A commentary on insurance coverage issues in Hawaii and beyond
After the insurer denied coverage in a homeowner's policy for construction defects under various exclusions, the court found the ensuing loss provision was ambiguous. Kesling v. Am. Family Mut. Ins. Co., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 38857 (D. Colo. March 22, 2012).
After purchasing a home from the sellers, the insureds noticed problems with the…
The insurer's attempt to reject a claim due to inconsistent positions taken by the insured in two different matters failed in Rice v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyds, 2012, U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36445 (S.D. Tex. March 19, 2012).
The insured's home was damaged in 2008 during Hurricane Ike. The insured submitted a claim to Lloyds, but…
The court considered whether damages to the plaintiffs' home caused by Chinese drywall were covered under their homeowners policy. Dupuy v. USAA Cas. Ins. Co., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31890 (M.D. La. March 9, 2012).
The plaintiffs' complaint alleged that the Chinese drywall "emits odorous gases that cause damage to air-conditioner and…
The Connecticut Supreme Court determined that the insured's homeowner's policy did not cover liability for injury to her house guests caused by a car left running overnight in the attached garage. See New London County Mut. Ins. Co. v. Nantes, 2012 Conn. LEXIS 62 (Conn. Feb. 21, 2012).
The insured had two…
Whether an appraisal award could be confirmed as an arbitration award considered by the Florida Court of Appeal in State Farm Florida Ins. Co. v. Gonzalez, 76 So. 3d 34 (Fla. Ct. App. 2011).
The insureds' home was damaged by a hurricane in 2005. State Farm acknowledged there was a covered loss, but…
The court agreed with the insurer that the litigation should be abated during the appraisal for damage caused by Hurricane Ike. See United Neurology, P.A. v. Hartford Lloyd's Ins. Co., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15675 (Feb. 8, 2012).
Harford invoked the appraisal process, which was required under the policy if the parties failed…
The shopping mall owner, Bender Square Partners, sought to recover from the insurer for losses resulting from Hurricane Ike to property it had leased to PNS Stores, Inc. Bender Square Partners v. Factory Mut. Ins. Co., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8095 (S.D. Texas Jan. 24, 2012). It turned out Bender was not an…
If a condominium owner suffers damage caused by a leak from another unit, may it sue the insurer for the Association of Apartment Owner (AOAO) for coverage? The federal district court for Hawaii said "no" in a decision by Judge Mollway. See Peters v. Lexington Ins. Co., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 148734 (D.
Although the Nevada Supreme Court adopted the efficient proximate cause doctrine, it determined it did not apply to salvage coverage under an all-risk policy for a rain-damaged building. Fourth Street Place, LLC v. The Travelers Indemn. Co., 2011 Nev LEXIS 114 (Nev. Dec. 29, 2011).
Fourth Street owned an office building which was…
When only a portion of a hotel was closed after damage was caused by Hurricane Ike, the court determined there was no coverage for business interruption. H&H Hospitality LLC v. Discovery Specialty Ins. Co., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 146055 (S.D. Texas Dec. 20, 2011).
Strong hurricane winds caused damage to the hotel…
