ACADEMY OF HAIR DESIGN v. COMMERCIAL UNION
8/12/1997
[ 2] In her underlying action in the Superior Court Martin alleges the following: She was an employee of MSAHD for about ten years prior to being fired in April 1993. Jeffrey Saleeby was the president of MSAHD at all times relevant to her claims, and William Malloy was the operations manager. During the course of her employment Saleeby and Malloy made comments and carried out acts of a sexual nature toward her and others associated with MSAHD. Such conduct was unsolicited and unwelcome, hindered her job performance, and created an offensive work environment. Martin was fired two days after she told a supervisor she was considering bringing charges of
[ 3] Martin further alleges the Academy 1) violated her rights under the Maine Human Rights Act by subjecting her to a hostile work environment, terminating her employment, and depriving her of employment, wages, and benefits on a sexually discriminatory basis; 2) negligently and intentionally discriminated against her in the terms and conditions of employment on a sexually discriminatory basis; 3) violated her civil rights, and maliciously and wrongfully terminated her employment; and 4) negligently inflicted severe emotional distress on her by its extreme and outrageous conduct and discriminatory actions, causing her to suffer the loss of, among other things, her professional reputation. Before filing her action in the Superior Court, Martin filed a
[ 4] During the events described in Martin's complaint, MSAHD was insured under a commercial general liability policy issued by Commercial Union. MSAHD requested that Commercial Union provide a defense and indemnify it against Martin's actions in the Superior Court and provide a defense against the proceedings before the Maine Human Rights Commission. Commercial Union refused. As a result the Academy brought the present action, a six-count complaint seeking (I) compensatory damages for breach of the insurance contract; (II) a declaratory judgment obligating Commercial Union to defend
[ 5] A summary judgment is properly granted only when the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with any affidavits, show there is no genuine issue of material fact. M.R.Civ.P. 56(c); Olson v. Albert, 523 A.2d 585, 588 (Me. 1987). On appeal we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonprevailing party to determine whether the record supports the conclusion there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See, e.g., Kandlis v. Huotari, 678 A.2d 41, 42 (Me. 1996). Whether Commercial Union has a duty to defend in this case is a question of law; thus, the trial court's decision is reviewed de novo. Vigna v. Allstate Ins. Co., 686 A.2d 598, 599 (Me. 1996). We determine the duty to defend by comparing the allegations in the underlying complaint with the provisions of the insurance policy. Id. "If a complaint reveals a `potential . . . that the facts ultimately proved may come within the coverage,' a duty to defend exists." Id. (quoting Travelers Indem. Co. v. Dingwell, 414 A.2d 220, 226 (Me. 1980)). See also Gibson v. Farm Family Mut. Ins. Co., 673 A.2d 1350, 1352 (Me. 1996) (describing the comparison test as whether "there is any potential basis for recovery . . . regardless of the actual facts on which the insured's ultimate liability may be based," and stating that " n insured is not at the mercy of the notice pleading of the third party suing him to establish his own insurer's duty to defend."). "Even a complaint which is legally insufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss gives rise to a duty to defend if it shows an intent to state a claim within the insurance coverage." Dingwell, 414 A.
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