{"id":26926,"date":"2014-09-26T06:13:27","date_gmt":"2014-09-26T12:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=26926"},"modified":"2014-09-24T09:14:00","modified_gmt":"2014-09-24T15:14:00","slug":"florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Under Florida Law, a “Sudden” Event Can Occur Over Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Larry Bache –\u00a0Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog – September 18, 2014<\/p>\n

If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you are likely familiar with the general rule that policy language determined to be ambiguous is read in favor of the insured because the insured is the nondrafting party. A contract is ambiguous when its language is reasonably susceptible to more than one interpretation, or is subject to conflicting interests.<\/p>\n

There are two types of ambiguities — patent<\/strong> and latent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Patent ambiguities are on the face of the document or policy, while latent ambiguities do not become clear until extrinsic evidence is introduced and requires parties to interpret the language in two or more possible ways.<\/p>\n

Recently, the Second District Court of Appeal overturned a summary judgment in favor of the insurer, Castle Key Indemnity Company, holding that the term \u201csudden,\u201d as used in the policy, was a latent ambiguity.<\/p>\n

In Price v. Castle Key Indemnity Company,1 water flowed from a pipe going to Mr. Price’s upstairs toilet for approximately thirty days while he was out of town. Castle Key based its denial on the policy\u2019s continuous seepage exclusionary provision:<\/p>\n

Seepage, meaning continuous or repeated seepage or leakage over a period of weeks, months, or years, of water, steam, or fuel . . . from, within[,] or around any plumbing fixtures, including, but not limited to shower stalls, shower baths, tub installations, sinks[,] or other fixtures designed for the use of water or steam.<\/p>\n

Mr. Price contended that based on that time frame and the total number of gallons that escaped, the water had to have been exiting the pipe at a rate of 6000 gallons per day. Mr. Price argued that such a rate, at a minimum, creates an ambiguity as to whether the incident could be defined as seepage. Mr. Price further argued that the term \u201csudden\u201d is not defined in the policy and that his situation should be covered because \u201csudden\u201d can mean unexpected, a definition that may apply to a flow that occurs over time.<\/p>\n

Despite the appellate court\u2019s finding that the terms of the insurance contract were not facially ambiguous, i.e., patent, the terms of the policy were latently ambiguous.<\/p>\n

The appellate court held:<\/p>\n

However, the basic undisputed facts agreed to by the parties demonstrate the existence of the alleged latent ambiguities in the terms of the contract. Specifically, based on the undisputed fact that a large amount of water flowed from the pipe over time, the meaning of the contractual terms of \u201cseepage\u201d and \u201csudden\u201d are less than clear. Additionally, the relevant facts regarding the cause of the escaped water — whether it escaped as an escalating leak or as a burst that continued at a constant rate — remain at issue. Because these \u201clatent ambiguit[ies] affecting a disputed contract provision\u201d existed, \u201cthere necessarily [existed] a disputed issue of material fact.<\/p>\n

This is a great holding for Florida\u2019s policyholders. I appreciate the Second District\u2019s application of the definition for \u201csudden\u201d meaning unexpected, and how that \u201cunexpected\u201d event may occur over a period of time and still be covered under the policy, if a trier of fact determines such.<\/p>\n

1 Price v. Castle Key Indemnity Co., No. 2D13-1809, (Fla. 2d DCA Sept. 3, 2014).<\/p>\n

via Under Florida Law, a “Sudden” Event Can Occur Over Time : Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Larry Bache –\u00a0Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog – September 18, 2014 If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you are likely familiar with the general rule that policy language determined to be ambiguous is read in favor of the insured because the insured is the nondrafting party. A contract is ambiguous when its… Continue reading Under Florida Law, a “Sudden” Event Can Occur Over Time<\/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":[4,3],"tags":[19,3,55],"class_list":["post-26926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-defects","category-insurance-claims","tag-construction-defects-2","tag-insurance-claims","tag-water-intrusion","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nUnder Florida Law, a "Sudden" Event Can Occur Over Time - 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\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Under Florida Law, a "Sudden" Event Can Occur Over Time - Advise & Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Larry Bache –\u00a0Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog – September 18, 2014 If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you are likely familiar with the general rule that policy language determined to be ambiguous is read in favor of the insured because the insured is the nondrafting party. A contract is ambiguous when its… Continue reading Under Florida Law, a “Sudden” Event Can Occur Over Time\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/\" \/>\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=\"2014-09-26T12:13:27+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=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\"},\"headline\":\"Under Florida Law, a “Sudden” Event Can Occur Over Time\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-26T12:13:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/\"},\"wordCount\":565,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"construction defects\",\"Insurance Claims\",\"water intrusion\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Construction Defects\",\"Insurance Claims\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/\",\"name\":\"Under Florida Law, a \\\"Sudden\\\" Event Can Occur Over Time - Advise & Consult, Inc.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-09-26T12:13:27+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/\"]}]},{\"@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":"Under Florida Law, a \"Sudden\" Event Can Occur Over Time - 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\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Under Florida Law, a \"Sudden\" Event Can Occur Over Time - Advise & Consult, Inc.","og_description":"Larry Bache –\u00a0Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog – September 18, 2014 If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you are likely familiar with the general rule that policy language determined to be ambiguous is read in favor of the insured because the insured is the nondrafting party. A contract is ambiguous when its… Continue reading Under Florida Law, a “Sudden” Event Can Occur Over Time","og_url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/","og_site_name":"Advise & Consult, Inc.","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","article_published_time":"2014-09-26T12:13:27+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@adviseconsult","twitter_site":"@adviseconsult","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7"},"headline":"Under Florida Law, a “Sudden” Event Can Occur Over Time","datePublished":"2014-09-26T12:13:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/"},"wordCount":565,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["construction defects","Insurance Claims","water intrusion"],"articleSection":["Construction Defects","Insurance Claims"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/","name":"Under Florida Law, a \"Sudden\" Event Can Occur Over Time - Advise & Consult, Inc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-09-26T12:13:27+00:00","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/florida-law-sudden-event-can-occur-time\/"]}]},{"@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\/p2ztG6-70i","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26926","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=26926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26926\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}