A commentary on insurance coverage issues in Hawaii and beyond
The district court determined there was a duty to defend based upon allegations that the insured's pillows and mattresses emitted an odor causing bodily injury and property damage to the underlying plaintiffs. Hartford Fire Ins. Co. v. Tempur-Sealy Int'l, Inc., 2016 U.S.Dist. LEXIS 6706 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 20, 2016).
The insured faced a…
The Second Circuit affirmed the finding of three occurrences in a highway accident after applying the unfortunate event test. Nat'l Liability & Fire Ins. Co. v. Itzkowitz, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 16387 (2nd Cir. Sept. 15, 2015).
A dump box attached to a dump truck struck and damaged an overpass. The dump…
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the lower court's order granting summary judgment to the insurer who denied a defense for a construction defect claim. Steel Supply & Eng'g Co. v. Illinois Nat'. Ins. Co., 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 14363 (6th Cir. Aug. 13, 2015).
Steel Supply contracted with the Carmel Redevelopment Corporation to…
The court determined that there was a duty to defend allegations that included sexual assault. Med. Malpractice Joint Underwriting Ass'n of R.I. v. Charlesgate Nursing Ctr., 2015 R.I. LEXIS 76 (R.I. June 5, 2015).
A resident of Charlesgate alleged that one of the employees, a certified nursing assistant, sexually assaulted her.
The Montana Supreme Court determined there was no coverage for the insured due to a lack of property damage during the policy period. Truck Ins. Exchange v. O'Mailia, 2015 Mont. LEXIS 54 (Mont. Feb. 17, 2015).
The insured plumbing company, Lolo Plumbing & Heating, installed a water heater at Famous Dave's restaurant.
Injury suffered by children of different families living at different times in the same apartment was limited to one occurrence under the policy's noncumulation clause. Nesmith v. Allstate Ins. Co., 2014 N.Y. LEXIS 3350 (N.Y. Nov. 25, 2014).
The landlord had a liability policy issued by Allstate. The declarations page stated there…
On rehearing, the Fifth Circuit determined that the contractual-liability exclusion did not apply to bar coverage for damage caused by the insured contractor to the home it constructed. Crownover v. Mid-Continent Cas. Co., 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 20727 (5th Cir. Oct. 29, 2014).The court withdrew its prior opinion, summarized here.
Arrow…
The Nebraska Supreme Court found the insurer properly denied coverage to the general contractor for damage to a home caused by settlement. Cizek Homes, Inc. v. Columbia Nat. Ins. Co., 2014 Neb. LEXIS 152 (Neb. Sept. 9, 2014).
The general contractor built and then sold the residence. Subsequently, the homeowners complained that…
The court found there was no coverage obligations for the insured's defective product. Titanium Indus., Inc. v. Federal. Ins. Co., 2014 WL 4428324 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Sept. 10, 2014).
The insured, Titanium Industries, supplied titanium bar materials to Biomet Manufacturing Corporation. Biomet manufactured orthopedic implants and devises. The titanium was…
Applying Illinois law, the Seventh Circuit determined there was no coverage for faulty workmanship causing property damage to the insured's project. Nautilus Ins. Co. v. Board of Directors of Regal Lofts Condominium Ass'n, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 16250 (7th Cir. Aug. 21, 2014).
The developer converted a vacant building into…
