Free Motion for Order - District Court of Colorado - Colorado

Case 1:01-cv-02018-RPM-MJW

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Filed 03/01/2006

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO
Civil Action No. OI-cv- 2018-RPM- MJW

APARTMENT INVESTMENT AND MANAGEMENT COMPANY , a/kJa AIMCO , a Maryland corporation

Plaintiff

NATIONAL UNION FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY OF PITTSBURGH , PA , a Pennsylvania corporation , et aI.
Defendants.

DEFENDANT FIRST CAPITAL GROUP' MOTION FOR APPLICATION OF NEW YORK LAW
Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(b), Defendant First Capital Agency, Inc. d/b/a First Capital
Group ("First Capital") hereby moves this Court for the entry of an order holding that New York
law applies to AIMCO' s claims against Fist Capital , and First Capital' s defenses in this action.

In support hereof, First Capital states as follows:
Plaintiff Apartment Investment and Management Company ("AIMCO" ) filed this
lawsuit over a contract dispute between AIMCO and Defendant National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, P A ("National Union ). AIMCO alleges inter alia that National Union
failed to honor a heavily negotiated contract of insurance between itself and AIMCO.
AIMCO is the only party identified in AIMCO' s Fourth Amended Complaint who
resides in Colorado.

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First Capital is a New York wholesale broker, one of several insurance brokers
who were involved in procuring the National Union insurance policy.
The National Union policy was issued in New York.

AIMCO has three remaining claims for relief against First Capital: (I) Negligent
Misrepresentation , (2) Negligence , and (3) violation ofC. R.S.
9 13- 21- 111.5(4)(Common

Plan

or Design). (p1.' s Fourth Am. Compl. , Fourth , Sixth , and Eighth Claims for Relief.

Determining which state s local law applies to AIMCO' s claims is critical to
evaluating the alleged liability of the parties , and indeed will eliminate several of Plaintiffs
claims against First Capital.

When assessing which state s law to apply to multi-state tort claims , Colorado

applies the most significant relationship test contained in the RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF
CONFLICT OF LAWS ,
9145 (1971 & Supp. 2004).

See Hoiles v. Alioto 345 F. Supp. 2d 1178

1183- 4 (D. Colo. 2004);
Colo. 1990).

Lewis-DeBoer v. Mooney Aircraft Corp. 728 F. Supp. 642 644 (D.

See also First Nat l Bank in Fort Collins v. Rostek 182 Colo. 437 , 448- 9, 514 P.

314 , 320 (1973).

Applying the most significant relationship test, New York law applies to
AIMCO' s claims against First Capital because none of the conduct or transactions giving rise to

AIMCO' s claims against First Capital occurred in the State of Colorado. Rather , all ofthe

relevant conduct and contacts took place in New York, the principal location of First Capital's

conduct. Thus, New York rather than Colorado has the most significant relationship to the
alleged tortious conduct.

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Applying New York law , AIMCO' s theory of damages fails as a matter oflaw

where First Capital did not handle any of the premiums that AIMCO alleges National Union
failed to return.
10.

Applying New York law, AIMCO' s negligent misrepresentation claim fails where

AIMCO cannot establish privity between AIMCO and First Capital or any relationship
approaching privity.
11.

Under New York law , AIMCO' s Eighth claim against First Capital based on a

Colorado statute fails as a matter of law where there is no explicit intent that the statute applies
extraterritorially.

WHEREFORE , for the reasons set forth herein and in the accompanying memorandum

brief in support ofthis motion , Defendant First Capital respectfully requests that this Court grant
First Capital's motion for application of New York law to AIMCO' s claims against First Capital
and First Capital' s defenses.
Dated March 1

2006.

s/ Melissa C. Collins John R. Trigg Julie M. Walker Melissa C. Collins Wheeler Trigg Kennedy LLP 1801 California Street, Suite 3600 Denver, CO 80202 Telephone: 303- 244- 1800 Facsimile: 303- 244- 1879 Mail: trigg(g)wtklaw. com walker(g)wtklaw. com collins(g)wtklaw. com

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
1 hereby certify that on March I , 2006 , I electronically filed the foregoing DEFENDANT

FIRST CAPITAL GROUP' S MOTION FOR APPLICATION OF NEW YORK LAW with
the Clerk of Court using the CMlECF

system which will send notification of such filing to the

following email addresses:

Nicholas Aidan Brady
nick. brad y(g)bakerbotts. com

Jeffrey A. Chase
jchase(g)jcfkk. com vlsanders(g)jcfkk. com

Melissa C. Collins collins(g)wtklaw. com
Paul E. Collins pcollins(g)tamblaw. com cjones(g)tamblaw. com

Karma Micaela Giulianelli
Karma. Gi u lianelli (g)Bartli t - Beck. com

Stephen J. Horace
sh 0 race(g)lathrop

gage. com cdunkel(g)la throp gage. com j ed wards(g)lathrop gage. com

Lester C. Houtz
I ester. ho u tz(g)bartli t - beck.

com

Steven Matthew Kelso
kelso(g)wtklaw. com hand(g)wtklaw. com

John D. Martin
j martin(g)os termartin. com b gadison(g)ostermartin. com

Michael C. Massengale
mi chae I. massengal e(g) bakerbo tts . com patti. barker(g)bakerbo

tts. com

James M. Miletich
jmiletich(g)msfhc. com mdavis(g)msfhc. com bvillani(g)msfhc. com
John Paul

Mitzner

jmitzner(g)allman-mitzner. com renztimr(g)msn. com
Jed Reeg
j ree g(g)lathrop gage. com eth om p son(g)lathrop gage. com

Thomas Leroy Roberts
tlr(g)rlplaw. com kjh(g)rlplaw. com
Leonard B. Rose
lrose(g)lathrop gage. com eth om p son(g)

lathrop gage. com

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Barry Alan Schwartz
bschwartz(g)ksrlaw. com pquines(g)ksrlaw. com

John R. Trigg
trigg(g)wtklaw. com testa(g)wtklaw. com allen(g)wtklaw. com schechter(g)wtklaw. com coutain(g)wtklaw. com

Charles R. Tumey
crt(g)gd- llc. com acs(g)gd- llc. com

Julie M. Walker
walker(g)wtklaw. com mcguire(g)wtklaw. com

Rozana Sinishtaj Widlicka
vmk(g)gd- llc. com rsw(g)gd- llc. com

Robert James Zavaglia, Jr zavaglia(g)tamblaw . com j yencho(g)tamb law . com cj ones(g)tam b law . com

and I hereby certify that a copy ofthe document has been served via e-mail to the following nonCM/ECF participants:

Todd B. Denenberg
Grotefeld & Denenberg, LLC 30800 Telegraph Road , #3858 Bingham Farms , MI 48025

tbdjd/1c(g)gd. com

William H. Jeffress, Jr
Baker & Botts1299 Pennsylvania Avenue , N. Washington , DC 20004- 1109
, #1300

william.j effres s (g)b ak erb 0 tts. co m

elizabeth. thompson(g)bartlit-beck. com Elizabeth Leigh Thompson Bartlit , Beck , Herman , Palenchar & Scott- Illinois 54 West Hubbard Street , #300 Chicago , IL 60610

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jwolak(g)gibbonslaw. com Gibbons , Del Deo , Dolan , Griffinger & Vecchione One Riverfront Plaza Newark , NJ 07102
John T. Wolak

sf Melissa C. Collins John R. Trigg Julie M. Walker Melissa C. Collins Wheeler Trigg Kennedy LLP 1801 California Street , Suite 3600 Denver, CO 80202 Telephone: 303- 244- 1800 Facsimile: 303-244- 1879 Mail: trigg(g)wtklaw. com walker(g)wtklaw. com collins(g)wtklaw. com

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