NEWARK INSURANCE COMPANY,
Plaintiff-Respondent,
v.
ACUPAC PACKAGING, INC.
Defendant-Appellant,
and
TARLOW ADVERTISING INC.,
Defendant.
Argued: October 6, 1999 - Decided: February
23, 2000
Before Judges Stern, Kestin and Steinberg.
On appeal from the Superior Court of New
Jersey, Law Division, Bergen County.
Francis X. Garrity argued the cause for
appellant (Garrity, Graham, Favetta & Flinn,
attorneys; Mr. Garrity and Linda L. Galvani,
on the brief).
Stephen B. Fenster argued the cause for
respondent (Gallo Geffner Fenster, attorneys;
Mr. Fenster, of counsel; Valerie A. Vladyka,
on the brief).
The opinion of the court was delivered by
STEINBERG, J.A.D.
In this insurance coverage declaratory judgment action
defendant, Acupac Packaging, Inc. (Acupac), appeals from the grant
of summary judgment to plaintiff, Newark Insurance Company
(Newark), declaring that no coverage exists for the claims
presented to Newark by Acupac. In granting summary judgment to
Newark, the motion judge held, as a matter of law, that Acupac had
not caused physical damage or injury to the property of others.
Rather, he concluded that the claim presented was for loss due to
a failure of Acupac's "'work' or 'product' to meet the level of
performance, quality, fitness or durability warranted or
represented" by Acupac. He, therefore, concluded that exclusion
"m." of the policy barred recovery. In addition, he concluded that
exclusion "n." also defeated Acupac's claim since Acupac's product
was withdrawn or recalled and replaced because of a known or
suspected defect. We disagree with both of those conclusions, and
reverse and remand.See footnote 11
According to the certification of Kenneth A. Beck, Vice
President of Acupac, filed in opposition to the motion for summary
judgment, Acupac specializes in contract packaging, supplying the
cosmetic, pharmaceutical and household good industries with
flexible, disposable products. Among the packaging products
produced by Acupac are foil laminated pacquettes.
In February 1996, Acupac was contacted by Tarlow Advertising
Inc., (Tarlow), an advertising firm for Revlon, and asked to supply
2.2 million pacquettes to be filled with Revlon Almay skin cream
lotion.See footnote 22 Revlon supplied the lotion in April 1996, and Acupac
began the process of manufacturing the pacquettes and filling them
with lotion. Acupac understood that each pacquette was to be
attached to an advertising card that was part of a Revlon
promotion. The cards with the pacquettes attached to them were to
be bound in the August 1996 edition of Glamour magazine.
Accordingly, the cards had to be assembled with the pacquettes and
delivered to Glamour's bindery by June 24, 1996.
Acupac manufactured the pacquettes, filled them with the skin
cream lotion, and forwarded them to Color Prelude which was to
attach the pacquettes to the advertising cards. The advertising
cards, with the pacquettes attached, were then to be sent to the
bindery.
On June 28, 1996, Ann Jeremiah, the production manager for
Tarlow, telephoned Acupac and advised that the pacquettes were
leaking after being bound in the Glamour magazines. Acupac asked
that samples be returned to it in order to have its quality
department determine if the pacquettes were defective and, if so,
in what fashion. During the first week in July 1996, Acupac's
quality department determined that the pacquettes were defective,
as they could not withstand the pressure applied to them in the
binding process. Because the advertising cards were part of a
summer promotion of Almay skin cream, Tarlow had new cards
inserted in the August edition of Glamour without the pacquettes.
Acupac and Tarlow met to discuss what to do with the 2.2
million advertising cards. Michael Macri, Senior Vice-President of
print production for Tarlow, indicated that if the advertising
cards and pacquettes could be salvaged, he would discuss with
Revlon the possibility of inserting them in the September edition
of Glamour magazine. However, Macri indicated that in order to be
inserted in the September edition, the condition of the pacquettes
had to be remedied by July 24, 1996, a period of two weeks. Macri
also said that since this was a summer promotion designed to
encourage the purchase of Almay skin cream lotion as a shield
against the summer sun, coupled with the fact that the advertising
card had a manufacturer's coupon with an expiration date of October
31, 1996, unless the cards and pacquettes could be salvaged in time
for insertion in the September edition of the magazine, they would
be rendered useless.
Since there was an eight-week lead time to obtain the printed
raw material and it would have taken an additional six weeks to
assemble and fill 2.2 million new pacquettes, Beck realized it
would be impossible to meet the July 24, 1996 deadline. Although
Acupac considered removing the defective pacquettes from the
advertising cards and attempting to reinforce them, since the
pacquettes were attached to the advertising cards with glue and the
glue was positioned close to the seal area of the pacquettes,
Acupac also determined that the glue would have to be removed
before the pacquettes could be detached. Acupac decided that the
cost of removing the pacquettes from the cards and then removing
the glue from the pacquettes was prohibitive. It also concluded
that reinforcing the pacquettes while they were still attached to
the cards was not feasible. Accordingly, Acupac decided that from
its perspective the only feasible use of the 2.2 million
advertising cards was through an alternative means of distribution
which did not involve binding the cards into a magazine. However,
Tarlow rejected that option since it would not serve Revlon's
purposes because the demographics of the readers of Glamour
magazine was the target for the promotion. Accordingly, Macri
advised Acupac that it had no use for the advertising cards.
Revlon and Tarlow asserted a claim against Acupac in the total
amount of $152,980.56. The claim is broken down as follows: (a)
lost advertising cards, $27,782.71; (b) the cost of affixing the
pacquettes to the advertising cards, $89,221.67; (c) the cost of
the bulk skin lotion, $32,609.87; and (d) collateral shipping
expenses totaling $3,064.27.See footnote 33 Acupac submitted Revlon and Tarlow's
claim to Newark requesting coverage. With the exception of the
claim for the physical injury to the cards onto which the lotion
actually leaked, Newark denied the claim. Shortly thereafter,
Newark filed this declaratory judgment action seeking a
determination that it had no duty to defend or indemnify Acupac for
the claims asserted against Acupac by Revlon and Tarlow for damages
related to the pacquettes of lotion. Relying upon exclusions "m"
and "n" of the policy, the motion judge granted Newark's motion for
summary judgment, resulting in this appeal.
We first consider Acupac's contention that since claims of
damage to property owned by Revlon or Tarlow were asserted, the
motion judge erred in determining that exclusion "m" applied and
that there was no coverage as a matter of law. Under the policy,
in the coverage section, Newark agreed to pay ... "those sums that
the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of
... 'property damage' to which this insurance applies".
In Section V, the definition section of the policy, property
damage is specifically defined as follows:
15. "Property damage" means:
a. Physical injury to tangible
property, including all resulting
loss of use of that property. All
such loss of use shall be deemed to
occur at the time of the physical
injury that caused it;
or
b. Loss of use of tangible property
that is not physically injured. All
such loss of use shall be deemed to
occur at the time of the
"occurrence" that caused it.
There is a critical distinction between insurance coverage for
tort liability for physical damages to other persons or property,
and protection from contractual liability of the insured for
economic loss caused by improper workmanship. Ordinarily, the
coverage is for tort liability for physical damage to others and
not for contractual liability of the insured for economic loss
because the product or completed work is not that for which the
damaged person bargained. Weedo v. Stone-E-Brick, Inc.,
81 N.J. 233, 240-41 (1979), citing Henderson, Insurance Protection for
Products Liability and Completed Operations What Every Lawyer
Should Know,
50 Neb. L. Rev. 415, 441 (1971); Heldor Industries,
Inc. v. Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co.,
229 N.J. Super. 390, 395-96
(App. Div. 1998). Typically, therefore, comprehensive general
liability insurance polices contain exclusions which are known as
"work performance exclusions" or "business risks" exclusions.
Indeed, the policy issued by Newark contained exclusion "m" which
is a typical "work performance" exclusion. The exclusion provided,
in pertinent part, as follows:
2. Exclusions
This insurance does not apply to:
(1) A defect, deficiency, inadequacy or dangerous
condition in "your product" or "your work"; or
(2) A delay or failure by you or anyone acting on
your behalf to perform a contract or agreement
in accordance with its terms.
"Impaired property" is defined in Section V of the policy as
follows:
7. "Impaired property" means tangible property, other
than "your product" or "your work" that cannot
be used or is less useful because:
a. It incorporates "your product" or "your work"
that is known or thought to be defective,
deficient, inadequate or dangerous; or
b. You have failed to fulfill the terms of a
contract or agreement;
if such property can be restored to use by:
a. The repair, replacement, adjustment or removal
of "your product" or "your work"; or
b. Your fulfilling the terms of the contract or
agreement.
By its express terms, therefore, exclusion m. only applies if
the property has not been physically injured or is not impaired.
Moreover, according to the policy, the property is not impaired if
it can be restored to use by the repair, replacement, adjustment or
removal of Acupac's product or work.
We must determine whether the damages for which Acupac seeks
indemnification from Newark is an economic loss caused by improper
workmanship, which is a business risk commonly absorbed as a
business expense, or, on the other hand, is the result of an
accidental injury to property of others giving rise to tort
liability. Weedo v. Stone-E-Brick, Inc., supra, 81 N.J. at 240;
Heldor, supra, 229 N.J. Super. at 396. If the risk involves injury
to people or damage to property caused by faulty workmanship, the
"business risk" or "work performance" exclusion does not exclude
coverage. Ibid.
Acupac contends that it is entitled to coverage because the
claim asserted against it by Revlon and Tarlow is one for "physical
injury" to tangible property and therefore qualifies as property
damage". If the claim asserted against Acupac meets the definition
of "property damage" and is not otherwise excluded, the Newark
policy affords coverage to Acupac. Acupac contends that the
attachment of the defective pacquettes to Revlon's advertising
cards caused physical injury to the cards, including the loss of
their use. Newark agrees that the advertising cards onto which
lotion actually leaked were, in fact, physically injured, but
denies that the advertising cards onto which no lotion leaked were
physically injured. Newark also denies that the lotion itself was
physically injured.
We agree with Newark that in order to be covered under
subparagraph (a), there must be an actual physical injury to
tangible property. The policy expressly so provides. If there is
no injury to tangible property, any coverage would be under
subparagraph (b). However, if the claim is under 15(b) of the
policy, exclusion "m" would eliminate coverage since the damage
would be to property not physically injured or impaired arising out
of a defect or deficiency in Acupac's work. Acupac contends that
once the defective pacquettes were attached to the advertising
cards, the cards themselves were destroyed, as was the lotion in
the pacquettes, since there was no economically feasible method of
salvaging either. Acupac asserts that separating the defective
cards from the pacquettes was not considered, as the cost of
removal far exceeded the cost of reprinting the cards. In its
appellate brief in support of its claim that the remaining cards
were not physically injured, Newark contends that the pacquettes
could easily have been removed from the advertising cards without
causing actual physical damage to the cards; that any residual glue
could have been completely peeled off "without very much effort and
without any residue remaining"; the lotion could have been removed
and salvaged in a cost effective way, and that the pacquettes could
have been used in other types of promotional campaigns such as
store promotions, or mail distributions. However, in its counter
statement of undisputed material facts in support of its motion for
summary judgment, and in opposition to Acupac's motion for summary
judgment, Newark noted a settlement of $152,980.56, reached between
Acupac and Revlon and "stipulated to the reasonableness of the
Acupac settlement with Revlon".
In granting summary judgment, the motion judge relied upon
Weedo, supra,; Heldor, supra, and Unifoil Corp. v. CNA Ins. Co.,
218 N.J. Super. 461 (App. Div. 1987).See footnote 44 Accordingly, we begin our
analysis with Weedo. There, homeowners instituted suit against
Stone-E-Brick, a masonry contractor engaged to pour concrete
flooring on a veranda and to apply stucco masonry to the exterior
of their home. The completed job revealed cracks in the stucco and
other signs of faulty workmanship. The Weedos had the stucco
removed and replaced with a proper material. The claim against
Stone-E-Brick was for faulty workmanship and the damages claimed
were limited to the cost of correcting the work. A similar claim
was filed against Stone-E-Brick by another homeowner. Stone-E
Brick requested its insurance carrier to assume the defense of each
complaint and indemnify it in the event judgment was rendered
against it.
The insurance policy in Weedo provided, with language similar
to the language in Acupac's policy, that the insurer agreed to pay
"all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay
as damages because of ... property damage to which this insurance
applies, caused by an occurrence". Speaking for the Court, Justice
Clifford observed that "[t]he qualifying phrase, 'to which this
insurance applies' underscores the basic notion that the premium
paid by the insured does not buy coverage for all property damage
but only for that type of damage provided for in the policy".
Weedo, supra, 81 N.J. at 237. The Court noted that Stone-E-Brick's
provision of stucco and stone generally carried with it such
express warranties as may have been made during the bargaining
process, as well as implied warranties of merchantability and
fitness for a particular purpose. If the work performed by a
contractor such as Stone-E-Brick is faulty, either express or
implied warranties are breached, subjecting the contractor to
damages for repair or replacement of the faulty work. Id. at 239.
The consequence of not performing well is part of every business
venture and, consequently, the repair or replacement of faulty
goods and work is considered a business expense, or business risk
generally borne by the contractor to satisfy its customers. Ibid.
Ordinarily, such business risks are excluded from coverage under
the terms of the policy. On the other hand, there is a risk of
accidental injury to property or persons caused by faulty
workmanship which is generally covered by the policy. Id. at 239
40. As Justice Clifford observed, "[w]hile it may be true that the
same neglectful craftsmanship can be the cause of both a business
expense of repair and a loss represented by damage to persons and
property, the two consequences are vastly different in relation to
sharing the costs of such risks as a matter of insurance
underwriting". Id. at 240.
Coverage provided by the insurance policy is generally for
tort liability for physical damages to others, and not for
contractual liability of the insured for economic losses because
the product or completed work is not that for which the damaged
person bargained. Ibid. While the line may be fine, simply put,
tort liability is covered while contractual liability due to faulty
workmanship is not. To illustrate the distinction, Justice
Clifford gave the following example:
When a craftsman applies stucco to an exterior
wall of a home in a faulty manner and
discoloration, peeling and chipping result,
the poorly-performed work will perforce have
to be replaced or repaired by the tradesman or
by a surety. On the other hand, should the
stucco peel and fall from the wall, and
thereby cause injury to the homeowner or his
neighbor standing below or to a passing
automobile, an occurrence of harm arises which
is the proper subject of risk-sharing as
provided by the type of policy before us in
this case. The happenstance and extent of the
latter liability is entirely unpredictable
the neighbor could suffer a scratched arm or a
fatal blow to the skull from the peeling
stonework. Whether the liability of the
businessman is predicated upon warranty theory
or, preferably and more accurately, upon tort
concepts, injury to persons and damage to
other property constitute the risks intended
to be covered under the [policy].
[Id. at 240-41.]
Accordingly, the Court held that the "insured products" and
"work performed" exclusions, which are substantially similar to
Newark's exclusion m., applied to negate coverage or claims against
a contractor for breach of contract and faulty workmanship where
the damages claimed were solely the cost of correcting the work
itself. Id. at 241-42.
In Heldor Industries, Inc. v. Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co.,
supra, relying upon Weedo, we observed that ordinarily the insured
assumes the risk of necessary replacement or repair of faulty goods
as part of the cost of doing business, but passes on to the
insurance carrier the risk of damage to property of third parties
caused by the faulty goods. Heldor, supra, 229 N.J. Super. at 396.
In Heldor, Piper Pools, Inc. (Piper), a seller of swimming pools,
alleged that it had received complaints that non-skid paint finish
applied to coping material which had been supplied to it by Heldor
was peeling, leaving bare aluminum exposed, creating an undesirable
appearance as well as an unsafe, slippery condition. However, no
personal injury claims had been made against Heldor or Piper, and
no claims had been made by swimming pool owners for property damage
to their decking or for diminution in their property values,
arising out of the allegedly defective coping.
Applying Weedo, we held that the business risk exclusion
mandated a denial of coverage since no actual damage to
the decking occurred and no claims were made against either Piper
or Heldor by swimming pool owners for personal injury or damage to
their property. Heldor, supra, 229 N.J. Super. at 396. Since the
only claim made required the repair or replacement of Heldor's own
product, we concluded that the claims asserted fell within the
business risk exclusions of the policy. Id. at 397. Accordingly,
following Weedo, we held that the risk of necessary replacement or
repair of faulty goods is part of the cost of doing business and
was not covered by the insurance policy. Id. at 396.
We next consider Unifoil Corp. v. CNA Ins. Co., supra.
There, we held that the claims asserted against Unifoil, the
insured, were essentially for breach of warranty which fell within
the business risk exclusion and, consequently, Unifoil was not
entitled to coverage. The insured was a producer of foil-laminated
paper used in the manufacture of lottery tickets. A supplier and
sub-supplier of the insured were apparently responsible for
defective lacquer furnished to the insured which, in turn, caused
the insured's product to be defective. When tickets were further
processed by the insured's customer, the tickets' surface would not
retain pre-printing after an opaque covering was scraped off.
Thus, the purchasers of the tickets were unable to read the symbols
beneath the covering and determine whether they had won prizes.
The final recipient of the allegedly defective foil-coated paper
brought suit against the insured's customer asserting breaches of
warranty under the Uniform Commercial Code. In turn, the insured's
customer filed a third-party complaint against the insured,
Unifoil, asserting both breaches of warranty and negligence on
Unifoil's part.
Correctly recognizing that if physical injury is shown the
business risk exclusion does not apply, we concluded that the facts
presented "no more than a warranty claim made against [Unifoil] by
a customer who suffered economic damages allegedly due to the
failure of [Unifoil's] product to perform as specified". Unifoil,
supra, 218 N.J. Super. at 471. Although the allegedly unusable
coated paper sold by Unifoil was changed in appearance, we
concluded that it was merely enhanced by the services of others in
the manufacturing process. We thus concluded that although the
original product was printed, coated, cut and distributed, it did
not constitute "tangible property physically injured or destroyed"
and the claims were, therefore, outside the coverage of the policy.
Id. at 471. Significantly, we recognized that there would be
coverage if the defective product caused damage to other tangible
property, not merely to intangible enhancements of the original
item. Id. at 470. In disposing of Unifoil's argument that if
coverage is not afforded the policy for which it paid substantial
premiums was illusory, we observed that if the laminate had proved
toxic, or if the foil had separated and cut the holder of the
ticket, or if a defect in the ticket caused the material to injure
a processor's printing machines or other equipment, the insurer
would have been responsible under its policy. Id. at 472.
We have carefully considered Weedo, Heldor, and Unifoil, and
conclude that those decisions do not support the grant of summary
judgment in favor of Newark. Here, unlike those cases, claims were
asserted for damage to property __ the cards __ that were the
property of others, separate and distinct from the pacquettes
prepared by Acupac. Simply put, as implicitly recognized by Newark
in correctly deciding to pay claims regarding the cards on which
the lotion had actually spilled, Acupac contends that its defective
product caused damage to other tangible property, not merely to
intangible enhancements of the original items. Unifoil v. CNA Ins.
Co., supra, 218 N.J. at 470.
The business risk exclusion only applies regarding claims for
damage to the insured's own work arising out of his faulty
workmanship, and does not exclude damage to other property not
manufactured or provided by the insured, yet caused by the
insured's poor performance. Hartford Ins. Group v. Marson
Construction Corp.,
186 N.J. Super. 253, 258-59 (App. Div. 1982),
certif. denied,
93 N.J. 247 (1983). In Hartford, we held that a
claim against a contractor based upon its improper workmanship on
the construction of outside walls which caused recurring structural
leaks to metal panels installed by another prime contractor was not
within the business risk exclusion and the contractor was entitled
to coverage. Id. at 259. Synthesizing Weedo, Heldor, Unifoil, and
Hartford, we must determine whether there exists a genuine factual
issue as to whether the remaining cards on to which lotion had not
yet leaked were damaged, so as to afford coverage. We note that
Acupac does not seek reimbursement for its internal costs in
manufacturing and billing the 2.2 million pacquettes with lotion.
It has voluntarily absorbed those costs as a business risk it
assumed for which it is not entitled to coverage. Rather, Acupac
seeks recovery only for the damage it is regarded to have caused to
the property of Revlon and any consequential damages that flow
therefrom.
In attempting to establish that the balance of the cards were
damaged, Acupac relies upon Eljer Manufacturing, Inc. v. Liberty
Mutual Insurance Co.,
972 F.2d 805 (7th Cir. 1992), cert. denied,
507 U.S. 1005,
113 S. Ct. 1646,
123 L. Ed.2d 267 (1993). In
Eljer, the product involved was a plumbing system which was
manufactured and sold to plumbing contractors nationwide. Within
a year after the first units were sold and installed, complaints
were made regarding leaks and several hundred products-liability
lawsuits were filed, some of them class actions. It was estimated
that ultimately five percent of the total number of systems sold
would fail in circumstances likely to result in a lawsuit.
Speaking for the majority, Judge Posner concluded that for purpose
of determining coverage, "physical injury to tangible property"
occurred when the allegedly defective plumbing system was
incorporated into a larger structure, such as a house or apartment,
rather than when the system actually malfunctioned, causing
physical damage to the structure. Eljer, supra, 972 F.
2d at 814.
However, in order to constitute the physical injury as of the date
of installation, the expected failure rate must be sufficiently
high to mark the product as defective and induce a rational owner
to replace it before it fails. Id. at 812. We regard Eljer
persuasive and choose to follow it. We hold that if Acupac can
establish that it was inevitable that all, or a substantial
portion, of the cards would be destroyed once subjected to the
binding process, those cards, which belonged to Revlon, were indeed
damaged. Acupac was not required to subject the balance of the
cards to the binding process (which may have increased the actual
damages) in order to insure coverage. The claim would not be one
of breach of warranty limited to the cost of repairing or replacing
Acupac's defective work. Rather, the claim would be for physical
damage to Revlon's property caused by Acupac's defective work.
We reiterate that if Acupac can establish its contention that
all or a substantial portion of the pacquettes would have leaked
onto the cards if subjected to the binding process, rendering the
cards inutile for their intended purpose, coverage should be
afforded because the cards were, for all intents and purposes,
physically damaged. We consider as factual issues to be resolved
by the fact-finder in making the ultimate determination as to
whether Revlon's property was damaged, Newark's contentions that
the pacquettes could have easily been removed from the actual card
without causing physical damage; that the residual glue could have
easily been removed or peeled off from the cards; that the lotion
could have been removed in a cost-effective way, or that the
pacquettes could have been used in other types of promotional
campaigns such as store promotions, newspaper inserts, or mail
distribution. If the fact-finder concludes that they were damaged,
exclusion "m" would not apply unless the fact-finder concludes they
were "impaired". Therefore, if the fact-finder concludes that the
balance of the advertising cards with attached defective pacquettes
could not be restored, they were effectively damaged and not merely
"impaired" within the meaning of exclusion m. We express no
opinion as to what damages, if any, Acupac may be entitled.
Neither entitlement to damages, nor the measure of damages, are
subjects of this appeal.
Finally, we consider Acupac's contention that the trial judge
erred in concluding that exclusion "n." of the Newark policy bars
coverage for the claims. This exclusion, sometimes referred to as
the "sistership exclusion" provides, in pertinent part, as follows:
2. Exclusions
This insurance does not apply to:
n. Recall of Products, Work or Impaired Property
Damages claimed for any loss, cost or expense
incurred by you or others for the loss of use,
withdrawal, recall, inspection, repair,
replacement, adjustment, removal, disposal of:
(1) "Your product";
(2) "Your work", or
(3) "Impaired property",
if such product, work or property is withdrawn or
recalled from the market or from use by any person
or organization because of a known or suspected
defect, deficiency, inadequacy or dangerous
condition in it.
Newark contends that the "sistership exclusion" is designed to
exclude from coverage expenses involved in recalling or withdrawing
a product in which accidents have not yet occurred. Newark asserts
that these expenses are excluded from coverage because they are
incurred to prevent accidents. We conclude that the "sistership
exclusion" has no applicability when the claim is for property
damage claimed to have been suffered by another property owner,
such as Revlon. See Hartford Ins. Group v. Marson Construction
Corp., supra, 186 N.J. Super. at 260 (sistership exclusion does
not, on its face, exclude damage alleged to have been done to the
work of another prime contractor); accord: United States Fidelity
and Guaranty Co. v. Wilkin Insulation Co.,
578 N.E.2d 926, 934;
Champion v. Panel Era Mfg. Co.,
410 So.2d 1230 (La. Ct. App.), writ
denied,
414 So.2d 389 (La. 1982) (sistership exclusion is limited
to those cases in which there is a withdrawal of the product from
the market, as that term is commonly construed; the exclusion does
not apply to damages, in fact, caused by a defective condition, the
discovery of which occasions the discontinuation of the product.);
see also: Ostrager & Newman, Handbook on Insurance Coverage
Disputes, Section 7.02(c)(5). The "sistership exclusion" only
applies in those cases where because of the actual failure of the
insured's product, similar or "sister" products are withdrawn from
use to prevent the failure of these other products, which have not
yet failed but are suspected of containing the same defect.
Honeycomb Systems, Inc. v. Admiral Insurance Co.,
567 F. Supp. 1400, 1406 (D. Me. 1983); United States Fidelity and Guaranty Co.
v. Wilkin Insulation Co.,
578 N.E.2d 926, 934 (Ill. 1991). The
sistership exclusion, by its very terms, is limited to those costs
associated with the withdrawing of a product from the market. It
does not exclude from coverage damage already caused to the
property of a third party. Accordingly, if the fact-finder
determines that the balance of the cards were, in fact, damaged,
the sistership exclusion would not apply. Acupac is not seeking
reimbursement for any costs associated with a recall. Rather,
Acupac is seeking indemnity for property damage it caused to
Revlon's property.
Reversed and remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent
with this opinion.
Footnote: 1 1Acupac filed a cross-motion for summary judgment which was denied. The denial of Acupac's cross-motion for summary judgment has not been appealed. Footnote: 2 2Although Tarlow was named as a defendant, we are unable to discern from the record supplied us by the parties whether Tarlow formally appeared in these proceedings. In any event, Tarlow has not participated in this appeal. Footnote: 3 3There is a mathematical discrepancy in the total amount of the claim submitted by Acupac to plaintiff, and the sum of the individual components of the claim. We are unable to account for the discrepancy. Footnote: 4 4The judge also relied upon the unpublished opinion of Oxford Textile, Inc. v. Royal Ins. Co. of America, A-2111-95 (decided July 1, 1996). Unpublished opinions do not constitute precedent and are not binding upon any court. R. 1:36-3. Moreover, they should not be cited by any court. Ibid. See also State v. One 1979 Pontiac Sunbird, 191 N.J. Super. 578, 581 (App. Div. 1983). In addition, for reasons to be explained more fully in our analysis of Unifoil, supra, we conclude that Oxford Textile is distinguishable from this case.