Insurance

Proof that New York’s Labor Law is Broken

Project owners, contractors, subcontractors and insurers would all agree – the New York Labor Law is an unreasonable transfer of safety risk away from those who are most responsible for safety. Only the plaintiffs’ bar would disagree. We now have… Read More
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Insurance Policy Did Not Cover Preemptive Measures to Avoid a Larger, Covered Loss

This is a non-construction case that will impact construction parties. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has held that costs incurred by an insured in order to prevent greater losses are not covered by insurance, even though the greater losses… Read More
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The Illusion of Coverage Under a Builder’s Risk Policy

The policy didn’t exactly say “all damages are covered unless caused by a peril that is excluded” and “all damages are excluded unless caused by a peril that is covered ” But that description isn’t very far off. And a contractor’s actio… Read More
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Separation of Insured Clause Strikes Again to Deny Coverage

A very recent blog discussed the effect of a separation of insured clause, on the scope of general liability coverage for an additional insured, when a personal injury claim is pursued by an injured worker. A federal court judge has just reached the… Read More
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Insurance Exclusion Negates Additional Insured Coverage

So you think your additional insured status as a GC provides protection against claims by your sub’s injured workers? Think again. General contractors commonly require subs to include the GC as an additional insured party on the sub’s general lia… Read More
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Owner’s Property Insurer Could Pursue GC and Sub for Repayment

A waiver of subrogation clause is common in construction contracts, relative to property or builder’s risk insurance. It is not just a risk allocation tool, but an insurance risk allocation tool. When there is no waiver of subrogation, does other l… Read More
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One-Year Limitations Period Enforceable for Insurance Policy Claims

In what may seem to many as a harsh decision, the New Hampshire Supreme Court has upheld a one-year limitations period in an insurance policy. The insurance carrier and insured homeowners were in contact soon after the loss. The carrier did some inve… Read More
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Duty to Defend Enforceable Even if Duty to Indemnify is Unresolved

A Connecticut court, applying plain language in a subcontract, has held that the sub must defend the general contractor in an injured worker lawsuit, even if the sub’s obligation to indemnify the GC is not yet established. The worker was employed b… Read More
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Failure to Promptly Reserve Rights on Coverage = Loss of Ability to Disclaim

From the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal comes a reminder that undertaking defense of a claim without any reservation of rights can bar an insurer from disclaiming coverage nine months later – even if the claim was not within the policy language from t… Read More
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Rental Agreement Indemnity – A Setback for Rental Companies

Readers of this blog know that the terms and conditions in equipment rental agreements favor the rental company. Those agreements typically have one-sided indemnity clauses, on the basis that the rental company expects the renting contractor to carry… Read More
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