A commentary on insurance coverage issues in Hawaii and beyond
Focusing on the facts surrounding the accident determined which of two insurers' policies were responsible for covering a serious injury to a worker. Nat. Am Ins. Co. v. Harleysville Lake State Ins. Co., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 160593 (S.D. Ind. Nov. 14, 2014).
Venture Logistics, Inc. offered trucking and warehouse services to…
We hit seven years of blogging this month. We started in December 2007, 835 posts ago.
Two Damon Key blogs pre-date and continue to set the standard for this blog. Robert Thomas has long maintained www.inversecomdemnation.com [here]. And Mark Murakami started at www.oceanlawhawaiil.com [here] a couple…
Reaching into the weeds to analyze a business interruption claim, the Massachusetts Court of Appeals determined the cost of ordinary payroll could be included in the calculation of net profit or loss in determining business loss income when business is resumed quickly after a fire. Verrill Farms, LLC v. Farm Family Cas. Ins. Co.…
The insurer unsuccessfully moved for reconsideration of the court's holding that additional insured coverage was not limited to vicarious liability of the named insured. First Mercury Ins. Co. v. Shawmut Wood-Working & Supply, Inc., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 155095 (D. Conn. Oct. 31, 2014)
The additional insured endorsement provided coverage for liability for…
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 federal district court determined that coverage was properly denied under the pollution exclusion of the policies. Headwaters Resources, Inc. v. Illinois Union Ins. Co., 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 20060 (10th Cir. Oct. 20, 2014).
Over 400 residents of Chesapeake, Virginia, filed two lawsuits against the insured, Headwaters, alleged property damage…
The insurer properly denied coverage for a bulge in a warehouse wall that the insured claimed was caused by Hurricane Ike. Russell v. Scottsdale Ins. Co., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143882 (S.D. Tex. Sept. 30, 2014).
Hurricane Ike displaced metal roof coverings on the insured's warehouse, causing interior water damage to several…
The court granted summary judgment to the insurer because the insureds submitted only documentation of damage by flood, not proof of loss forms required by the policy. Alexander v. Allstate Ins. Co., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143284 (E.D. La. Oct. 8, 2014).
Hurricane Isaac caused flood damaged to the insureds' home. A…
The court considered whether a wildfire (covered risk) or moisture in the soils (excluded risk) was the cause of damage to the insureds' home. Encompass Ins. Co. v. Berger, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 142870 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 7, 2014).
In May 2009, the Jesusita Fire caused damage to the insureds' home and…
The insured subcontractor sought coverage under its Builder's Risk policy for loss despite already being paid under contract the amount sought under the policy. MKB Constr. v. Am Zurich Ins. Co., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136096 (W.D. Wash. Sept. 24, 2014).
MKB contracted with the Lower Yukon School District (LYSD) to place…
