HNRK Coverage Corner

On December 26, 2019, the First Department issued a decision in Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co. v. State Nat’l Ins. Co., 2019 NY Slip Op 09399, holding that a property owner was entitled to coverage for a personal injury lawsuit as an additional insured under a contractor’s CGL Policy, even though the injuries were not caused by the contractor’s negligence.

This case involves a frequently-litigated policy provision in construction-related insurance coverage matters:  the blanket “additional insureds” endorsement to a contractor’s liability policy. (See our previous ...

On November 20, 2019, Judge Ramos of the SDNY issued a decision in United Specialty Ins. Co. v. Lux Maintenance & Ren. Corp., Case No. 18-cv-3083 (ER), holding that property owners were entitled to additional insured coverage under a subcontractor’s CGL policy even though the subcontractor agreement misidentified the corporate names of the owners.

Lux Maintenance arose from injuries sustained by a worker in the course of performing balcony and façade repairs to a building collectively owned by Cornell and Rockefeller Universities, New York Hospital, Manhattan Eye Ear & Throat ...

On October 18, 2019, Justice Crane of the New York County Supreme Court issued a decision in Cookies on Fulton, Inc. v. Aspen Specialty Ins. Co., 2019 NY Slip Op 33111(U), holding that an exclusion for claims arising from “any construction or renovation-related activity except for janitorial or maintenance related work” did not excuse a CGL carrier’s duty to defend the insured business owner in a lawsuit for injuries sustained in the course of “changing light fixtures.”

The vague allegations in the complaint (typical in personal injury actions) “suggest[ed] that the ...

On December 4, 2018, Justice Lebovits of the New York County Supreme Court issued a decision in Chelsea Piers, L.P. v. Colony Ins. Co., Index No. 150402/2017, holding that a purchase order signed by a contractor triggered coverage for the property owner under the additional insured endorsement to the contractor’s CGL policy.

The policy at issue in this case provided additional insured coverage for “any person or organization for whom you [i.e., the contractor] are performing operations when you and such person or organization have agreed in writing in a contract or agreement ...

On May 11, 2018, Justice Lebovits of New York County Supreme Court issued a decision in Touro College v. Arch Specialty Ins. Co., Index No. 652642/2016, holding that a property owner was entitled to defense coverage for a personal injury action as an additional insured under a general contractor’s CGL policy.  The Court ruled that the issue of indemnity coverage, however, would have to await the determination of the contractor’s liability in the underlying injury action. This case involves a policy provision that was the subject of a recent Court of Appeals decision covered on this ...