherwise, would result in grave inequity.” Id. at 1193.
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Travel against the accidental death claim and paid its liability
up to the primary policy limit. According to Liberty Mutual,
St. Paul did not pay for Liberty Mutual’s liability but “merely
discharged its own contractual obligations” to Pleasant Travel.
While it is true that St. Paul discharged its
obligations to Pleasant Travel, Liberty Mutual, as the primary
insurer, also had an obligation to Pleasant Travel to pursue
settlement. An insurer owes a duty of good faith and fair
dealing to its insured. See Best Place Inc. v. Penn Am. Ins.
Co., 82 Hawai‘i 120, 132, 920 P.2d 334, 346 (1996).5 A breach of
this duty includes an insurer’s unreasonable refusal to settle a
5
We have previously relied on contract law to establish an
insurer’s duty of good faith and fair dealing to its insured. See Best Place
Inc., 82 Hawai‘i at 123, 920 P.2d at 337 (explaining that the duty of good
faith and fair dealing was “implied in contracts”). This court also declined
to extend the duty of good faith and fair dealing to claimants not part of
the subject insurance contract. Simmons v. Puu, 105 Hawai‘i 112, 127, 94
P.3d 667, 682 (2004). Liberty Mutual argues that it owes no duty of good
faith and fair dealing to St. Paul because this duty is based on the
contractual relationship between the insurer and insured. St. Paul does not
argue that Liberty Mutual owes it a direct duty, however, but rather seeks to
apply the doctrine of equitable subrogation. Through equitable subrogation,
St. Paul “steps into the shoes” of Pleasant Travel to enforce Liberty
Mutual’s duty to Pleasant Travel to act in good faith. See State Farm Fire &
Cas. Co. v. Pac. Rent-All, Inc., 90 Hawai‘i 315, 329, 331, 978 P.2d 753, 767,
769 (1999).
To apply the doctrine of equitable subrogation, St. Paul does not
need a contract with Liberty Mutual. The doctrine of equitable subrogation
is a principle of equity that “arises out of a relationship that need not be
contractually based.” Id. at 328-29, 978 P.2d at 766-67 (comparing equitable
subrogation to conventional subrogation that arises out of a contract between
parties). As we have previously explained, equitable subrogation should be
administered “to secure real and essential justice without regard to form,
and is independent of any contractual relations between the parties to be
affected by it.” Kapena, 6 Haw. at 583 (emphasis added) (citation omitted).
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claim on behalf of the insured. Id. at 124, 920 P.2d at 338.
We have explained that “[e]ven if the ultimate judgment was in
excess of the policy limits, the insurer may still be liable for
the entire amount if its refusal to settle was unreasonable.”
Delmonte v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 90 Hawai‘i 39, 52 n.9,
975 P.2d 1159, 1172 n.9 (1999) (citing Crisci v. Security Ins.
Co., 426 P.2d 173 (Cal. 1967) (in bank)). Applying the doctrine
of equitable subrogation in this context permits an excess
insurer to hold a primary insurer to its obligation to the
insured.
Upholding Liberty Mutual’s characterization of St.
Paul’s actions, in contrast, would permit primary insurers to
chance litigation and choose to “‘gambl[e]’ with the excess
carrier’s money when potential judgments approach the primary
insurer’s policy limits,” rather than settle. Hartford Accident
& Indem. Co. v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., 792 P.2d 749, 753 (Ariz.
1990) (in banc) (quoting Commercial Union Ins. Co. v. Med.
Protective Co., 393 N.W.2d 479, 483 (Mich. 1986)). For example,
suppose that in the instant case, the underlying plaintiff’s
claim was for $3 million in damages, but the plaintiff agreed to
settle for $1 million. Liberty Mutual, however, determines that
at trial, the plaintiff’s chance of prevailing is 50%. In such
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a situation, Liberty Mutual would have no incentive to settle.
If the plaintiff prevailed at trial, winning an amount in excess
of $1 million, Liberty Mutual would be in the same position as
if it settled, given that St. Paul would cover the excess
amount. However, if the plaintiff lost at trial, Liberty Mutual
would be in a better position than if it settled, saving itself
from payment of $1 million. Such a hypothetical demonstrates
how allowing St. Paul’s claims to go forward can function to
mitigate the “potential that a primary insurer will forgo fair
and reasonable settlements and roll the dice with, what is in
essence, the excess insurer’s money.” Nat’l Sur. Corp. v.
Hartford Cas. Ins. Co., 493 F.3d 752, 758 (6th Cir. 2007).6
Liberty Mutual also argues that St. Paul cannot
subrogate to the rights of Pleasant Travel because Pleasant
Travel “never faced the prospect of direct liability for the
amount of the [] verdict in excess of [Liberty Mutual’s]
liability limit because that amount was within St. Paul’s
6
The Sixth Circuit and Seventh Circuit provided similar
hypotheticals in holding that an excess insurer could step into the shoes of
the insured and sue a primary insurer under the doctrine of equitable
subrogation. See Nat’l Sur. Corp., 493 F.3d at 757; Twin City Fire Ins. Co.
v. Country Mut. Ins. Co., 23 F.3d 1175, 1179 (7th Cir. 1994). The Sixth
Circuit recognized that in evaluating such a hypothetical, the costs of
litigation to the insurer must also be considered, but noted that “[a]lthough
the presence of litigation costs diminishes the incentive an insurer has to
go to trial, the underlying problem still remains.” Nat’l Sur. Corp., 493
F.3d at 758.
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liability limit.” Equitable subrogation may, however, be
applied even “without any showing that the insured ha[s]
suffered any loss.” Seabright Ins. Co. v. Matson Terminals,
Inc., 828 F. Supp. 2d 1177, 1194 (D. Haw. 2011) (quoting Nw.
Mut. Ins. Co. v. Farmers’ Ins. Grp., 143 Cal. Rptr. 415, 423
(Cal. Ct. App. 1978)). In Seabright, the district court
explained that “[i]t is not a prerequisite to equitable
subrogation that the subrogor suffered actual loss; it is
required only that he would have suffered loss had the subrogee
not discharged the liability or paid the loss.” Id. at 1193
(emphasis added) (quoting Nw. Mut. Ins. Co., 143 Cal. Rptr. at
423). In other words, because an insured can recover from a
primary insurer that refused reasonable settlement offers, “the
excess carrier, who discharged the insured’s liability as a
result of this tort, stands in the shoes of the insured and
should be permitted to assert all claims against the primary
carrier which the insured himself could have asserted.”
Commercial Union Ins. Co., 393 N.W.2d at 482 (quoting Commercial
Union Assurance Cos. v. Safeway Stores, Inc., 610 P.2d 1038,
1041 (Cal. 1980)) (internal quotation mark omitted). St. Paul
can thus bring a cause of action under the doctrine of equitable
subrogation against Liberty Mutual if Pleasant Travel could
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assert such a claim, even when Pleasant Travel suffers no actual
loss. This court’s line of cases advocating for a broad and
equity-based application of subrogation supports such a finding.
B. The Majority of Jurisdictions Permit an Excess Insurer
To File a Claim Against a Primary Insurer Under the
Doctrine of Equitable Subrogation
Hawaii’s broad application of the doctrine of
equitable subrogation comports with the majority of
jurisdictions, which have held that, under the state law
applicable in those cases, an excess insurer can seek relief
from a primary insurer under the doctrine.7 For example, the
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit allowed an
excess insurer to bring a claim against a primary insurer under
the doctrine of equitable subrogation for the primary insurer’s
bad faith refusal to settle. Valentine v. Aetna Ins. Co., 564
7
See, e.g., Nat’l Sur. Corp., 493 F.3d at 756 (concluding that “an
excess insurer is permitted to step into the shoes of the insured and sue a
primary insurer pursuant to the doctrine of equitable subrogation to enforce
the primary insurer’s duty to avoid excessive judgments against an insured”);
Certain Underwriters of Lloyd’s v. Gen. Accident Ins. Co., 909 F.2d 228, 233
(7th Cir. 1990) (holding that “Indiana would allow an excess carrier to sue a
primary carrier on the basis of equitable subrogation”); U.S. Fire Ins. Co.
v. Royal Ins. Co., 759 F.2d 306, 309 (3d Cir. 1985) (holding that “an excess
insurer who has discharged an insured’s liability stands in the shoes of the
insured and as subrogee may maintain an action for breach of the primary
carrier’s duty to act in good faith”); Commercial Union Assurance Cos., 610
P.2d at 1041 (explaining that “[i]t has been held in California and other
jurisdictions that the excess carrier may maintain an action against the
primary carrier for [] [wrongful] refusal to settle within the latter’s
policy limits” (alterations in original)); Truck Ins. Exch. v. Century Indem.
Co., 887 P.2d 455, 458 (Wash. Ct. App. 1995) (recognizing that “[a]n excess
insurer is subrogated to the rights of its insured to recover on claims the
insured has against the primary insurer”).
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F.2d 292, 297 (9th Cir. 1977). The court explained: “When there
is no excess insurer, the insured becomes his own excess
insurer, and his [] primary insurer owes him a duty of good
faith in protecting him from an excess judgment and personal
liability.” Id. (quoting Cont’l Cas. Co. v. Reserve Ins. Co.,
238 N.W.2d 862, 864 (Minn. 1976)). If the insured purchases
excess insurance, “he in effect substitutes an excess insurer
for himself.” Id. (quoting Cont’l Cas. Co., 238 N.W.2d at 864).
The Supreme Court of Michigan further explained that when an
insured does not have excess insurance, the insured has “every
incentive to enforce the primary insurer’s contractual duty to
defend or to attempt to settle within policy limits in good
faith.” Commercial Union Ins. Co., 393 N.W.2d at 482. But, if
the insured does carry excess coverage, “that incentive
dissolves” and “[t]he excess carrier, and not the insured, bears
the injury resulting from the primary insurer’s breach, and is
therefore the party with the greatest incentive to enforce the
primary insurer’s duties.” Id.
In a case similar to the one before this court, the
Supreme Court of Arizona held that an excess insurer could
assert a claim against a primary insurer, under the doctrine of
equitable subrogation, for a bad faith failure to settle within
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primary policy limits. Hartford Accident & Indem. Co. v. Aetna
Cas. & Sur. Co., 792 P.2d 749, 757 (Ariz. 1990).8 The court
noted that “[a] number of jurisdictions have expanded the duty
of good faith by recognizing a duty to an excess [insurer] by
the primary [insurer]”9 and adopted the doctrine of equitable
subrogation. Id. at 752-53. The court explained that these
jurisdictions adopted the doctrine of equitable subrogation in
part because subrogation serves “to encourage fair and
reasonable settlements of lawsuits.” Id. at 753. Based on this
public policy analysis, the court determined that “[a]n excess
insurer should not have to pay a judgment if the primary insurer
caused the excess judgment by a bad faith failure to settle
within primary limits” and held that the excess insurer could
bring such a claim against the primary insurer. Id. at 754.
The Supreme Court of Oregon also held that an excess
insurer can bring a claim against the primary insurer under the
8
Specifically, the question before the court was: “May an excess
insurance carrier, under the doctrine of equitable subrogation, assert a
claim against a primary insurance carrier for bad faith failure to settle
within primary policy limits?” Hartford Accident & Indem. Co., 792 P.2d at
751.
9
In Arizona, as in Hawai‘i, a primary insurer owes its insured “a
duty of good faith in deciding whether to accept or reject settlement
offers.” Hartford Accident & Indem. Co., 792 P.2d at 752. Through the
doctrine of equitable subrogation, the duty of good faith has been expanded
to allow an excess insurer to “step[] into the shoes” of the insured and
assert a claim against the primary insurer. Id. at 753.
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doctrine of equitable subrogation. In the case at issue,
evidence suggested that the primary insurer “made little or no
effort to attempt to negotiate a settlement” and as a result,
the excess insurer claimed that its “share of the settlement
[was] higher than it otherwise would have been.” Maine Bonding
& Cas. Co. v. Centennial Ins. Co., 693 P.2d 1296, 1298, 1302-03
(Or. 1985). The court explained that “[a] primary insurer owes
an excess insurer essentially the same duty of due diligence in
claims handling and settlement negotiating it owes to an
insured—due care under all the circumstances.” Id. at 1302.
The court further noted that a primary insurer is responsible
for considering the interests of all parties involved in a
claim, including those of the excess insurer. Id.
The majority of courts faced with the issue before us
have permitted excess insurers to bring a claim of bad faith
against a primary insurer under the doctrine of equitable
subrogation. As discussed further below, the doctrine enables
an excess insurer to seek relief from a primary insurer who can
otherwise take advantage of a situation that leaves the excess
insurer with no other remedy.
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C. Application of the Doctrine of Equitable Subrogation
Protects the Public Interest
The doctrine of equitable subrogation is an equitable
remedy that protects an insurer from paying a debt that should
be discharged by another. The Hawai‘i Insurance Code, Chapter
431 explains that “[t]he business of insurance is one affected
by the public interest, requiring that all persons be actuated
by good faith, abstain from deception and practice honesty and
equity in all insurance matters.” HRS § 431:1-102 (2005)
(emphases added). Allowing excess insurers to subrogate to the
rights of the insured upholds the Hawai‘i Insurance Code by
enabling excess insurers to litigate bad faith claims against
the primary insurer and to seek equitable relief.
In addition, subrogation promotes the duty of insurers
“to accept reasonable settlements.” Best Place Inc., 82 Hawai‘i
at 128, 920 P.2d at 342 (quoting Gruenberg v. Aetna Ins. Co.,
510 P.2d 1032, 1037 (Cal. 1973) (in bank)) (internal quotation
mark omitted). Settlement is a goal of proper process. Young
v. Allstate Ins. Co., 119 Hawai‘i 403, 414, 198 P.3d 666, 677
(2008). Subrogation enables an excess insurer to hold a primary
insurer to its duty to pursue reasonable settlements and not to
gamble on litigation. Hartford Accident & Indem. Co., 792 P.2d
at 753; see also W. Am. Ins. Co. v. RLI Ins. Co., 698 F.3d 1069,
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1076 (8th Cir. 2012) (“When the primary insurer has control of
defending underlying claims, permitting subrogation claims by
the excess insurer increases the likelihood of fair and
efficient settlement of lawsuits . . . .”); Nat’l Sur. Corp.,
493 F.3d at 757 (“Absent a rule permitting excess insurers to
recover against primary insurers, primary insurers could, in bad
faith, fail to accept settlement offers at or near policy limits
with impunity.”); Valentine, 564 F.2d at 297 (stating that
subrogation allows enforcement of the primary insurer’s duty to
settle, a breach of which would “imperil[] the public and
judicial interests in fair and reasonable settlement of
lawsuits” (quoting Cont’l Cas. Co., 238 N.W.2d at 864-65)).
Liberty Mutual argues that subrogation is not
necessary because St. Paul could have funded a settlement, and
thereafter sought reimbursement from Liberty Mutual. If an
excess insurer was left with the solution urged by Liberty
Mutual, however, then “the excess insurer risks losing the
policy-limit contributions of the primary insurer and being
forced to pay the entire settlement itself, even though the
settlement may have been in the overall best interests of the
insured.” Valentine, 564 F.2d at 297 (quoting Cont’l Cas. Co.,
238 N.W.2d at 865). In addition, “[a]n excess carrier owes no
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duty to the insured nor to the primary carrier either to defend
the insured or to enter into settlement negotiations.” Certain
Underwriters of Lloyd’s v. Gen. Accident Ins. Co., 699 F. Supp.
732, 740 (S.D. Ind. 1988), aff’d, 999 F.2d 228 (7th Cir. 1990);
see also Cont’l Cas. Co. v. U.S. Fid. & Guaranty Co., 516 F.
Supp. 384, 392 (N.D. Cal. 1981) (stating that where a primary
insurer is “in control of the litigation . . . it would [be]
improper for the . . . excess carrier to step in and try to
settle it”). To force an excess insurer to settle would thus
provide a “disincentive” for the primary insurer to seek
settlement. Valentine, 564 F.2d at 298.10 In sum, the public
interest in encouraging reasonable settlement is best served by
permitting an excess insurer to seek relief under the doctrine
of equitable subrogation.
IV. Conclusion
For the foregoing reasons, we hold that an excess
liability insurer can bring a cause of action, under the
doctrine of equitable subrogation, against a primary liability
10
The Ninth Circuit also explains that forcing an excess insurer to
cover part of a primary liability insurance policy would “[distort] the
coverages and rate structures of the two different types of insurance—primary
and excess . . . .” Valentine, 564 F.2d at 298. This would further violate
the policy set forth in the Hawai‘i Insurance Code to “promote the public
welfare by regulating insurance rates to the end that they shall not be
excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory . . . .” HRS § 431:14-101
(2005).
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insurer who in bad faith fails to settle a claim within the
limits of the primary liability policy, when the primary insurer
has paid its policy limit toward settlement.
Wesley H.H. Ching and /s/ Mark E. Recktenwald
Sheree Kon-Herrera
for plaintiff /s/ Paula A. Nakayama
Richard B. Miller and /s/ Sabrina S. McKenna
David R. Harada-Stone
for defendant /s/ Richard W. Pollack
/s/ Michael D. Wilson
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