Meth Labs, Explosions, and Homeowners’ Insurance
A house exploded in Charlotte, NC. Rumors of a meth lab began to swirl leading to an analysis of the HO policy to answer the question, does the insurance carrier…
A house exploded in Charlotte, NC. Rumors of a meth lab began to swirl leading to an analysis of the HO policy to answer the question, does the insurance carrier…
A dock is damaged by a covered peril but the carrier denies the claim, citing the “piers, wharves, docks” exclusion. You argue that his language applies to permanent docks, not…
A toilet overflows in a 4-story frame condo building and causes damage to structural components on all floors. Does the ISO CP 10 30 Special Causes of Loss cover this?…
A home is located on a lake that is covered in ice during the winter. In the spring, when the ice breaks up, a strong wind “pushes” ice across the…
Sometimes we come across policy exclusions that shouldn’t be there but, due to human error, they’re there. If such inappropriate exclusions are used to deny a claim, what should be…
A homeowner has his vinyl siding painted a darker color. Direct or reflected sunlight then causes the siding to warp. Does his HO policy cover this damage? If liable, does…
In July 2015, on the campus of UCLA, a 30-inch water main had some sort of catastrophic failure, causing a massive geyser of water, estimated to be around 30-feet high,…
A boat dock was damaged by boats blown in a windstorm. The adjuster has denied the claim, citing the “water damage” exclusion reference to water damage “whether or not driven…
A squirrel entered a community center building that had just undergone a $2 million renovation. It either gnawed some wiring or otherwise came in contact with the electrical system, causing…
We are all aware of the human tragedy involved in the landslide which buried homes in Darrington, Washington in March 2014. From the perspective of our industry, the first question…