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Policy Terms Construction Defects Insurance Litigation

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Oregon Supreme Court Expands Meaning of "Accident" in Insurance Policy

Owners can trigger an insurance policy without formally alleging a tort claim if the contractor's defective work could support a tort claim. The Oregon decision may allow property owners to assert only a breach of...more

Miller Nash LLP

Oregon Supreme Court Reverses Insurance Coverage Denial for Contractor in Twigg v. Admiral Ins. Co.

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In a long-awaited decision that helps contractors obtain coverage for construction defects, the Oregon Supreme Court in Twigg v. Admiral Ins. Co. 371 Or. 308 (2025) ruled that coverage under a commercial general liability...more

Carlton Fields

Eighth Circuit Finds No Coverage Under “Ensuing Loss” Provision Under Arkansas Law

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“Ensuing loss” provisions have long been the subject of nuanced arguments in insurance litigation. The provisions, which sometimes afford coverage for a “covered loss” stemming from an expressly excluded peril, serve as...more

Rivkin Radler LLP

January 2025 New York Insurance Coverage Law Update

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The insured owned premises located in Huntington Station, NY. The Claimant was allegedly injured when she slipped and fell at the premises. The Claimant sued the insured and the insured sought coverage under her homeowners...more

Rivkin Radler LLP

December 2024 Insurance Update

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There’s been plenty of litigation over whether construction defect claims qualify for coverage under a CGL policy. This month, we discuss two federal circuit court rulings (First and Seventh Circuits) that reach opposite...more

Rivkin Radler LLP

September 2024 Insurance Update

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In this month’s update, we discuss Russian-seized planes, Starbucks-caused traffic jams, a squabble over the use of a family name, a restaurant’s pandemic-based loss, a poorly built house, and whether insurance covers any of...more

Cozen O'Connor

Claims Notes: September 2024

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Litigation arose over whether a suit for misrepresentation and breach of contract arising out of an easement triggered a Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurer's duty to defend. Internal confidential communications...more

Robinson+Cole Construction Law Zone

Water Alone is Not Property Damage Under a CGL Policy in Connecticut

The Connecticut Appellate Court recently provided guidance on what does not constitute property damage under a typical contractor’s Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance policy in Westchester Modular Homes of Fairfield...more

Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

Scheduling, Compliance, and Liaison Tasks under the Professional Services Exclusion

Although a construction manager’s scheduling and liaison responsibilities do not require specialized training, such tasks may be sufficiently related to the actor’s other roles to be excluded from coverage under a liability...more

Cozen O'Connor

Court Issues First LEG3 Defects Exclusion Decision

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In a case of first impression, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (applying Illinois law) rejected a LEG3 exclusion as ambiguous. See S. Capitol Bridgebuilders “SCB” v. Lexington Ins. Co., 2023...more

Carlton Fields

Illinois Appellate Court Finds No CGL Coverage for Defective Elevator Suit

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In the recent decision of Korte & Luitjohan Contractors Inc. v. Erie Insurance Exchange, the Fifth District Appellate Court of Illinois reaffirmed that, under Illinois law: (1) construction defects generally do not trigger...more

Wiley Rein LLP

Insurer that Breached Duty to Defend Bears Burden on Allocation of Defense Costs

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Applying Arizona law, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona held that an insurer that breached its duty to defend bears the burden of demonstrating that an allocation of defense costs between covered...more

Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

Heads I win, Tails You Lose: Southern Owners Insurance Company v. MAC Contractors

On July 29, 2020, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion in Southern Owners Ins. Co. v. MAC Contractors, of Fla., LLC, --- Fed. Appx. ---, 2020 WL 4345199 (11th Cir. July 29, 2020).  While claiming to follow...more

Cozen O'Connor

Insurer May Not Intervene Into Insured’s Construction Defect Trial To Seek Allocation of Damages

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In Builders Mut. Ins. Co. v. Island Pointe, LLC, No. 27970, 2020 S.C. LEXIS 68 (May 13, 2020), the South Carolina Supreme Court clarified that insurers are not required and, absent unusual circumstances...more

White and Williams LLP

New Jersey Federal Court Provides Clarification/Limitation on the Application of the Continuous Trigger Theory in Construction...

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The proper trigger of coverage in construction defect disputes has been addressed on several occasions by New Jersey courts. Most notably, in Air Master & Cooling, Inc. v. Selective Insurance Company of America, 452 N.J....more

Carlton Fields

Connecticut Supreme Court Fortifies Crumbling Foundation Claim Denials in Trio of Insurer Victories

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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

Bricker Graydon LLP

Got coverage? What to consider in the wake of the Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling on Ohio Northern University v. Charles Construction...

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On October 9, 2018, in Ohio N. University v. Charles Constr. Servs., Inc., Slip Opinion 2018-Ohio-4057, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that property damage caused by a subcontractor’s allegedly defective work was not covered...more

Carlton Fields

California Federal Court Holds Scope of Duty to Defend Is Determined by the Language of the Contract

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In Harper Construction Co. v. National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, the Southern District of California rejected an insured’s attempt to expand a CGL policy’s definition of “suit” to encompass mere demands without...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Boring Through The Details: U.S. District Court Declares Boring Company Dispute Not Covered by Insurance Policies

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Maxum Indemnity Co. v. Robbins Co., P.C., No. 1:17-CV-01968, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 57729 (N.D. Ohio Mar. 28, 2018) - On March 21, 2018, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio granted a motion...more

Carlton Fields

Court Enforces Policy’s Crumbling Foundation Plain Language in Dismissing Claims Against Insurers

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A federal judge in Connecticut recently dismissed claims against insurers related to their denial of a claim by two homeowners whose home’s foundation was crumbling. The case, Hyde v. Allstate Ins. Co., No. 3:18-cv-00031 (D....more

White and Williams LLP

Ohio Rejects the Majority Trend and Finds No Liability Coverage for a Subcontractor’s Faulty Work

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In Ohio N. Univ. v. Charles Constr. Servs., 2018 Ohio LEXIS 2375 (No. 2017-0514, October 9, 2018), the Supreme Court of Ohio was recently called upon to determine if a general contractor’s Commercial General Liability (CGL)...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Fifth Circuit Holds Settlement Proceeds Received by General Contractor From Subcontractors Constitute “Other Insurance” Which...

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Satterfield & Pontikes Constr., Inc. v. United States Fire Ins. Co., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 21488 (5th Cir. Aug. 2, 2018) - This case arises out of an excess insurance provider’s refusal to cover damages incurred by the...more

White and Williams LLP

Complex Insurance Coverage Reporter – February 2018

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An Insurer’s Guide to Reserving Rights: Tips for Avoiding Waiver and Estoppel - Insurers know all too well that the penalties for an ineffective reservation of rights letter can be severe...more

Carlton Fields

Look Beneath The Surface: No Coverage For DC Row House Collapse Under Builder’s Risk Policy

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The interpretation of a property insurance policy may seem like a dull endeavor, but courts sometimes face fundamental questions about what words mean, or how we conceptualize cause and effect. In Taja Investments LLC v....more

Rumberger | Kirk

Chapter 558 Pre-Suit Notice May Trigger an Insurer's Duty to Defend and Indemnify

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The Supreme Court of Florida recently issued an opinion in Altman Contractors, Inc. v. Crum & Forster Specialty Ins. Co., No. SC16-1420, 2017 WL 6379535 (Fla. Dec. 14, 2017), which impacts an insurer’s duty to defend and...more

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