A commentary on insurance coverage issues in Hawaii and beyond
The insured contractor was not entitled to independent Cumis counsel despite suing the insurer in a cross-claim. Centex Homes v. St. Palu Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 2018 Cal. App. LEXIS 45 (Cal. Ct. App. Jan. 22, 2018).
Homeowners sued Centex Homes for construction defects. Centex tendered defense of the suit to…
One insurer's refusal to defend based upon its "other insurance" provision ultimately meant the insurer had to pay all of the insured's defense costs. Steadfast Ins. Co. v. Greenwich Ins. Co., 2018 Wis. App. LEXIS 51 (Wis. Ct. App. Jan. 17, 2018).
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) was a government…
The federal district court found that the insurer was estopped from asserting coverage defenses after taking no action for two years before appearing in a declaratory judgment action filed by the insured. Sentinel Ins. Co. v. Walsh Constr. Co., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6487 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 16, 2018).
Walsh…
Although the homeowners did not own their homes when the subcontractors completed their work, the general contractor was still covered as an additional insured for the homeowners' suits based on the ongoing operations endorsement in the subcontractors' policies. McMillin Mgmt. Servs. v. Fin. Pac. Ins. Co., 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 1000 (Cal.
The court disagreed with the insurer's attempt to limit additional insured status based upon the contract between the parties. Mays v. In re All C-Dive LLC, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 185874 (E.D. La. Nov. 9, 2017).
Five employees of C-Dive LLC filed a lawsuit after belng injured in a pipeline…
The court found that the insurer was obligated to indemnify, but not to defend the insured. Old Republic Ins. Co. v. Kenny Constr. Co., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 189412 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 31, 2017).
Kenny Construction Company was hired by the Army Corp of Engineers to work on the Chicago…
The appellate court found that the claims file that existed before the insurer's denial was discoverable. Cascade Builders Corp. v. Rugar, 2017 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7357 (N.Y. App. Div.. Oct. 19, 2017).
Cascade Builders was the general contractor for the homeowners. In May 2011, Cascade subcontracted with John Rugar…
The insurer unsuccessfully moved for summary judgment on the CGL policy's business risk exclusions. Scottsdale Ins. Co. v. TL Spreader, LLC, (W.D. La. Oct. 20, 2017).
Helena Chemical Company contracted with its customer Wild Farms to sell and apply certain herbicides and pesticides to Wild Farms' 123 acre rice filed.
Two insurers disagreed on which was responsible for defense costs in the underlying personal injury suit against the insured. Nautilus Ins. Co. v. Westfield Ins. Co., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 158480 (E.D. Pa. Sept. 27, 2017).
Knerr Group, Inc. lease property to Podcon, Inc. pursuant to a written lease. A…
The California Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court's finding of coverage for faulty workmanship allegations and bad faith by the insurer. Pulte Home Corp. v. Am Safety Indem. Co., 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 748 (Cal. Ct. App. Aug. 30, 2017).
Pulte Home Corporation was the general contractor and developer…
