February 2023 – Duane Morris Insurance Law

February 27, 2023November 29, 2023 by Max H. Stern

California Court of Appeal Disposes of COVID-19 Coverage Dispute After Discovery Reveals Cause of Business Income Losses

By Max H. Stern and Holden Benon

Late last week, the California Court of Appeal issued another COVID-19 business interruption decision reminding us that creative arguments do not win the day for policyholders in California. The true facts are decisive.

In Best Rest Motel, Inc. v. Sequoia Ins. Co., No. D079927, 2023 WL 2198660 (Cal. Ct. App. Feb. 24, 2023), the court upheld a trial court’s ruling on summary judgment, reasoning the policyholder could not show that its loss of business income was caused by “direct physical loss of or damage to property,” within the meaning of its commercial multi-peril insurance policy.

The policyholder, San Diego-based Best Rest Motel, Inc. argued that the presence of virus-infected droplets caused physical loss or damage rendering its property incapable of safely providing lodging to guests. Readers familiar with these issues may recognize this as an attempt to plead facts that fall within the “hypothetical scenario” posited in dicta by the court in Inns-by-the-Sea.

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February 21, 2023 by Daniel B. Heidtke

Mistakes Do Not Prove Malice: Federal Court in Dallas Enters Summary Judgment on Policyholder’s Bad Faith Claim

By: Daniel B. Heidtke

Alleging an insurer was “dilatory, deficient, and pre-textual” in its handling of a claim is not enough to state a claim for bad faith, explained the Northern District of Texas, as it entered summary judgment against a policyholder’s breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing claim earlier this month. After recognizing that the record lacked “expert testimony, proof of standard industry practices, [] legal authority” or evidence that demonstrated duplicity, the court held that the policyholder failed to meet his burden. After all, the court explained, “mistakes do not prove malice” nor “does delay ensure duplicity”.

In Craig Collins v. State Farm Lloyds, Civil Action No. 3:21-cv-0982 (N.D. Tex. Feb. 3, 2023), Collins filed a claim on his homeowner’s insurance policy after a tornado damaged his home. Collins’s insurer sent an adjuster to his home, who “took photographs, inspected the property, and filed a report.” The adjuster recommended a total replacement cost, which Collins’s insurer paid. The insurer continued to adjust and investigate his claim, performing a second inspection of Collins’s roof and, after paying an additional sum, sent a third adjuster to inspect Collins’s home. The third adjuster recommended that the insurer pay an additional sum, which the insurer did, and hired an engineering firm to further inspect the property. After concluding its inspection, the engineering firm concluded that no further damages were due to the tornado, but were due to “foundation movement and age-related deterioration.” Evidently unhappy with the outcome and perhaps equally unhappy with the process, Collins filed suit alleging breach of contract, violation of the Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act, violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and breach of the common-law duty of good faith and fair dealing.

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February 16, 2023 by Daniel B. Heidtke

ACCs and EPC: Ninth Circuit Certifies Question of Whether Policy Provision Can Circumvent Efficient Proximate Cause Doctrine

By: Daniel B. Heidtke

Earlier this month, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit certified the following questions to the Montana Supreme Court: “Whether an anti-concurrent cause (‘ACC’) clause in an insurance policy applies to defeat insurance coverage despite Montana’s recognition of the efficient proximate cause (‘EPC’) doctrine” and, if so, whether the relevant language in the policy at issue was an ACC clause that effectively circumvented the EPC doctrine.

In Ward v. Safeco Insurance Co. of America, Case No. 21-35757, the Court first analyzed Montana’s EPC doctrine, which provides: “where covered and noncovered perils contribute to a loss, the peril that set in motion the chain of events leading to the loss or the predominating cause is deemed the efficient proximate cause or legal cause of loss.”

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February 13, 2023 by Duane Morris

Duane Morris Insurance Team Expands Services in Washington State

Duane Morris is pleased to announce that Bill Baron has been admitted to practice law in the State of Washington. The firm has a team of coverage lawyers representing clients in insurance matters in Washington State.

The Team

About Duane Morris

Duane Morris is a recognized leader in the insurance and reinsurance industry, nationwide and internationally. The firm handles the full range of insurance matters, from the routine to the most complex, and our attorneys have a depth of experience in the field that is unsurpassed in the United States. Led by a core team representing commercial liability insurers in general, excess and professional lines, we also vigorously represent clients operating in all lines of the insurance and reinsurance business, including property and casualty, life, accident and health, management and professional liability, financial lines, surety and financial guaranty. Continue reading “Duane Morris Insurance Team Expands Services in Washington State”

February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 by William J. Baron

Jim Dobbas to the Rescue

By: William J. Baron

The Ninth Circuit has held that the California rule permitting insurers to intervene to defend suspended corporate insureds also applies under federal procedural rules. (See California Dept. of Toxic Substances Control v. Jim Dobbas, Inc. (9th Cir. 2022) 54 F.4th 1078, 1082.)

In Jim Dobbas, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) sought a default judgment against a bankrupt limited liability company (Collins), which formerly owned contaminated land in Elmira, California. The DTSC had obtained an order in Bankruptcy Court permitting it to sue Collins, but only to seek recovery from Collins’ insurers.

Upon receiving notice of the suit and the request for a default judgment, Collins’ insurers filed a motion to intervene as of right under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 24(a)(2) to defend the claims against Collins, and also moved to set aside the default that had been entered. (Id. at 1083-1084.) The District Court denied the insurers’ motions to intervene and declined to set aside the default. (Id. at 1084-1085.)

The Ninth Circuit reversed the first ruling, holding that the insurers were entitled to intervene as of right. (Id. at 1082, 1090-1092.) The Court found that California law applied and that the insurers had a legally protectable interest in intervening to defend the action, based on California’s direct action statute, Insurance Code section 11580. (Id. at 1089-1093.) The opinion noted that California courts have “repeatedly held that insurers have a protectable interest under § 11580 in preventing defaults by their insureds that are incapable of defending themselves or otherwise unwilling to do so,” because this statute permits plaintiffs to seek recovery on judgments from the defendants’ insurers. (Id. at 1090 and 1090 fn. 14.)

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