{"id":893245,"date":"2017-11-22T14:09:44","date_gmt":"2017-11-22T21:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=893245"},"modified":"2017-11-22T14:09:44","modified_gmt":"2017-11-22T21:09:44","slug":"punctuation-placement-lead-policyholders-next-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/punctuation-placement-lead-policyholders-next-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"Punctuation Placement Could Lead to a Policyholder\u2019s Next Victory"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Beaujeaux do Lapouyade | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com\/2017\/11\/articles\/court-opinion\/punctuation-placement-could-lead-to-a-policyholders-next-victory\/\" target=\"_blank\">Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog<\/a> | November 19, 2017<\/p>\n<p>The saying goes like this, \u201cSay what you mean, and mean what you say.\u201d We all know the business of contract construction is no easy task. But underwriters should go the extra mile to ensure a property insurance policy reads as the carrier intends or steep consequences may ensue. Something as minor as a misplaced comma or semicolon could be consequential in deciding whether an insured is entitled to coverage under the policy.<\/p>\n<p>In a recent decision, the Georgia Court of Appeals reversed a trial court\u2019s grant of summary judgment to an insurer where the appellate court found coverage turned on the placement of a semicolon.<sup>1<\/sup>\u00a0The court addressed whether a homeowner was entitled to coverage for property damage to a secondary home when the policy terms arguably confined coverage to primary residences. The court interpreted the policy to include both primary and secondary residences based on the semicolon placement in the policy\u2019s \u201cresidence premises\u201d definition.<\/p>\n<p>Ronald Lee frequently traveled from Crestview, Florida to Winder, Georgia. In December 2007, Lee purchased a second home in Riverdale from Jim Constable, a longtime friend facing financial strain. Lee paid the mortgage and allowed Constable\u2019s family to live in the home rent-free in exchange for allowing Lee to stay during travel.<\/p>\n<p>In 2010, Lee contacted Lawrence Arnold\u2014an insurance agent and close friend of Constable\u2014to obtain insurance on the home. Lee spoke with Arnold over the telephone providing him with the required information to complete the application. According to Lee, Arnold knew he did not live at the residence full-time, but stayed frequently because he traveled for work.<\/p>\n<p>On Lee\u2019s application, the boxes were marked beside \u201cPrimary\u201d and \u201cOccupied by Named Insured.\u201d The boxes beside \u201cSecondary\u201d and \u201cAdditional Residence for Insured\u201d were both blank. A separate section listed Lee and Constable\u2019s family as named household residents. All application answers were typed and none were in Lee\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n<p>In May 2012, a fire destroyed the home, leaving Constable deceased and Constable\u2019s daughter with serious injuries. Mercury Insurance Company denied Lee\u2019s claim because the home was not his primary residence. The case went into suit, and the Georgia Court of Appeals looked to the definition of \u201cresidence premises\u201d in rendering a decision.<\/p>\n<p>The policy read as follows:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em><strong>\u2018Residence premises\u2019<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0means the one, two, three or four family dwelling, condominium or rental unit, other than structures and grounds, used principally as a private residence; where you reside and which is shown in the Declarations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The court found the semicolon placement, in the definition, could reasonably lead a policyholder to read the provision as covering both primary and secondary residences.<\/p>\n<p>Punctuation is an important indicator of meaning, the court explained when it determined a layperson could read the \u201cresidence premises\u201d definition as having two separate, consecutive clauses (definitions) dependent alike on the preceding word \u201cmeans.\u201d<sup>2<\/sup>\u00a0It rejected Mercury\u2019s argument that the policy should be read as if omitting the semicolon. Removing the semicolon would require the court to interpret the contract as excluding coverage for secondary homes, such as a beach or mountain home.<\/p>\n<p>The court emphasized that Mercury could have easily used the word \u201cyour\u201d instead of \u201ca\u201d in the clause preceding the semicolon if it intended to provide coverage exclusively for the insured\u2019s primary residence. This simple substitution would allow the clause to read: \u201cWe cover the dwelling on the\u00a0<em><strong>residence premises<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0shown in the Declarations used principally as [your] private residence.\u201d Accordingly, the policy provision, as written, covered the Riverdale house as either a primary or secondary home because it was used principally as a private residence.<\/p>\n<p>Let this decision be an important reminder for both insurance carriers and policyholders alike. Punctuation matters. Something as small as the placement of a comma, semicolon, or colon may seem insignificant; but it may be pivotal to a policyholder\u2019s entitlement to coverage. Read your insurance policy cover to cover, and recognize that even the mundane details carry weight. In conclusion, policyholders should contact a qualified insurance professional if faced with a denied or undervalued property insurance claim. It is important to seek a second opinion from a property insurance attorney trained to recognize the minutiae of the policy terms.<br \/>\n_______________<br \/>\n<sup>1<\/sup>\u00a0<em>Lee v. Mercury Ins. Co. of Georgia<\/em>, No. A17A0624 (Ga.Ct.App. Nov. 3, 2017).<br \/>\n<sup>2<\/sup>\u00a0<em>Id.<\/em>\u00a0at 4 (<em>quoting<\/em>\u00a0<em>Hill v. Nationwide Mut. Fire Ins. Co.<\/em>, 448 S.E.2d 747 (Ga.Ct.App. 1994)). The court quoted other Georgia opinions, all of which, followed a similar decision-making process.\u00a0<em>See e.g.<\/em>,\u00a0<em>Springtime, Inc. v. Douglas County<\/em>, 187 S.E.2d 874 (Ga. 1972). The court also addressed its decision in\u00a0<em>Georgia Intl. Life Ins. Co. v. Bear\u2019s Den<\/em>, 292 S.E.2d 502 (Ga.Ct.App. 1982), where it held the lack of an \u201cand\u201d or an \u201cor,\u201d subsequent to a comma, created an ambiguity in the insurance policy with respect to trigger of coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Beaujeaux do Lapouyade | Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog | November 19, 2017 The saying goes like this, \u201cSay what you mean, and mean what you say.\u201d We all know the business of contract construction is no easy task. But underwriters should go the extra mile to ensure a property insurance policy reads as the&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/punctuation-placement-lead-policyholders-next-victory\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Punctuation Placement Could Lead to a Policyholder\u2019s Next Victory<\/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":[9,9914],"tags":[9895,72,23],"class_list":["post-893245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-contracts","category-insurance-coverage","tag-advise-consult","tag-construction-contracts-2","tag-insurance-coverage","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Punctuation Placement Could Lead to a Policyholder\u2019s Next Victory - Advise &amp; 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