COURT WILL NOT CONSIDER EVIDENTIARY DOCUMENTS ATTACHED TO AN ANSWER IN DECIDING A MOTION FOR JUDGMENT ON THE PLEADINGS (Middle District)
This breach of contract and bad faith action outlines what a court may consider in addressing a motion for judgment on the pleadings. In this case, the documents attached to an answer were not “written instruments” that a court could consider in deciding a motion for judgment on the pleadings.
There was an undisputed fire loss, but there was an issue of whether at least one of the insureds resided in the home at the time of the loss. If neither insured resided at the property, there would be no coverage.
The complaint alleged facts supporting the position that one of the insureds did live in the home at the time of the loss. In answering the complaint, the insurer attached that insured’s statement under oath, the insurer’s investigative report, an EMT form, and an electric usage bill. The insurer relied on the facts in these documents to argue that both insureds did not reside at the home.
The court ruled these documents could not be used in support of a motion for judgment on the pleadings. The court found these were not the kind of “written instruments” that could be incorporated into a pleading, as contemplated by the Rules of Civil Procedure. Instead, they were “lengthy exhibits containing evidentiary matter [that] should not be attached to the pleadings.”
For example, the court observed “[e]xhibits solely containing evidentiary matter, such as depositions, are not considered ‘written instruments’ under Rule 10(c) and are typically excluded from consideration of the pleadings.”
Thus, “[b]ecause the Statements Under Oath consist of only evidentiary matters, they cannot be considered at this juncture.” The same principle applied to the investigative reports and electric bills.
Date of Decision: October 9, 2019
Bloxham v. Allstate Ins. Co., U. S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania NO. 3:19-CV-0481, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 175198 (M.D. Pa. Oct. 9, 2019) (Caputo, J.)
