In Texas, many master service agreements (MSAs) related to the oil and gas industry typically contain provisions related to mandatory minimum insurance coverage and indemnity obligations. The Texas Supreme Court recently held the terms of an MSA may not be read into an insurance policy unless there is a “clear-manifestation” in the insurance policy the
In Ali Heidari v. Golden Bear Insurance, a California appeals court recently affirmed a lower court’s decision to deny relief under a CGL policy, where the policy excluded from coverage work performed by subcontractors under the contractor’s warranty exclusion. Specifically, the appellate court upheld the trial court’s determination that the insurer did not have a duty
A federal district court in Washington recently rejected a subcontractor’s motion for reconsideration of a previously granted motion to stay in a Miller Act lawsuit (the Miller Act governs prime contractor bond requirements on federal projects and sets forth remedies against the bond for subcontractors, vendors, and suppliers on such projects). In United States of
Michigan has joined the majority of jurisdictions in holding that a general liability policy may provide coverage for claims for property damage allegedly caused by the defective work of a subcontractor. In a unanimous decision reversing the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court held that a subcontractor’s unintentional defective work was an “accident”
Like most states, Florida follows the rule that an insurer’s duty to defend is separate from and broader than its duty to indemnify for a potentially covered occurrence. Last week, in South Winds Construction Corp. v. Preferred Contractors Insurance Company Risk Retention Group, LLC, a Florida appellate court addressed the extent of that duty
Construction claims often feature supporting testimony from design and/or scheduling experts, and exclusion of that testimony either by disqualification of the expert or a finding that the testimony is otherwise inadmissible can prove fatal to your claim or defense. States may vary in their requirements for admissibility of expert evidence, but most states follow some
In a recent case handled by Bradley, a federal court in Maryland issued a decision attempting to reconcile inconsistent contract provisions.
The general contractor said that its fire sprinkler subcontractor was responsible for the burst sprinkler pipe and the resulting property damage based on the “Assumption of Liability” provision in the subcontract, which stated that
Commercial general liability (CGL) coverage for a general contractor is not guaranteed, even if property damage is all a subcontractor’s fault. Consider the following example: A general contractor builds a stadium for which a subcontractor builds the frame. After the project is complete, a wall collapses. An independent investigation reveals the subcontractor’s defective framing work