To welcome the New Year, we venture outside this blog’s traditional realm of commercial division practice and procedure to reflect on the nature of “intent” at the intersection of professional wrestling and insurer coverage liability. No, this is not a surrealist poem, but a recent decision by Justice Peter Sherwood of the Commercial Division for New York County arising from the 2015 publication of scandalous material featuring professional wrestler Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan).

In May of 2016, Bollea filed an action in Pinellas County, Florida (Case No. 16-002861-CI), against Don Buchwald & Assocs. (DBA), Bollea’s former talent agency, and Tony Burton, Bollea’s agent at DBA, among others. In that action, Bollea asserted claims for, among other things, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress, arising from Burton’s alleged role in delivering scandalous footage to the now-defunct website Gawker. A year later, in May of 2017, Bollea filed an amended complaint against DBA for “negligent retention,” alleging that DBA acted negligently by employing Burton when DBA “knew or should have known” that Burton was “predisposed to committing wrongs.”

DBA subsequently sought to have its commercial liability insurer, American Zurich Insurance Company (AZIC), and umbrella liability insurer, Zurich American Insurance Company (ZAIC), provide a defense to DBA and Burton in the Florida action pursuant to certain Primary Policies and Umbrella Policies. These policies provide coverage for “bodily injury” caused by an “occurrence” that takes place during the policy period.

AZIC and ZAIC disclaimed coverage, arguing, among other things, that certain of the claims were ineligible for coverage, and that all of DBA’s and Burton’s actions were allegedly intentional and therefore not caused by an “occurrence,” as defined in the policies. The insurers subsequently filed an action in New York Supreme Court, New York County, Commercial Division, seeking a declaration that, among other things, they have no duty to defend DBA and Burton.

On summary judgment, Justice Sherwood offered a thorough and expansive discussion of the insurers’ obligation to defend the claims against DBA and Burton. First, the “duty to defend” is broader than the “duty to indemnify,” and arises where there is a “reasonable possibility of coverage” (Rhodes v Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 67 AD3d 881, 882 [2d Dept 2009]). Moreover, “[i]f any of the claims against an insured arguably arise from covered events, the insurer is required to defend the entire action” (Town of Massena v Healthcare Underwriters Mut. Ins. Co., 98 NY2d 435, 443-444 [2002]).

The insurers’ argument that the policies did not cover claims for intentional torts was also rejected, because from the perspective of an insured employer, its employees’ intentional torts would be “unexpected, unusual and unforeseen.” “In that context, New York courts assess whether the insured intended to cause harmful consequences, not whether the insured, as a general matter, intended to act.” Furthermore, even intentional torts might give rise to coverage for “accidental” conduct, “where the plaintiff in the underlying action can succeed on his or her intentional tort claim without actually proving intentional or knowing conduct – i.e., where something less than actual intent suffices to establish liability.”

Applying this principals, the court held that the Florida action gave rise to a duty to defend because, from DBA’s standpoint, Burton’s acts in allegedly aiding and abetting the publication of scandalous footage were unexpected. Moreover, under Florida law, a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress can be sustained by showing “reckless disregard,” without proving deliberate or intentional harm.

Defendants facing liability for intentional conduct should thus bear in mind that an “intentional” tort can still be “accidental” within the meaning of commercial liability policies, so long as the actor did not intend to achieve the specific harmful results (see Messersmith v American Fid. Co., 232 NY 161, 165-166 [1921]).