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Tred once again was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2025 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for his work in Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law and Litigation-Insurance. He was also named Best Lawyers® 2022 Litigation Insurance “Lawyer of the Year” in Honolulu. A designation given to a single attorney in each practice group by metropolitan area.

   The Fifth Circuit considered the impact on coverage when an anti-concurrent causation clause seems to be contradicted by a "reverse" anti-concurrent causation clause in an endorsement.  See Penthouse Owners Assoc., Inc. v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyds, London, 2010 U.S. App. LEXIS 14531 (5th Cir. July 14, 2010).

   Penthouse's property was completely destroyed by Hurricane

   Our article, entitled “Getting Around LHWCA’s Exclusive Remedy Roadblock – Employee’s Claims Against Employer and Insurer for Intentional Torts,” has been published by Coverage, a periodical circulated to members of the ABA’s Section of Litigation, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee.  My Damon Key blogging colleague, Mark Murakami (hawaiioceanlaw.com), and I teamed to author the article

   While operating heavy construction equipment, the insured's nine-year old son injured a worker.  The court considered whether the insurer had to defend and indemnify under a motor vehicle exclusion in the insured's  homeowner's policy.  See Rhoades v. Massachusetts Prop. Ins. Underwriting Assoc., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69870 (D. Mass. July 13, 2010).

   The

   Should an insurer be allowed to pursue a federal action for declaratory judgment on its duty to defend where the insured has failed to cooperate in numerous underlying state actions against it?  The Fifth Circuit decided the district court erred in staying the declaratory judgment action and allowed the federal case to proceed simultaneously with the state cases.  See

  Two interesting issues were presented in Jeffrey M. Brown, Assoc., Inc. v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co., 2010 N.J. Super. LEXIS 108 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. June 23, 2010).  First, what was the scope of coverage provided by an additional insured endorsement which provided the coverage was "excess over any other insurance?"  Second

   The insurer defended the underlying construction defect case under a reservation of rights, but moved for summary judgment in the coverage action on its duty to indemnify.  Mid-Continent Caus. Co. v. Frank Casserino Constr., Inc., 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59363 (M.D. Fla. June 16, 2010). 

   The general contractor subcontracted with the insured to perform building

   In a coverage dispute between two insurers, the court considered the impact of an endorsement excluding coverage for any loss that first manifested before the term of the policy.  See Pa. Gen. Ins. Co. v. Am. Safety Indemn. Co., 2010 Cal. App. LEXIS 981 (Cal. Ct. App. June 28, 2010).

   Whitacre Construction, a

   The Ninth Circuit covered a lot of ground in reviewing the Benefits Review Board's ("BRB") determination that the claimant was entitled to benefits in Hawaii Stevedores, Inc. v. Ogawa, 2010 U.S. App. LEXIS 12767(9th Cir. June 22, 2010).

   Ogawa was a storeroom maintenance clerk at the employer's marine terminal from 1977 to November