Although the court concluded that the policy covered a loss caused by the weight of snow, disputed facts as to the cause of the collapse led to the denial of cross-motions for summary judgment. Freeway Drive Inv., LLC v Employers Mut. Cas. Co., 2017 U.S Dist. LEXIS 207165 (E.D Mich. Dec. 18
Collapse
No Coverage Where Cracks in Basement Walls Do Not Amount to Sudden Collapse
By Tred R. Eyerly on
In another of a series of collapse cases arising out of Connecticut, the federal district court found there was no coverage for the homeowner's cracked basement wall caused by defective concrete. Liston-Smith v. CSAA Fire & Cas. Ins. Co., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 206211 (D. Conn. Dec. 15, 2017).
The…
No Coverage for Building’s First Collapse, But Disputed Facts on Second Collapse
By Tred R. Eyerly on
While building's first collapse was not covered, there were disputed facts regarding the second collapse, leading to a reversal of the order granting summary judgment to the insurer on both collapses. Intergroup Int'l Ltd. v. Cincinnati Ins. Cos, 2017 Ohio app. LEXIS 5099 (Ohio Ct. App. Nov. 22, 2017).
Intergroup…
No Coverage for Foundation Collapse
By Tred R. Eyerly on
Coverage for the collapse of a foundation was not covered under the contractor's builder's risk policy. Taja Investments LLC v. Peerless Ins. Co., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 19855 (4th Cir. Oct. 11, 2017).
Taja Construction LLC was renovating a row house owned by Taja Investments LLC when the east wall…
Connecticut Federal District Court Keeps Busy With Collapse Cases
By Tred R. Eyerly on
The federal district court for the district of Connecticut has faced a slew of collapse cases, recently dismissing several such cases.
The policies under consideration in each case cover the "entire collapse of a covered building structure" or "the entire collapse of part of a covered building structure." The collapse must…
Homeowner’s Claim for Collapse Survives Summary Judgment
By Tred R. Eyerly on
The insurer failed to present adequate evidence on summary judgment that damage caused by the collapse of a swimming pool was not covered. Klein v. State Farm Ins. Co., 2017 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3030 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. July 11, 2017).
Klein notified State Farm that his in-ground pool collapsed on…
Insured’s Testimony On Expectation of Coverage Deemed Harmless
By Tred R. Eyerly on
Affirming the district court, the Third Circuit found that the insured's testimony that she expected her loss to be covered was harmless. Gordon v .Allstate Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 13507 (3rd Cir. July 26, 2017).
After a storm, portions of the stone facade of the…
No Collapse Coverage Where Policy’s Collapse Provisions Deleted
By Tred R. Eyerly on
The federal district court found there was no coverage for the homeowners' collapse claim because the collapse provisions were deleted from the policy. Gueng-Ho Kim v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97871 (D. Conn. June 26, 2017).
The homeowners purchased their home in 2004. They…
Insurer’s Motion to Dismiss Complaint for Failure to Cover Collapse Fails
By Tred R. Eyerly on
The insurer was unsuccessful in moving to dismiss the property owner's complaint that was filed after coverage for collapse of basement walls was denied. Cyr v. CCAA Fire & Cas. Ins. Co., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 39387 (D. Conn. March 20, 2017).
The Cyrs began observing cracking patterns in the…
Connecticut Federal District Court Again Finds “Collapse” Provisions Ambiguous
By Tred R. Eyerly on
The Federal District Court for the District of Connecticut has issued several decisions of late finding coverage for collapse despite the building not being reduced to rubble. The latest decision in this series is Metsack v. Liberty Mutual Fire Ins. Co., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 24062 (D. Conn. Feb. 21, 2017).
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