{"id":1417,"date":"2013-03-11T06:53:01","date_gmt":"2013-03-11T12:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=1417"},"modified":"2013-03-06T11:53:23","modified_gmt":"2013-03-06T18:53:23","slug":"want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/","title":{"rendered":"Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christopher G. Hill – February 25, 2013<\/p>\n

In reading the title to this post, you are likely thinking \u201cDuh, of course you do, if nothing \u201coccurs\u201d then there is nothing to cover!\u201d (or something to that effect). While this seems an obvious conclusion, we\u2019re talking the world of law, construction and insurance coverage where nothing is easy and very little if anything is obvious.<\/p>\n

Take the case of Erie Insurance Exchange v. Salvi in the Chesterfield, Virginia Circuit Court.\u00a0 In that case, a subcontractor performing work on the Salvi\u2019s home caused damage to other parts of their home because of its poor workmanship in breach of its duties under the construction contract.\u00a0 The insurance company sought summary judgment because the damage caused by the breach of contract and poor workmanship was not the result of an \u201coccurrence\u201d under the policy.<\/p>\n

Upon the application of the \u201ceight corners rule\u201d of insurance contract interpretation, the Court concluded that the poor workmanship that caused the damage was not an occurrence.\u00a0 Why? Because an occurrence is an accident or unforeseeable event.\u00a0 After reviewing two key cases (cited in the opinion so not laid out here), the VA court determined that poor workmanship in violation of the plans and specifications of the contract was not an accident and therefore not an occurrence.\u00a0 Furthermore, the Court reasoned, the insurance policy at issue excluded damage to that work being performed by a subcontractor and damage to other areas of the construction that\u00a0 were damaged by the work itself.<\/p>\n

In short, the policy, and not Webster\u2019s Dictionary or good old common sense, determines what qualifies as an \u201coccurrence.\u201d\u00a0 The help of an experienced construction attorney can help you determine whether your policy applies.<\/p>\n

I commend the linked case to your reading for the gory details of the decision.<\/p>\n

After reviewing the case, I\u2019d love to hear your thoughts on the decision.\u00a0 Did the Court get it right?<\/p>\n

via Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence | Construction Law Musings- Richmond, VA<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christopher G. Hill – February 25, 2013 In reading the title to this post, you are likely thinking \u201cDuh, of course you do, if nothing \u201coccurs\u201d then there is nothing to cover!\u201d (or something to that effect). While this seems an obvious conclusion, we\u2019re talking the world of law, construction and insurance coverage where nothing… Continue reading Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[14,4,3],"tags":[309,12,23,310],"class_list":["post-1417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-2","category-construction-defects","category-insurance-claims","tag-occurrence","tag-construction","tag-insurance-coverage","tag-poor-workmanship","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nWant Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence - Advise & Consult, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence - Advise & Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Christopher G. Hill – February 25, 2013 In reading the title to this post, you are likely thinking \u201cDuh, of course you do, if nothing \u201coccurs\u201d then there is nothing to cover!\u201d (or something to that effect). While this seems an obvious conclusion, we\u2019re talking the world of law, construction and insurance coverage where nothing… Continue reading Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Advise & Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-03-11T12:53:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\"},\"headline\":\"Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-03-11T12:53:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/\"},\"wordCount\":347,\"commentCount\":8,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"\\\"Occurrence\\\"\",\"construction\",\"insurance coverage\",\"Poor Workmanship\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Construction\",\"Construction Defects\",\"Insurance Claims\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/\",\"name\":\"Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence - Advise & Consult, Inc.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-03-11T12:53:01+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Advise & Consult, Inc.\",\"description\":\"Construction Expert Witnesses\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Advise & Consult\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png\",\"width\":162,\"height\":75,\"caption\":\"Advise & Consult\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/adviseconsult\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/204526\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MrConstructionExpert\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.expertwitnessinconstruction.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence - Advise & Consult, Inc.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence - Advise & Consult, Inc.","og_description":"Christopher G. Hill – February 25, 2013 In reading the title to this post, you are likely thinking \u201cDuh, of course you do, if nothing \u201coccurs\u201d then there is nothing to cover!\u201d (or something to that effect). While this seems an obvious conclusion, we\u2019re talking the world of law, construction and insurance coverage where nothing… Continue reading Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence","og_url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/","og_site_name":"Advise & Consult, Inc.","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","article_published_time":"2013-03-11T12:53:01+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@adviseconsult","twitter_site":"@adviseconsult","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7"},"headline":"Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence","datePublished":"2013-03-11T12:53:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/"},"wordCount":347,"commentCount":8,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["\"Occurrence\"","construction","insurance coverage","Poor Workmanship"],"articleSection":["Construction","Construction Defects","Insurance Claims"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/","name":"Want Coverage for Construction Related Damage? You Need an Occurrence - Advise & Consult, Inc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-03-11T12:53:01+00:00","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/want-coverage-for-construction-related-damage-you-need-an-occurrence\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/","name":"Advise & Consult, Inc.","description":"Construction Expert Witnesses","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Advise & Consult","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png","width":162,"height":75,"caption":"Advise & Consult"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","https:\/\/x.com\/adviseconsult","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/204526\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MrConstructionExpert"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.expertwitnessinconstruction.com"]}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ztG6-mR","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}