A commentary on insurance coverage issues in Hawaii and beyond
In a brief opinion, the Second Circuit vacated the district court's denial of coverage for construction defects. Scottsdale Ins. Co. v. R.I. Pools Inc., 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 5680 (2nd Cir. March 21, 2013).
The insured, R.I. Pools, employed outside companies to supply concrete and to shoot the concrete into the ground.
Unable to discern the meaning of a provision stating that payment of damages would be made "through a trial but not any appeal", the court found an ambiguity. Parker v. Am. Family Ins. Co., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9085 (D. Ore. Jan. 23, 2013).
The homeowners sued the general contractor for defective…
Methodically analyzing the damage claims, the federal district court largely denied the insurers' motions for summary judgment for coverage of construction defect claims. Big-D Constr. Corp. v. Take It for Granite Too, 2013 U.S.Dist. LEXIS 8377 (D. Nev. Jan. 22, 2013).
Big-D was the general contractor for a remodeling project of International…
The federal district court disagreed with the insurer's strident claim that Wisconsin followed the manifestation trigger for deciding coverage under a homeowner's policy. Strauss v. Chubb Indem. Ins. Co., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 224 (E.D. Wis. Jan. 2, 2013).
Several years after their house was constructed, the insureds discovered water damage. Chubb denied…
The Washington Supreme Court reversed a summary judgment ruling for the insurer based upon the insured's failure to cooperate due to genuine factual issues. Staples v. Allstate Ins. Co., 2013 Wash. LEXIS 69 (Wash. Jan. 24, 2013).
The insured's van was stolen. Inside the van was a large collection of work tools.
The Washington Supreme Court held that the arbitration provision in James Rivers' policy was unenforceable. State of Washington, Department of Transportation v. James River Ins. Co., 2013 Wash. LEXIS 66 (Wash. Jan. 17, 2013).
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) was an additional insured on a policy issued by James River.
Through the efforts of Mihoko Ito, Esq. and Gary Slovin, Esq., the Hawaii State Bar Association is again this year tracking various categories of legislation during the current session. Based upon Mihoko's and Gary's efforts, below is a summary of the insurance related bills the legislature is considering.
HB 125– The…
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the granting of summary judgment to the insurer based upon an exclusion barring coverage for lost or stolen business property. Nationwide Ins. Co. v. Central Laborers Pension Fund, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 721 (7th Cir. Jan. 11, 2013)
The insured was an accountant employed by an accounting firm.
The insured's inability to present evidence of an agent's standard of professional care meant it could not succeed on a claim for failure to procure adequate coverage for damage to vacant property. Rayfield Pro., LLC v. Business Insurers of the Carolinas, Inc., 2012 N.C. App. LEXIS 1429 (N.C. Ct. App. Dec. 18, 2012).…
The ABA, Section of Litigation, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee's annual insurance seminar will be held again this year in Tucson from February 28 to March 2, 2013. As always, this year's conference will offer a number of informative, cutting-edge sessions on a variety of insurance coverage-related topics. Participants from across the country with varying perspectives on insurance…
