March 2012

  An interesting case challenging the insurer's denial of coverage for stolen marijuana plants has been working its way through the Federal District Court in Hawaii. See Tracy v. USAA Cas. Ins. Co., Civil No. 11-00487 LEK-KSC (Order Granting Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment, issued March 16, 2012).

   Plaintiff had twelve marijuana plants stolen from…

   Faced with an issue of first impression in California, the Court of Appeals held that a broker was not liable for failing to reveal the insurer's insolvency occurring after issuance of the policy. Pacific Rim Mechanical Contractors, Inc. v. Aon Risk Ins. Serv. West, Inc., 2012 Cal. App. LEXIS 232 (Cal. Ct. App. Feb. 28…

   The California Court of Appeals held that a carrier who breaches the duty to defend may be liable for consequential damages above policy limits. Carlson v. Century Surety Co., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23119 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 23, 2012).

   The underlying plaintiffs listed their home for sale with Prudential California Realty. Plaintiffs…

   Here is an article I authored in this month’s Hawaii Bar Journal entitled, “The Battle Over Coverage For Construction Defects.” The premise of the article is that while the Intermediate Court of Appeals held in Group Builders, Inc. v. Admiral Ins.Co.,123 Haw. 142, 213 P.3d 67 (Haw. Ct. App. 2010) that construction defects do…

   Whether an appraisal award could be confirmed as an arbitration award considered by the Florida Court of Appeal in State Farm Florida Ins. Co. v. Gonzalez, 76 So. 3d 34 (Fla. Ct. App. 2011).

   The insureds' home was damaged by a hurricane in 2005. State Farm acknowledged there was a covered loss, but…

   Although it was an additional insured under the tenant's commercial general liability policy, the landlord was not entitled to a defense for injury arising out of property other than the leased property. See VBH Luxury, Inc. v. 940 Madison Assoc. LLC, 2012 N.Y. LEXIS 217 (N.Y. Feb. 14, 2012).

   The landlord was an additional insured…