HNRK Coverage Corner

A recent decision from the U.S. District Court of Western District of Washington  touches on a number of important insurance coverage issues:  policy reformation, the effect of an insured’s late notice of a claim, and the insurer’s burden to prove applicability of a policy exclusion. In General Casualty Company of Wisconsin v. Reed Hein & Assoc. LLC et al., the court’s consideration of these issues resulted in opposite outcomes for two insurers. While the insured’s CGL carrier (General Casualty) successfully avoided a duty to defend, the D&O insurer (RSUI) was found to have ...

On August 29, 2019, the California Supreme Court issued a decision in Pitzer College v. Indian Harbor Ins. Co., Case No. S239510, ruling (in response to a certified question from the Ninth Circuit) that New York’s no-prejudice rule—under which a first-party insurer can avoid coverage based on delayed notice without showing prejudice—is contrary to a “fundamental public policy” of California.

Unlike the majority of states, New York common law does not require an insurer to demonstrate prejudice to disclaim coverage based on late notice by the insured. As previously ...