{"id":900817,"date":"2023-02-02T15:14:28","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T22:14:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=900817"},"modified":"2023-02-02T15:14:36","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T22:14:36","slug":"wanton-negligence-insurance-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wanton-negligence-insurance-coverage\/","title":{"rendered":"No Coverage for Damages Caused by Contractor\u2019s \u2018Wanton\u2019 Negligence, 11th Circuit Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jim Sams | Claims Journal<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Alabama judge awarded Robert and Mindy Barton $900,000 for actual damages and emotional distress caused by the botched construction of their custom home, but they won\u2019t be able to collect that judgment from the homebuilder\u2019s general liability insurer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Barton\u2019s own pleadings in the lawsuit against their contractor doomed their effort to win a payout from Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Co., a panel of the\u00a011th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The civil complaint alleged that Stacy Alliston Design and Building was \u201cwanton\u201d in its negligence<\/a>, which means the company knew its actions or omissions would cause damage. While there was one exception that might have applied, the policy issued by Nationwide excluded damages unless they were caused by an accident, the court decided in an unpublished decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Bartons had the burden to establish that coverage applied,\u201d the panel opinion says. \u201cAnd coverage applied only if the damages resulted from an accident \u2014 from something unusual that Alliston didn\u2019t foresee or expect \u2014 and not from something that Alliston was \u2018fully aware\u2019 was \u2018likely to result.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bartons hired Alliston to build a home in Hoover, Alabama, an upscale suburb of Birmingham. They paid $697,125 when they closed on the transaction on Oct. 27, 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bartons handed Alliston a punch list of items that needed repair when they finalized the purchase, but other problems emerged after they moved in. Water leaked through the roof and windows, staining the drywall and providing sustenance for molds. Doors were askew. Flashing was missing. Windows weren\u2019t sealed. Downspouts pointed in the wrong direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Alabama Builders Recovery Fund, which pays compensation to homeowners who are damaged by a homebuilder\u2019s misconduct, paid the Bartons $20,000 toward repairs. They replaced part of the roof, but that did not solve all of their problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2011, the couple filed suit against the company claiming $450,000 in property damage and $450,000 in damage caused by emotional distress. They filed a motion for summary judgment. Alliston did not oppose the motion. A Jefferson County Circuit Court judge awarded the Bartons everything they asked for in a short judgment that did not delineate the specific damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, the Bartons filed a lawsuit against Nationwide, using Alabama\u2019s direct action statute. The law allows parties who have been awarded damages to file suit directly against the tortfeasor\u2019s insurer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A US District Court Judge found that the Alliston\u2019s general liability policy did not provide coverage for the company\u2019s \u201cown work,\u201d with one exception: property damage caused by work done by subcontractors. The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that defective construction in itself is not an \u201coccurrence\u201d \u2014 or accident \u2014 that merits insurance coverage, unless the faulty workmanship causes damage elsewhere, such as when flooring is ruined because of a leaky roof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That left a door open for coverage for some of the damages to the Barton\u2019s house under the Nationwide policy. The Bartons had alleged some damage was caused by subcontractors\u2019 shoddy work. But the county judge\u2019s terse judgment closed that door: It did not specify which damages were caused by the subcontractors and which were caused by Alliston\u2019s wanton negligence, or how much of the award was for property damage and how much was for emotional distress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The District Court found that it was the Bartons\u2019 burden to prove that coverage was available for their claims. Damages caused by the contractor\u2019s \u201cwanton negligence\u201d were clearly not covered, but no concrete evidence was presented to show which damages were caused by subcontractors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The appellate panel said the trial court made the right call when it granted summary judgment in Nationwide\u2019s favor and affirmed the ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike the district court, we cannot determine how much the state court awarded the Bartons damages for Alliston\u2019s negligence (potentially covered) versus its wantonness (not covered),\u201d the opinion says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

When one of your cases is in need of a construction expert, estimates, insurance appraisal or umpire services in defect or insurance disputes – please call Advise & Consult, Inc. at 888.684.8305, or email experts@adviseandconsult.net<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jim Sams | Claims Journal An Alabama judge awarded Robert and Mindy Barton $900,000 for actual damages and emotional distress caused by the botched construction of their custom home, but they won\u2019t be able to collect that judgment from the homebuilder\u2019s general liability insurer. The Barton\u2019s own pleadings in the lawsuit against their contractor doomed… Continue reading No Coverage for Damages Caused by Contractor\u2019s \u2018Wanton\u2019 Negligence, 11th Circuit Rules<\/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":[4,9914],"tags":[9895,19,23,11831],"class_list":["post-900817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-defects","category-insurance-coverage","tag-advise-consult","tag-construction-defects-2","tag-insurance-coverage","tag-wanton-negligence","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nNo Coverage for Damages Caused by Contractor\u2019s \u2018Wanton\u2019 Negligence, 11th Circuit Rules - 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