SDV Insights

In Erie Insurance Property and Casualty Company v. Chaber, the West Virginia Supreme Court recently held that an insurance policy's earth movement exclusion was unambiguous and applied to both manmade and natural earth movement. The Court also found that a narrow "ensuing loss" exception to the exclusion that provided coverage for glass breakage resulting from earth movement could not be extended to cover the entire loss.

In breaking news yesterday, LAW360.com posted "the Florida Supreme Court ruled that policyholders may obtain coverage for an entire property insurance claim where there are multiple concurrent causes of loss and at least one is covered under a policy.

Over the past decade, a barrage of severe storms in Texas resulted in significant property damage, giving rise to thousands of lawsuits by policyholders for breach of contract and bad faith claims against their insurers. Now, the Texas Supreme Court is poised to determine the scope of the state's bad faith statute.

New England is well known for its erratic weather patterns. At its worst, such weather can lead to substantial property damage.