Legal Research AI

National Union Fire Insurance v. Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Co.

Court: Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Date filed: 2004-09-27
Citations: 385 F.3d 47
Copy Citations
5 Citing Cases
Combined Opinion
             United States Court of Appeals
                        For the First Circuit

Nos. 03-2503, 03-2504, 03-2507, and 03-2508

               NATIONAL UNION FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY OF
                       PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,

                  Plaintiff-Appellant/Cross-Appellee,

                                  v.

                  LUMBERMENS MUTUAL CASUALTY COMPANY,

                  Defendant-Appellee/Cross-Appellant,

              K.C. ELECTRIC COMPANY; S.A. HEALY COMPANY/
                 MODERN CONTINENTAL, A JOINT VENTURE,

                         Defendants-Appellees.


             APPEALS FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
                   FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS
                [Hon. Rya W. Zobel, U.S. District Judge]


                                Before

                          Boudin, Chief Judge,
                and Torruella and Dyk*, Circuit Judges.


          Tamara J. Smith with whom James J. Duane, III and Taylor,
Duane, Barton & Gilman, LLP were on brief for plaintiff-
appellant/cross-appellee.
          Peter E. Heppner with whom Lynch & Lynch was on brief for
defendant-appellee/cross-appellant.


                          September 27, 2004




     *
         Of the Federal Circuit, sitting by designation.
             DYK, Circuit Judge.       This case, including an appeal and

a cross-appeal, involves a dispute between two insurance companies.

The dispute concerns their respective responsibilities to pay

defense and settlement costs relating to injuries to Richard Leahy

and Philip Sheehan, two workmen employed by K.C. Electric Company,

Inc.   (“K.C.    Electric”).        K.C.     Electric     was   a   subcontractor

performing work for S.A. Healy/Modern Continental (“S.A. Healy”),

a   prime    contractor,    on   the   Deer    Island     Tunnel    Project   (the

“Project”).      Resolution of this dispute requires us to interpret

two insurance policies.             The first policy was issued to the

subcontractor by Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company (“Lumbermens”),

and the second policy was issued to the prime contractor by

National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

(“National Union”).

             As to the first policy, the question is whether the

Lumbermens      policy,    though    issued    to   the   subcontractor,      also

provided coverage to the prime contractor in the circumstances of

this case and, hence, to the prime contractor’s subrogee, National

Union.      The second question is whether the National Union policy

provided only excess coverage.         If both policies covered the prime

contractor in these circumstances, the companies would divide the

liabilities; if the Lumbermens policy applied, and if the National

Union policy provided only excess coverage, Lumbermens was solely

responsible.


                                       -2-
           We conclude that the Lumbermens policy covered the prime

contractor, but that genuine issues of material fact exist as to

whether the National Union policy provided only excess coverage.

We thus vacate the district court’s judgment and remand for further

proceedings.

                                     I

           Leahy and Sheehan, who were employees of K.C. Electric,

were injured on the site of the Project when they slipped and fell

while they were in the tunnel. They filed separate actions against

S.A. Healy, claiming that they incurred their injuries as a result

of S.A. Healy’s negligence in failing to maintain a safe work site.

Both actions were settled before trial; Lumbermens and National

Union each contributed to the settlement payments.         National Union

then   instituted   two   actions   in    the   district   court,   seeking

declarations that (1) S.A. Healy was an “additional insured” under

the Lumbermens policy, obligating Lumbermens at least to share in

the defense and settlement costs, and (2) that the National Union

policy was in excess of the Lumbermens policy pursuant to the

policies’ respective “other insurance” provisions, thus making

Lumbermens entirely liable for the defense and settlement costs.

National Union moved for summary judgment in both cases.                The

parties agree that the policies are interpreted in accordance with

Massachusetts law.




                                    -3-
            The   district    court   denied      National   Union’s   summary

judgment motions in two nearly identical opinions issued on the

same day.   Nat’l Union Fire Ins. Co. v. Lumbermen’s Mut. Cas. Ins.

Co., No. 02-10876-RWZ (D. Mass. Oct. 1, 2003) (“Leahy”); Nat’l

Union Fire Ins. Co. v. Lumbermen’s Mut. Cas. Ins. Co., No. 02-CV-

12001-RWZ (D. Mass. Oct. 1, 2003) (“Sheehan”). First, the district

court held that S.A. Healy qualified as an additional insured under

the Lumbermens policy.       Leahy, slip op. at 3; Sheehan, slip op. at

3.   Second, the district court held that both National Union and

Lumbermens were primary carriers, that is, that the National Union

policy was not an excess coverage policy.             Leahy, slip op. at 5;

Sheehan, slip op. at 5.      In addition, in the case involving Leahy,

the district court held that, because both Lumbermens’ and National

Union’s   policies    provided   for    contribution     by    equal   shares,

“National   Union    and   Lumbermen’s      are    equally    liable   for   the

settlement.”      Leahy, slip op. at 5.

            Thus, the district court held that National Union could

not recover the portions of the settlement payments that it had

paid, effectively granting summary judgment to Lumbermens on the

excess coverage issue, and effectively granting summary judgment to

National Union on the additional insured issue.              See generally 10A

Charles Alan Wright et al., Federal Practice & Procedure § 2720, at

347 (3d ed. 1998) (“[S]ummary judgment may be rendered in favor of




                                      -4-
the opposing party even though the opponent has made no formal

cross-motion under Rule 56.”).

          On joint motion of the parties, the district court

subsequently entered final judgments pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P.

54(b) in accordance with its earlier decisions.   Nat’l Union Fire

Ins. Co. v. Lumbermens Mut. Cas. Ins. Co., No. 02CV10876 RWZ (D.

Mass. Jan. 21, 2004); Nat’l Union Fire Ins. Co. v. Lumbermens Mut.

Cas. Ins. Co., No. 02-CV-12001-RWZ (D. Mass. Dec. 31, 2003).   The

parties appealed and cross-appealed from those judgments.

                                 II

                                  A

          We first consider whether the Lumbermens policy covered

S.A. Healy as an additional insured.      We review the district

court’s effective grant of summary judgment in favor of National

Union without deference, drawing all reasonable inferences in favor

of the non-moving party.   Beacon Mut. Ins. Co. v. OneBeacon Ins.

Group, 376 F.3d 8, 14 (1st Cir. 2004).

          The subcontract between S.A. Healy and K.C. Electric

required K.C. Electric to obtain commercial general liability

insurance, among other insurance, and to name S.A. Healy as an

additional insured on its commercial general liability insurance

policy.   K.C. Electric obtained its commercial general liability

policy from Lumbermens for the period between August 8, 1997, and

August 8, 1998.   The policy was thus in effect when Leahy and


                                 -5-
Sheehan incurred their injuries on August 26, 1997, and November

18, 1997, respectively.

          As was required by the subcontract, the Lumbermens policy

obtained by K.C. Electric included an additional insured provision,

which added the following paragraph to the “WHO IS AN INSURED”

section of the policy:

          Any person or organization to whom or to which
          you are obligated by virtue of a written
          contract, agreement or permit to provide such
          insurance as afforded by this policy is an
          [additional] insured, but only with respect to
          liability arising out of:
          a.     "Your work" for that insured by you
          . . . .

(App. at 71.)    The policy further defined “your work” as “[w]ork or

operations    performed    by    you   or       on   your    behalf;    and   .     .   .

[m]aterials, parts or equipment furnished in connection with such

work or operations.”      (App. at 75.)          Thus, the policy covered only

“liability     arising    out    of    .    .    .   work”     performed      by     the

subcontractor for the contractor.

             The district court held that S.A. Healy qualified as an

additional    insured    under   the       Lumbermens       policy,    even   if     the

employees were not actually engaged in work at the time they were

injured because “K.C. employees cannot perform their work unless,

of course, they can reach and leave their workplaces on the job

site.”   Leahy, slip op. at 3; Sheehan, slip op. at 3.                             Thus,

because the injuries were “incurred while on the job site,” the

district court held that the “work” requirement of the additional

                                       -6-
insured provision was satisfied.                 Leahy, slip op. at 3; Sheehan,

slip op. at 3.

                                            B

             This court considered nearly identical policy language in

Merchants Insurance Co. of New Hampshire v. United States Fidelity

& Guaranty Co., 143 F.3d 5 (1st Cir. 1998).                  There, the court held

that “under Massachusetts law the phrase ‘arising out of’ denotes

a   level   of    causation      that    lies    between     proximate     and    actual

causation.”         Id. at 9.           However, the court did not further

delineate     this      “intermediate      causation”        standard    because,     in

Merchants     Insurance,        “the     harm    occurred     while     [the     injured

employee] was cutting and removing a section of the bridge, a task

that was assigned to [the subcontractor] in the Sherman’s Bridge

project.”         Id.     Because the harm occurred while the injured

employee was actually performing work for the subcontractor, the

fact that the subcontractor did not proximately cause the injury

(which was caused by the negligence of an employee of the primary

contractor) was irrelevant.              The court held: “More than ‘but for’

causation existed.            It was not simply because the two companies

happened to be working in the same location that [the injured

employee] was injured by [the primary contractor’s] employee;

rather,     the    injury     was   a   consequence     of    the   work   that    [the

subcontractor]          was   performing.”        Id.   at    9-10.      This     causal




                                           -7-
connection was sufficient to satisfy the intermediate causation

standard.   Id. at 10.

            The issue here is whether there is a sufficient nexus

between the injuries incurred by Leahy and Sheehan and their work

for K.C. Electric to satisfy the Merchants Insurance intermediate

causation standard.1     The parties dispute whether the summary


     1
           National Union claims that the “majority rule” is that an
employee’s mere presence on a work site is sufficient to invoke
liability under such an additional insured provision.          (Pl.-
Appellant’s/Cross-Appellee’s Rep. Br. at 22-27.) However, most of
the cases National Union cites for this proposition apply a less
stringent standard of causation than the intermediate causation
required by Merchants Insurance. See Admiral Ins. Co. v. Trident
NGL, Inc., 988 S.W.2d 451, 454 (Tex. App. 1999) (“The majority view
. . . is that for liability to ‘arise out of operations’ of a named
insured it is not necessary for the named insured’s acts to have
‘caused’ the accident; rather, it is sufficient that the named
insured’s employee was injured while present at the scene in
connection with performing the named insured’s business, even if
the cause of the injury was the negligence of the additional
insured.”); Acceptance Ins. Co. v. Syufy Enters., 81 Cal. Rptr. 2d
557, 561 (Cal. Ct. App. 1999) (“California courts have consistently
given a broad interpretation to the terms ‘arising out of’ or
‘arising from’ in various kinds of insurance provisions. It is
settled that this language does not import any particular standard
of causation or theory of liability into an insurance policy.
Rather, it broadly links a factual situation with the event
creating liability, and connotes only a minimal causal connection
or incidental relationship.”); Shell Oil Co. v. AC & S, Inc., 649
N.E.2d 946, 952 (Ill. App. Ct. 1995) (“[The injured employee’s]
injuries appear to have arisen from the operations of [the
subcontractor] and [the contractor] on plaintiff’s premises. The
injuries would not have occurred ‘but for’ [the injured employee’s]
employment by [the contractor] and [the contractor’s] presence on
plaintiff’s premises.”); Md. Cas. Co. v. Chicago & N.W. Transp.
Co., 466 N.E.2d 1091, 1094 (Ill. App. Ct. 1984) (“[T]he instant
injuries appear to have arisen from the operation and use of the
leased premises, since they would not have been sustained ‘but for’
the victim’s employment on those premises.”); see also Highland
Park Shopping Vill. v. Trinity Universal Ins. Co., 36 S.W.3d 916,
918 (Tex. App. 2001) (adopting the same causation standard as

                                -8-
judgment record establishes that Leahy and Sheehan themselves were

engaged in “work” in accordance with the policy when they were

injured.    Leahy testified by deposition that he was injured while

he was walking through the tunnel toward a man lift that would take

him to the surface. National Union contends that Leahy was working

at the time of his accident, but Lumbermens asserts that Leahy was

going to    lunch.      Leahy   testified   that     the   accident   occurred

“approximately right around lunchtime,” but he also testified that

he was in the tunnel to check the mine phones and to see if two

K.C. Electric electricians were having any problems wiring pumps in

the tunnel.     (App. at 214-15.)         Similarly, the parties dispute

whether Sheehan was working at the time of his accident.               In his

answers to interrogatories, Sheehan stated that he was “performing”

his duties “at the time [he was] injured,” but he also stated that

his “specific purpose” at the time was “going to [his] job to

perform    electrical   maintenance,      repairs,    installations,     etc.”

(App. at 281, 284.)      National Union thus alleges that Sheehan was



Admiral Insurance).
          Other cases have adopted a site rule without addressing
the causation standard. See O’Connor v. Serge Elevator Co., 444
N.E.2d 982, 983 (N.Y. 1982) (holding that an employee’s injuries
“must be deemed as a matter of law to have arisen out of the work”
under an indemnity clause when the employee was injured “while
leaving his workplace for lunch”); Farren v. General Motors Corp.,
708 F. Supp. 436, 449 (D. Mass. 1989) (concluding that the phrase
“in connection with the work attributable to the Contractor” in an
indemnity clause “was intended by the parties to cover injuries
sustained by an employee . . . returning to his work site from a
lunch break”).

                                    -9-
working when he was injured, while Lumbermens argues that he was

merely traveling to his actual work location at the time of the

injury.

          Even if Leahy and Sheehan were not actually performing

subcontractor work at the time of their accidents, the record is

clear that the subcontractor’s work was performed at various places

throughout the tunnel, and, thus, at the time of their accidents,

the   employees     were    within     the     general    area    where      the

subcontractor’s work was performed.             Leahy testified that his

“regular routine” was to travel throughout the tunnel, ensuring

that lights were working properly, and that “basically [his] time

was spent walking from the access points [for the tunnel] to the

electricians and back,” talking to the electricians, and testing

the phones.   (App. at 215-16.)        Similarly, Sheehan testified that

his usual duties were to “perform[] tunnel maintenance, repair[]

lights, carry[] tools and cable, etc.”            (App. at 281.)       We hold

that the policy’s requirements were satisfied because the employees

were injured within the general area where the subcontractor’s work

was being performed, and their presence there was directly related

to their work obligations, even if the employees were merely

traveling to or from work or to or from a lunch break.

          The     purpose   of   the   “your    work”    clause   is   not    to

differentiate between those employees who were actually engaged in

work on a particular task when they were injured, as opposed to


                                     -10-
those who were idle or moving about the job site; rather, the

provision is at least designed to cover injuries incurred in

traversing   the   work    area     for     which   the   subcontractor      was

responsible for performing work, that is, the subcontractor’s

general work area.    Requiring the employee actually to have been

engaged in work would lead to artificial distinctions between

employees who are performing specific tasks versus those traversing

the subcontractor’s general work area, waiting for instructions, or

even   pausing   between   tasks.         Accordingly,    we   hold   that   the

intermediate causation standard of Merchants Insurance is satisfied

where the employee was injured within the general work area where

the subcontractor’s work was being performed, so long as his

presence was work-related. The additional insured provision in the

Lumbermens policy thus applies to S.A. Healy in this case.             We need

not, therefore, decide whether coverage exists simply because the

injury occurred on the prime contractor’s work site.

           The court in McCarthy Brothers Co. v. Continental Lloyds

Insurance Co., 7 S.W.3d 725 (Tex. App. 1999), was faced with a

similar situation.    In McCarthy, the injured employee slipped and

fell as he was walking down an incline to get tools to perform his

work from a trailer belonging to the subcontractor for which he

worked “on the premises of” the construction site.                Id. at 730.

The court relied on Merchants Insurance and held that “[t]here was

more than a mere locational relationship between the injury and


                                     -11-
[the injured employee’s] presence on the site” because the employee

was within the subcontractor’s general work area “for the purpose

of     carrying        out    [the    subcontractor’s]     contract    with     [the

contractor].”          Id.2

                 The   case    on    which    Lumbermens   primarily   relies    is

factually distinguishable. In Pro Con Construction, Inc. v. Acadia

Insurance Co., 794 A.2d 108 (N.H. 2002), the injured employee, a

painter employed by a subcontractor, was injured when he slipped

and fell on an icy sidewalk as he was walking to a coffee truck

parked in the parking lot outside the building in which he was

painting.        Id. at 109.     He sued the prime contractor, alleging that

it had negligently failed to keep the sidewalk clear of snow and

ice.       Id.   As in Merchants Insurance, the court required more than

“but for” causation, but the court held that there was no nexus

between the painting operations and the injuries because “[t]he

injuries did not occur while the employee was engaged in any task

related      to    [the]      painting   operations   or   near   [the]   painting

operations.”           Id. at 110 (citation omitted). In Pro Con, the

painter left the area in which Decorative Concepts’ work was being

performed to get coffee from the coffee truck.               He was thus injured

outside the general work area in which the subcontractor was



       2
          Unlike the other Texas Courts of Appeals in Highland Park
Shopping Village and Admiral Insurance Co., see n.1, supra, the
court in McCarthy applied an intermediate standard of causation,
consistent with Merchants Insurance.

                                             -12-
performing work and was not “near” that area.            In contrast, the

employees here, even if they were not actually performing work,

remained in the subcontractor’s general work area.3

                                     III

                                      A

            The second issue in this case involves interpretation of

the National Union policy.     The National Union policy included an

“Other Insurance” provision, which provided that the National Union

policy was primary (not excess) except in three situations not

pertinent here.   (The Lumbermens policy also included an identical

provision   providing   that   the    Lumbermens    policy   was   primary.)

However, National Union alleges that, in the policy it issued to

S.A. Healy, the “Other Insurance” provision was superseded by an

endorsement bearing the same date as the policy that was found in

the policy’s underwriting file.           That endorsement provides:

                               ENDORSEMENT

            This Endorsement effective 12/31/95 12:01 A.M.
            FORMS A PART OF POLICY NO. GL 817-67-02 ISSUED


     3
          Lumbermens also argues that we should construe the policy
to bar coverage because Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, § 29C bars a
general   contractor  from   securing   an   indemnity   from   its
subcontractor “for injury to persons or damage to property not
caused by the subcontractor or its employees, agents or
subcontractors.” Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, § 29C (2004). However,
section 29C does not apply to insurance policies, and the policy
considerations reflected in section 29C are not applicable to such
policies. See, e.g., Johnson v. Modern Cont’l Constr. Co., 731
N.E.2d 96, 99 (Mass. App. Ct. 2000) (“We do not consider coverage
questions under an insurance contract analogous to coverage under
an indemnity provision of a construction contract.”).

                                     -13-
          TO S.A. Healy Co./Modern Continental Joint
          Venture BY NATIONAL UNION FIRE INSURANCE
          COMPANY OF PITTSBURGH, P.A. [sic]

                          OTHER INSURANCE CLAUSE

          In consideration of the payment of the
          premium, it is hereby understood and agreed
          that [the excess coverage provision in the
          policy] is deleted in its entirety and
          replaced by the following:

          b.          Excess Insurance

                      This insurance is excess over any other
                      insurance, whether primary, umbrella,
                      excess, contingent or on any other
                      basis, and whether collectible or
                      uncollectible.

                 . . . .

                 4.      If a “claim” arises out of the
                         actions of a hired contractor or
                         subcontractor who has agreed to
                         either:

                         a.     Contractually indemnify the
                                “insured”    against     whom
                                “claims” may be made for any
                                “claims” resulting form [sic]
                                the actions of the hired
                                contractor or subcontractor,
                                or

                         b.     name the “insureds” against
                                whom “claims” may be made as
                                Additional Insureds on the
                                hired    contractor’s     or
                                subcontractor’s   commercial
                                general liability policy.

(App. at 46 (emphases added).)

          By its own terms, the endorsement purports to form a part

of the policy.    However, the policy itself does not refer to the


                                   -14-
endorsement.   The policy’s declaration page does not expressly

incorporate any endorsements; it provides: “ENDORSEMENTS ATTACHED

TO THIS POLICY: SEE ATTACHED SCHEDULE.”      (App. at 9.)   The attached

“FORMS SCHEDULE” includes a list of forms and endorsements, but the

endorsement at issue here is not among the endorsements on the

list. The endorsement thus is not incorporated by reference in the

policy.

           Accordingly, relying on the integration clause in the

policy4 and the policy’s representation that “[t]he statements in

the   Declarations   are   accurate   and   complete,”   (App.   at   19),

Lumbermens argued that the endorsement was parol evidence that

could not be considered in defining the scope of the National Union

policy.   See, e.g., Bank v. Int’l Bus. Machs. Corp., 145 F.3d 420,

424 (1st Cir. 1998) (“In Massachusetts, ‘[t]he parol evidence rule

precludes evidence of earlier or contemporaneous discussions that

would modify the provisions of a later integrated agreement which

the proponent of the agreement seeks to enforce.’” (quoting New

England Fin. Res., Inc. v. Coulouras, 566 N.E.2d 1136, 1139 (Mass.

App. Ct. 1991)) (alteration in original)); ITT Corp. v. LTX Corp.,

926 F.2d 1258, 1261 (1st Cir. 1991) (“Under Massachusetts law,

parol evidence may not be admitted to contradict the clear terms of


      4
          The integration clause provides: “This policy contains
all the agreements between you and us concerning the insurance
afforded. . . . This policy’s terms can be amended or waived only
by endorsement issued by us and made a part of the policy.” (App.
at 57.)

                                 -15-
an   agreement,   or   to   create     ambiguity   where   none   otherwise

exists.”).

           The district court agreed.        It found that “the relevant

endorsement is not listed on the declaration page or the attached

schedule of included forms, and therefore, is not part of the

policy.”   Leahy, slip op. at 4; Sheehan, slip op. at 4.          Thus, the

district court held, because of the policy’s integration clause,

the endorsement could not be considered.           Leahy, slip op. at 4;

Sheehan, slip op. at 4.      In accordance with the standard “Other

Insurance” provision, the court thus held that both parties were

primary carriers.      Leahy, slip op. at 5; Sheehan, slip op. at 5.

                                       B

             We conclude that there are genuine issues of material

fact as to whether the endorsement forms a part of the policy, and

that summary judgment was improper.

             National Union correctly notes that the policy must be

construed as a whole.        See, e.g., Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co. v.

Special Olympics Int’l, Inc., 346 F.3d 259, 261 (1st Cir. 2003)

(“An insurance policy is to be read as a whole without according

undue emphasis to any particular part over another.” (quoting

Mission Ins. Co. v. U.S. Fire Ins. Co., 517 N.E.2d 463, 466 (Mass.

1988)) (internal quotation marks omitted)).         However, the question

is, what is the whole policy?        We think that the mere fact that the

main body of the policy contains no reference to the endorsement


                                     -16-
does not, in and of itself, conclusively establish that the main

policy and the endorsement are not part of a single document.5

          Further evidence is needed (apart from the endorsement

language itself) concerning whether the endorsement formed a part

of the policy.   For example, if the endorsement were physically

attached to the policy when transmitted to the insured, such a

physical connection could indicate that the endorsement formed a

part of the policy:

          It is the general rule that an endorsement or
          rider attached to an insurance policy becomes
          and forms a part of the contract; that the
          policy and the endorsement or rider shall be
          construed together; and that where the
          provisions in the body of the policy and those
          in   the   endorsement   or   rider   are   in
          irreconcilable    conflict   the    provisions
          contained in the endorsement or rider will
          prevail over those contained in the body of
          the policy.

Farmers Ins. Exch. v. Ledesma, 214 F.2d 495, 498 (10th Cir. 1954);

see also, e.g., Blevio v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., 39 F.3d 1, 2 (1st

Cir. 1994) (considering an endorsement attached to an insurance

policy along with the policy); Petrowski v. Hawkeye-Security Ins.

Co., 237 F.2d 609, 610 (7th Cir. 1956) (“All three documents,


     5
          There is no contention here that the endorsement can form
a stand-alone contract. Cf. Fairfield 274-278 Clarendon Trust v.
Dwek, 970 F.2d 990, 992 (1st Cir. 1992) (determining which of
several stand-alone contracts was the operative contract between
the parties). Nor is there any contention that the endorsement
constituted a later amendment to the policy.        Therefore, the
policy’s provision that “[t]his policy’s terms can be amended or
waived only by endorsement issued by us and made a part of the
policy” is irrelevant. (App. at 57.)

                               -17-
policy,   declarations,      and   special   endorsement,        were    stapled

together and comprised one unit when issued.”); see also Rumsfeld

v.   Freedom   NY,   Inc.,   346   F.3d   1359,   1361   (Fed.    Cir.   2003);

Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 132 (1981) (stating that, for

purposes of the Statute of Frauds, a contract “may consist of

several writings if one of the writings is signed and the writings

in the circumstances clearly indicate that they relate to the same

transaction”); id. cmt. c (“It is sufficient . . . that the party

to be charged physically attaches one document to the other or

encloses them in the same envelope.”).

           The summary judgment filings by the parties here only

concern the state of National Union’s underwriting files, not the

policy documents received by the insured.                It is thus unclear

whether the main policy and the endorsement were stapled together

as sent by National Union and as received by the insured.                     In

addition, there may be other evidence, including evidence of

industry practice, that might show that the endorsement and the

policy were parts of the same document.             Without a more fully-

developed record, we must vacate the district court’s effective

grant of summary judgment for Lumbermens and remand this case to

the district court for further proceedings.6


      6
          Lumbermens also notes that the endorsement at issue lists
the policy number as “GL 817-67-02,” (App. at 46), whereas the
endorsements listed in the forms schedule consistently use the
policy number “GL 817-67-02 RA,” (E.g., App. at 23 (emphasis
added).). We attach no significance to this minor inconsistency.

                                     -18-
                                IV

          For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that S.A. Healy is

an additional insured pursuant to the Lumbermens policy.   However,

we cannot determine on this record whether the National Union

policy provided only excess coverage.   Accordingly, we vacate the

district court’s judgment, and we remand to the district court for

further proceedings.

          It is so ordered.




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