In an unpublished opinion, the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court found in favor a commercial tenant and against the landlord in an action that focused on the interpretation of the lease between the two parties to determine which party was responsible for maintenance and insurance of the common area sidewalk. In Senatore v. Kmart Inc., plaintiff brought suit against Kmart after falling on an allegedly defective portion of the sidewalk. Kmart, the tenant, tendered its defense to Belmont, the landlord, as an additional insured under Belmont’s policy. When Belmont’s insurer rejected the tender because Belmont had neglected
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Monthly Archives September 2015
Insurer’s Claims for Negligent Misrepresentation, Fraud and Civil Conspiracy Against Adjusters and Attorneys May Proceed
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled Monday that Church Mutual Ins. Co.’s lawsuit against a public adjusting firm and licensed public adjuster may proceed for claims of negligent misrepresentation, fraud and civil conspiracy. Church Mutual’s claims for civil conspiracy against two attorneys also survived. The action arose from two claims presented by a public adjusting firm on behalf of Church Mutual’s insured, African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas (AEC), for alleged water damage caused by frozen pipes in a chiller system and roof damage caused by hurricane Irene. Investigation into the claims and testimony
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New York Appellate Court Continues Expansive Interpretation of Additional Insured Endorsement
A New York Appellate Court recently reinforced a trend in New York to provide coverage to additional insureds under the standard Additional Insured Endorsement. In Burlington Ins. Co. v. NYC Transit Auth., the court held that the standard AI Endorsement provides additional insured coverage where there is a causal link between the named insured’s conduct and the injury, regardless of whether the named insured was negligent or otherwise at fault for causing the accident. This decision follows holdings in other cases over the past several years that broadly construed the AI Endorsement to provide coverage even when the named insured
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New Jersey Appellate Court Finds Lack of Specificity in Causation of Negligence Claim Does Not Bar Suit
A New Jersey Appellate Court ruled that a plaintiff’s lack of specificity as to what caused her bicycle accident did not support the trial court’s finding that the plaintiff presented no evidence of causation to support her negligence claim. In Walter v. California Avenue Ventures LLC, the Appellate Court reversed the trial court’s summary judgment in favor of the defendants and found that the record established a triable issue of fact on whether the condition of the sidewalk caused plaintiff’s fall and subsequent injuries. In Walter, plaintiff was injured while riding her bike when she hit an object on the
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