{"id":"court_ctb_1787_18","court":"CTB","case_no":"22-50073","doc_number":1787,"sub_number":18,"doc_type":"NOTICE","filed_date":"2023-05-12","title":"![](_page_0_Picture_2.jpeg) 1825 Eye Street NW |Washington, D.C. 20006 blankrome.com","summary_zh":null,"summary_en":null,"body_en":"Case 22-50073 Doc 1787-18 Filed 05/12/23 Entered 05/12/23 16:37:59 Page 1 of\n\n![](_page_0_Picture_2.jpeg)\n\n1825 Eye Street NW |Washington, D.C. 20006 blankrome.com\n\n*Ph o n e : ( 2 0 2 ) 4 2 0 - 3 6 4 4 F a x : ( 2 0 2 ) 3 7 9 - 9 1 1 8 Email: jgibbons@blankrome.com*\n\nApril 30, 2023\n\nVia Email MBono@wcmlaw.com\n\nMichael Bono, Esq. Wade Clark Mulcahy LLP 180 Maiden Lane Suite 901 New York, NY 10038\n\n## Re: Genever Holdings LLC Covered Insurance Claim and Insurance Coverage With AIG\n\nDear Mr. Bono:\n\nWe write on behalf of Genever Holdings LLC (\"Genever\"). We are in receipt of your April 17, 2023 and April 26, 2023 correspondence, sent on behalf of AIG, concerning the covered fire loss claim that Genever has submitted. We will be addressing the assertions in those letters and AIG's failure to appropriately confirm coverage for the covered fire losses at a later time, but it suffices to say that AIG's rationale for denying coverage are no more compelling than the asserted rationales for canceling the policies. We also are in receipt of five notices of cancellation AIG issued on April 25, 2023 that purport to cancel five insurance policies effective May 31, 2023. The \"reason[s] for cancellation\" in the notices are identical:\n\nThe Insured under the policies is Genever:\n\nMichael Bono, Esq. April 30, 2023 Page 2\n\nAs AIG has acknowledged, court appointed trustee Luc A Despins, of Paul Hastings LLP, holds the shares of Genever's parent, and exerts control over Genever.\n\nAIG has no basis nor support for the two asserted \"reason[s] for cancellation.\" AIG offers no specifics for cancellation, but merely paraphrases two of the limited grounds that may be invoked for a cancellation of these renewal policies. The limited grounds for cancellation are onerous and AIG bears the burden of proving that it may properly invoke cancellation. The insurer's threadbare and fact-free notice of cancellation fails to satisfy the insurer's obligations of specificity and proof for cancellation. Moreover, even a cursory inspection of the asserted \"reason[s] for cancellation\" reveals that the cancellation is devoid of merit.\n\nWith respect to the first \"reason,\" AIG generically asserts that it has discovered \"willful or reckless acts by the insured [Genever] increasing the hazard insured against.\" Given Mr. Despins' trustee control, Genever acts through him. AIG does not identify any purported willful or reckless acts of Genever nor of Mr. Despins, as there are none, and AIG's unsubstantiated assertions are improper, and likely libelous. AIG similarly has not identified any purported increased hazard.\n\nAIG's second assertion fares no better under scrutiny. The insurer does not identify any physical changes to the property, post renewal, that would render the property uninsurable. Indeed, the lone physical change to the property, that Genever is aware of, is that the residence suffered a fire during the policy period, covered under the insurance that AIG now attempts to cancel. The fact that Genever suffered an insured fire loss at the property is not a basis for AIG to cancel the policy. Moreover, the policy provision for cancellation mandates that any physical change must render the residence uninsurable \"in accordance with our objective, uniformly applied underwriting standards at the time the policy was issued or last voluntarily renewed.\" *See*, *e.g.*, Homeowners Amendatory Endorsement NY for Policy PCG 0061821440. Genever is unaware of any objective, uniform underwriting standard by which AIG deems residences uninsurable simply because the residence suffered a covered casualty event. Indeed, AIG certainly does not advertise itself as applying such an unreasonable and unjust uniform underwriting standard.\n\nAIG' notices of cancellation, and repudiation of the insurance policies it sold, constitutes an anticipatory breach of the policies. AIG has not satisfied, and cannot satisfy, the onerous standards for cancellation, and the notices of cancellation do not even attempt to satisfy AIG's burden. Indeed, AIG's cancellations appear to be retaliatory actions against Genever in response to Genever's submission of the insured fire loss claim for the damage to the residence at 781 Fifth Avenue, 18th Floor, and partial proof of loss. Submission of a loss claim is not a basis for AIG to seek cancellation of insurance. Moreover, AIG's notice of cancellation may place Genever's ownership of the residence in jeopardy of forfeiture, as maintaining insurance on the property is a requirement for continued ownership. As such, AIG is not only immediately liable for breach of its policies, but its conduct may result in additional consequential losses to Genever\n\nMichael Bono, Esq. April 30, 2023 Page 3\n\nfor which AIG will be fully accountable and liable. In addition, as AIG is aware, Genever is a debtor-in-possession in a bankruptcy case pending in the Connecticut bankruptcy court, and Genever is examining the extent to which AIG's conduct may violate the Bankruptcy Code's automatic stay, among other things. We anticipate that AIG would not want to undertake actions that could lead it to being found to have violated the automatic stay.\n\nAIG is obligated to immediately withdraw the notices of cancellation. Genever requests that AIG confirm withdrawal of the cancellation notices by 5:00 pm et Wednesday May 3, 2023.\n\nVery truly yours,\n\nJohn A. Gibbons\n\ncc: Luc Despins, Esq. James R. Murray, Esq.","body_zh":"Case 22-50073 Doc 1787-18 Filed 05/12/23 Entered 05/12/23 16:37:59 Page 1 of\n\n1825 Eye Street NW　Washington, D.C. 20006 blankrome.com\n\n电话：(202) 420-3644 传真：(202) 379-9118 电子邮箱：jgibbons@blankrome.com\n\n2023年4月30日\n\n通过电子邮件发送至 MBono@wcmlaw.com\n\nMichael Bono（迈克尔·博诺）律师\nWade Clark Mulcahy LLP（韦德·克拉克·穆尔卡希有限责任合伙）\n180 Maiden Lane\nSuite 901\nNew York, NY 10038\n事由：Genever Holdings LLC（吉纳弗控股有限公司）承保保险索赔及与 AIG 的保险承保范围\n\n尊敬的 Bono 律师：\n\n我们代表 Genever Holdings LLC（吉纳弗控股有限公司，以下简称「Genever」）致信。我们已收到您代表 AIG（美国国际集团）发送的、日期为 2023年4月17日 和 2023年4月26日 的信件，内容涉及 Genever 提交的受保火灾损失索赔。我们稍后将对这些信件中的主张以及 AIG 未能就受保火灾损失妥善确认承保范围一事作出回应，但在此只需说明，AIG 拒绝承保的理由并不比其主张取消保单的理由更具说服力。我们还收到了 AIG 于 2023年4月25日 发出的五份取消通知，声称将于 2023年5月31日 生效取消五份保险单。通知中的「取消理由」完全相同：\n\n根据保单，被保险人为 Genever：\n\nMichael Bono，律师 2023年4月30日 第 2 页\n\n正如 AIG 所知晓的，Paul Hastings LLP（普衡律师事务所）的法院指定受托人 Luc A Despins（吕克·A·德斯平斯）持有 Genever 母公司的股份，并对 Genever 实施控制。\n\nAIG 对所主张的两项「取消理由」毫无依据，也无任何支持材料。AIG 未提供任何取消的具体事实，而仅仅是转述了取消这些续保保单可引用的有限理由中的两项。取消保单的有限理由是极其严苛的，AIG 承担证明其可正当引用取消理由的举证责任。该保险人空洞无物且缺乏事实根据的取消通知未能满足保险人在取消保单时应履行的具体性与证明义务。此外，即使对所主张的「取消理由」进行最粗略的审查，也会发现该取消完全毫无依据。\n\n关于第一项「理由」，AIG 笼统地声称其发现了「被保险人 [Genever] 增加所投保危险的故意或轻率行为」。鉴于 Despins 先生的受托人控制权，Genever 是通过他行事的。AIG 未能指出 Genever 或 Despins 先生有任何所谓故意或轻率的行为，因为根本不存在此类行为，AIG 未经证实的指控是不当的，并且很可能构成诽谤。AIG 同样未能指出存在任何所谓增加的危险。\n\nAIG 的第二项主张在审查下同样站不住脚。该保险人并未指出该房产在续保后发生任何会导致该房产无法投保的物理变化。事实上，Genever 所知该房产唯一的物理变化，就是该住宅在保险期内遭受了一场火灾，而该火灾属于 AIG 目前试图取消的保险承保范围之内。Genever 在该房产遭受了受保火灾损失这一事实，并不是 AIG 取消保单的依据。此外，保单中关于取消的条款明确规定，任何物理变化必须「依据我们在保单签发或最后一次自愿续保时客观、统一适用的核保标准」导致该住宅无法投保。参见例如保单 PCG 0061821440 的《纽约州房主保单修正批单》。据 Genever 所知，不存在任何客观、统一的核保标准能够允许 AIG 仅仅因为住宅遭受了受保的意外事故便认定其无法投保。事实上，AIG 绝不会公开宣称自己适用如此不合理且不公正的统一核保标准。\n\nAIG 的取消通知以及对其已售出保险单的毁约，构成了对保单的预期违约。AIG 没有满足、也无法满足严苛的取消标准，且取消通知甚至根本未试图履行 AIG 的举证责任。事实上，AIG 的取消行为似乎是对 Genever 就 Fifth Avenue（第五大道）781 号 18 楼住宅的损坏提交受保火灾损失索赔及部分损失证明的报复行动。提交损失索赔绝非 AIG 寻求取消保险的依据。此外，AIG 的取消通知可能会使 Genever 对该住宅的所有权面临被没收的危险，因为为该房产维持保险是持续拥有所有权的一项要求。因此，AIG 不仅因违反保单而应立即承担责任，而且其行为还可能导致 Genever 产生额外的间接损失，\n\nMichael Bono，律师 2023年4月30日 第 3 页\n\nAIG 将对此承担全部责任与赔偿义务。此外，正如 AIG 所知，Genever 是正在 Connecticut（康涅狄格州）破产法院审理的一宗破产案件中的自行管理债务人，Genever 目前正在审查 AIG 的行为在多大程度上违反了《破产法典》的自动中止等规定。我们预计 AIG 应当不希望采取任何可能导致其被认定违反自动中止规定的行动。\n\nAIG 有义务立即撤回取消通知。Genever 要求 AIG 在 2023年5月3日 星期三美国东部时间下午 5:00 之前确认撤回取消通知。\n\n谨启，\n\nJohn A. Gibbons（约翰·A·吉本斯）\n\n抄送：Luc Despins 律师 James R. Murray 律师","key_entities":["Despins","Je","CIPA","Luc Despins","Murray","Paul Hastings","forfeiture"],"ecf_references":[],"word_count":870,"status":"published","published_at":"2023-05-12 00:00:00","created_at":"2023-05-12","updated_at":"2026-08-23 12:34:44"}