{"id":889921,"date":"2016-06-28T11:10:54","date_gmt":"2016-06-28T17:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=889921"},"modified":"2016-06-28T11:10:54","modified_gmt":"2016-06-28T17:10:54","slug":"occurrence-may-include-intentional-acts-in-montana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/occurrence-may-include-intentional-acts-in-montana\/","title":{"rendered":"“Occurrence” May Include Intentional Acts In Montana"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tred R. Eyerly | Insurance Law Hawaii<\/a> | June 15, 2016<\/p>\n

The Montana Supreme Court found that policy language defining “accidents may include intentional acts.”\u00a0Employers Mut. Cas. Co. v. Fisher Builders, Inc., 2016 Mont. LEXIS 269 (Mont. Sup. Ct. April 19, 2016).<\/p>\n

Jerry and Karen Slack hired Fisher Builders to build a remodeled home located on the site of their home at Flathead Lake. The existing home was an aged vacation home. The County zoning regulations required the remodeled home to incorporate the existing structure. The permit issued to the Slacks required the existing deck to remain unchanged.<\/p>\n

Fisher elevated the existing home structure on steel beams to pour a new foundation. Fisher began to dismantle the walls while the structure was resting on the beams, and found an infestation of carpenter ants. The ant-infested planks were cut out, apparently in order to salvage what usable materials he could from the remaining structure. The ant-infested boards were subsequently burned. Eventually, the deck collapsed.<\/p>\n

The County visited the site and issued a cease and desist order. The construction permit was revoked because the existing structure had been destroyed. The Slacks appealed the revocation of their construction permit and eventually reached a settlement with the County that allowed them to construct a home, albeit a smaller one than had been previously approved.<\/p>\n

The Slacks sued Fisher.\u00a0Employers Mutual Casualty Company (EMC), Fisher’s insurer, defended under a reservation of rights. EMC also filed a declaratory judgment action, alleging there was no coverage. Fisher assigned his claims under the EMC policy to the Slacks. The trial court granted EMC’s motion for summary judgment, concluding\u00a0that Fisher’s conduct was intentional and did fit within the meaning of “occurrence<\/a>” under the policy.<\/p>\n

The Montana Supreme Court reversed. Whether the insured intended or expected the injury stemming from an intentional act was an objective inquiry. The policy language defining “accidents” could include intentional acts if the damages were not objectively intended or expected by the insured.<\/p>\n

Further, there were issues of genuine material fact. The Slacks contested the trial court’s determination that Fisher left parts of the home and deck unsupported, causing the deck to collapse<\/a>, that Fisher “destroyed” the original structure by dismantling the walls, and that Fisher failed to retain a sufficient portion of the original structure in order to maintain the non-conforming use status. Therefore, further proceedings were necessary to resolve factual issues related to application\u00a0of the coverage provisions of the policy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tred R. Eyerly | Insurance Law Hawaii | June 15, 2016 The Montana Supreme Court found that policy language defining “accidents may include intentional acts.”\u00a0Employers Mut. Cas. Co. v. Fisher Builders, Inc., 2016 Mont. LEXIS 269 (Mont. Sup. Ct. April 19, 2016). Jerry and Karen Slack hired Fisher Builders to build a remodeled home located… Continue reading “Occurrence” May Include Intentional Acts In Montana<\/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":[3],"tags":[309,3,9293],"class_list":["post-889921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insurance-claims","tag-occurrence","tag-insurance-claims","tag-montana","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n"Occurrence" May Include Intentional Acts In Montana - 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