A commentary on insurance coverage issues in Hawaii and beyond
The federal district court granted the insurer’s motion for summary judgment, finding no bad faith despite the appraisal award exceeding the amount the insurer initially paid. Jazi Kat 4659 Rockridge LLC, et al. v. Travelers Cas. Ins. Co. of Am., et al., 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105634 (D. Ariz. May 13, 2026).
Plaintiffs sued…
The Texas Supreme Court granted mandamus, agreeing that the trial court abused its discretion in denying the insurers’ motion to compel appraisal because of existing coverage issues. In re ACE American Ins. Co., 2026 Tex. LEXIS 411 (Tex. May 8, 2026).
The insured owned, leased and managed commercial properties nationwide. Several insurers collectively insured…
Applying Texas law, the federal district court found there was no coverage for damage to the insured’s commercial building due to the bursting of frozen pipes. Barona v. State Farm Lloyds, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 257379 (S.D. Texas Dec. 12, 2025).
Freezing weather froze Barona’s plumbing fixtures, causing significant water damage to the commercial property…
The federal district court in Tennessee granted the insured’s motion for summary judgment finding the appraisal award was properly determined despite the insurer’s argument that the appraisal panel considered causation of the loss. Nashville Communications, Inc. v. Auto-Owners (Mutual) Ins. Co., 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 223455 (M.D. Tenn. Nov. 13, 2025)
A windstorm struck…
The California federal district court granted the insured’s motion to compel appraisal despite the existence of outstanding coverage issues. K4 Dev. LLC v. ACE Am. Ins. Co., et al., 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 211337 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 6. 2025).
The insured owned hotel property. It was insured by ACE while the hotel was under…
The court conditionally granted the insurer’s writ of mandamus to compel an appraisal after the trial court denied the insurer’s motion to compel appraisal. In re Am. Zurich Ins. Co., 2025 Tex. App. LEXIS 8932 (Tex. Ct. App. Nov. 20, 2025).
The insureds, Jay Steinfeld and Barbara Winthrop (Steinfeld) ,hired Southhampton Group to build…
The insureds’ suit for coverage due to a collapse of their barn was dismissed while the bad faith against the insurer survived. Funaro v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 227346 (W. D. Pa. Nov 19, 2025).
The insureds’ barn was insured by State Farm. The insureds alleged that…
After the leased commercial building was destroyed by a tornado, a dispute arose over inadequate coverage under a policy that the tenant was obligated to provide. Fort Worth Partners, LLC v. Nilfisk, Inc., 2025 U.S. App. LEXIS 27000 (8th Cir. Oct. 17, 2025).
Nilfisk leased a warehouse building from Fort Worth Partners under the terms…
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's ruling that the appraisers appointed under the policy provisions to establish the amount of loss could also find the cause of the loss. Mesco Manufacturing, LLC v. Motorists Mut. Ins. Co., 2025 U.S. App. LEXIS 18598 (7th Cir. July 25, 2025).
Mesco Manufacturing…
The insurer's challenge to an appraisal award that was more than the insureds' proof of loss was rejected by the court. Larson, et al. v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., Iowa Dist. Ct. No. LACV053659 (Iowa Dist. Ct. June 4, 2025).
The insureds' home was damaged by hail. The insureds and Auto-Owners disagreed…
