A commentary on insurance coverage issues in Hawaii and beyond
The California Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court's denial of the insured's request for independent counsel. Centex Homes v. St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co., 237 Cal. App. 4th 23 (Cal. Ct. App. 2015).
Centex, a developer of single family residences, was sued by homeowners for alleged construction defects. Centex…
A signed work proposal and unsigned agreement were sufficient to create a "written agreement" to create coverage to the contractor as an additional insured. West Bend Mut. Ins. Co. v. DJW-Ridgeway Bldg. Consultants, Inc., 2015 Ill. App. LEXIS 391 (Ill. Ct. App. May 19. 2015).
Ridgeway was the general contractor for construction…
In a dispute between two insurers, the court denied a motion for judgment on the pleadings because there were disputed facts on whether operations were completed at the time of the injury. Citizens Ins. Co. of Am. v. Selective Way Ins. Co., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 48658 (E.D. Pa. April 15, 2015).
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The court found the contractor did not have coverage as an additional insured under the subcontractor's policy. Walton Constr. v. First Fin. Ins. Co., 2015 US. Dist. LEXIS 30710 (E.D. La. March 12, 2015).
John Maestri was injured while working on a construction project for the Jefferson Parish School Board. Maestri…
Responding to a certified question from the Fifth Circuit, the Texas Supreme Court determined that BP was not an additional insured under Transocean's liability policy and had no coverage under the policy for the deaths caused by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon. In re Horizon, 2015 Tex. LEXIS 141 (Tex. Feb. 13…
The Seventh Circuit found there was a duty to defend the additional insured under the policy, but not a duty to indemnify. Kmart Corp. v. Footstar, Inc., 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 1775 (7th Cir. Feb. 4, 2015).
By agreement, Footstar operated the footwear department in hundreds of Kmart stores around the country.
A series of communications requiring the subcontractor to provide additional insured coverage for the contractor were sufficient to fit within the policy's provision identifying additional insureds. KB Home Tucson, Inc. v. The Charter Oak Fire Ins. Co., 2014 Ariz. App. LEXIS 228 (Ariz. Ct. App. Nov. 25, 2014).
KB, the general…
The court denied the insurer's motion for summary judgment, holding that the insurer had a duty to defend the additional insured against claims for construction defects. Centex Homes v. Lexington Ins. Co., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164472 (C.D. Cal. Nov. 24, 2014).
Centex contracted with Gateway Concrete, Inc. to install concrete foundations…
The insurer unsuccessfully moved for reconsideration of the court's holding that additional insured coverage was not limited to vicarious liability of the named insured. First Mercury Ins. Co. v. Shawmut Wood-Working & Supply, Inc., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 155095 (D. Conn. Oct. 31, 2014)
The additional insured endorsement provided coverage for liability for…
The court determined that an additional insured was not entitled to coverage despite an exception to the watercraft exclusion. Holden v. U.S. United Ocean Serv., LLC, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 15954 (5th Cir. Aug. 19, 2014).
United entered a contract with Buck Kreihs Company, Inc. under which Buck Kreihs would perform ship-repair…
