What is an Appraisal?
Wildfires in California are occurring with greater frequency, causing more destruction, and increasingly igniting in unexpected locations and at unforeseen times. Since the 1970s, the length of the wildfire season in western...more
Memorial Day is approaching and, with it, the unofficial start of summer. Many minds turn to thoughts of cookouts, inviting friends over to swim in backyard pools, and evenings spent playing basketball games on driveways....more
In Gharibian et al., v. Wawanesa General Insurance Company, the California Second District Court of Appeal found that, under California law, the insureds failed to prove smoke, soot, ash and fire debris on covered property...more
In December 2020, Plaintiff Erin Hughes applied for homeowners coverage for her Malibu home with her Farmers’ insurance agent. Hughes obtained a fire policy through the California FAIR Plan and a homeowners policy through...more
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals declared that an insurer’s homeowners policy all-terrain vehicle exclusion barred coverage for a Utah insured’s injuries that did not occur at the “insured location.”...more
In Ali Heidari v. Golden Bear Insurance, a California appeals court recently affirmed a lower court’s decision to deny relief under a CGL policy, where the policy excluded from coverage work performed by subcontractors under...more
Our December Insurance Update features four cases. The Minnesota Supreme Court decides if a resident-relative exclusion violates public policy. A Texas appellate court considers, for a second time, if damage from...more
It happens all the time – a water leak in a house or other building goes unnoticed for some period of time, and then mold appears. Insurance policies generally provide coverage to repair water damage, provided other policy...more
A year ago, we wrote about a rapidly emerging area of insurance litigation in Connecticut: crumbling foundations. As a quick recap, tens of thousands of homes in northeastern Connecticut built over a span of more than 30...more
McMillin Homes Constr., Inc. v. National Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 35 Cal.App.5th 1042 (2019); Fourth Appellate District Court of Appeal, Division One, Case No. D074219 (June 5, 2019). McMillin Homes Construction, Inc....more
The Holding - In Teufel v. Am. Family Mut. Ins. Co., 244 Ariz. 383, 419 P.3d 546 (2018), the Arizona Supreme Court recently held that a Contractual Liability Exclusion in homeowner policies did not apply to a claim for...more
Florida homeowner insurers are seeing a significant increase in claims and litigation and are seeking ways to avoid costly litigation and expedite the claims process for their insureds. One option for the insurer is to...more