{"id":902100,"date":"2024-01-09T16:33:37","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T23:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=902100"},"modified":"2024-01-09T16:33:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T23:33:40","slug":"water-damage-pooled-on-roof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Water that Pooled on Roof Cause \u2018Flood\u2019 Damage? Mass. High Court Asked to Decide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Claims Journal<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A federal appellate court is asking Massachusetts\u2019 top court to decide whether an insurance policy sublimit for damage caused by \u201csurface waters\u201d applies to damage<\/a> from water that pooled on a parapet roof and second-floor courtyard during a rainstorm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a01st Circuit Court of Appeals says<\/a>\u00a0an answer is needed so that it can resolve a declaratory judgment lawsuit filed by two insurers against the owner and lessor of a suburban Boston hospital. Zurich American and American Guarantee and Liability insurance companies contend that damage caused by water seeping through the hospital\u2019s roof was caused by a \u201cflood\u201d and subject to sublimits that capped coverage to $100 million from Zurich and $150 million from AGLIC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201cflood\u201d was defined in the policy to include runoff and the rapid accumulation of surface waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe definition of \u2018surface waters\u2019 in this particular context presents a novel issue of Massachusetts law not previously addressed by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court,\u201d the 1st District panel said. \u201cFurthermore, existing SJC case law does not point towards a clear answer and deciding this question requires policy judgments on applying Massachusetts law to this key insurance coverage issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Norwood Hospital was damaged by severe thunderstorms on June 28, 2020. Torrential rain flooded the basement of the hospital\u2019s two main buildings. Rainwater also accumulated on the hospital\u2019s flat roof, which was surrounded by a law wall, or parapet. The storm also inundated an open-air courtyard on the second floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical Properties Trust had purchased an insurance policy from Zurich that provided up to $750 million in coverage, but a $100 million sublimit provided that no more than $100 million would be paid for damage caused by \u201cflood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A company that leased the hospital, Steward Health Care System LLC, purchased a \u201csubstantively identical\u201d policy from AGLIC that provided up to $850 million in coverage, but also limited damage from a \u201cflood\u201d to $150 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MPT and Steward both filed claims. Zurich and AGLIC first said that the damage to the basement was caused by a flood and would be subject to the sublimits, but damage to the upper floors of the hospital resulted from \u201cwater intrusion caused by wind-driven rain and\/or overflow of roof drains and parapet flashings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few months later, the companies submitted proof of loss claims for damages that exceeded $200 million. Zurich responded that substantially all of the damages were subject to the flood limit, contradicting its earlier statement that the sublimit applied only to the basement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGLIC\u2019s response mirrored Zurich\u2019s approach. The company said it would enforce the sublimit so only $150 million in coverage was available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zurich filed a lawsuit against MPT seeking a declaratory judgment that the sublimit applied to the damage caused by water that pooled on the roof and in the courtyard. The US District Court ruled in favor of the insurer, finding that \u201csurface water\u201d is not limited to the accumulation of water at ground level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MPT and Steward appealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1st District panel said the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court had ruled on similar insurance coverage disputes. In one case, the high court found that surface water included rainwater that pooled on a paved parking lot. In another, it found that water that accumulated on a slightly elevated backyard patio was surface water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Supreme Judicial Court has not ruled, however, on whether surface water that collects on a roof before it reaches the earth\u2019s natural surface can also be defined as surface water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The panel sent this certified question to the court:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether rainwater that lands and accumulates on either (i) a building\u2019s second-floor outdoor rooftop courtyard or (ii) a building\u2019s parapet roof and that subsequently inundates the interior of the building unambiguously constitutes \u201csurface waters\u201d under Massachusetts law for the purposes of the insurance policies at issue in this case?\u201d<\/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":"

Claims Journal A federal appellate court is asking Massachusetts\u2019 top court to decide whether an insurance policy sublimit for damage caused by \u201csurface waters\u201d applies to damage from water that pooled on a parapet roof and second-floor courtyard during a rainstorm. The\u00a01st Circuit Court of Appeals says\u00a0an answer is needed so that it can resolve… Continue reading Did Water that Pooled on Roof Cause \u2018Flood\u2019 Damage? Mass. High Court Asked to Decide<\/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":[9914],"tags":[9895,23,9836,496],"class_list":["post-902100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insurance-coverage","tag-advise-consult","tag-insurance-coverage","tag-massachusetts","tag-water-damage","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nDid Water that Pooled on Roof Cause \u2018Flood\u2019 Damage? Mass. High Court Asked to Decide - Advise & Consult, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Massachusetts' looking to answer whether insurance policy covers damage caused by pooling water on a parapet roof\" \/>\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\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Did Water that Pooled on Roof Cause \u2018Flood\u2019 Damage? Mass. High Court Asked to Decide - Advise & Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Massachusetts' looking to answer whether insurance policy covers damage caused by pooling water on a parapet roof\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/\" \/>\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=\"2024-01-09T23:33:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-09T23:33:40+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\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\"},\"headline\":\"Did Water that Pooled on Roof Cause \u2018Flood\u2019 Damage? Mass. High Court Asked to Decide\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-09T23:33:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-09T23:33:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/\"},\"wordCount\":686,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Advise & Consult\",\"insurance coverage\",\"Massachusetts\",\"Water Damage\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Insurance Coverage\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/\",\"name\":\"Did Water that Pooled on Roof Cause \u2018Flood\u2019 Damage? Mass. High Court Asked to Decide - Advise & Consult, Inc.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-09T23:33:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-09T23:33:40+00:00\",\"description\":\"Massachusetts' looking to answer whether insurance policy covers damage caused by pooling water on a parapet roof\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/\"]}]},{\"@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":"Did Water that Pooled on Roof Cause \u2018Flood\u2019 Damage? Mass. High Court Asked to Decide - Advise & Consult, Inc.","description":"Massachusetts' looking to answer whether insurance policy covers damage caused by pooling water on a parapet roof","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\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Did Water that Pooled on Roof Cause \u2018Flood\u2019 Damage? Mass. High Court Asked to Decide - Advise & Consult, Inc.","og_description":"Massachusetts' looking to answer whether insurance policy covers damage caused by pooling water on a parapet roof","og_url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/","og_site_name":"Advise & Consult, Inc.","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","article_published_time":"2024-01-09T23:33:37+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-09T23:33:40+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\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7"},"headline":"Did Water that Pooled on Roof Cause \u2018Flood\u2019 Damage? Mass. High Court Asked to Decide","datePublished":"2024-01-09T23:33:37+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-09T23:33:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/"},"wordCount":686,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Advise & Consult","insurance coverage","Massachusetts","Water Damage"],"articleSection":["Insurance Coverage"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/","name":"Did Water that Pooled on Roof Cause \u2018Flood\u2019 Damage? Mass. High Court Asked to Decide - Advise & Consult, Inc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-01-09T23:33:37+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-09T23:33:40+00:00","description":"Massachusetts' looking to answer whether insurance policy covers damage caused by pooling water on a parapet roof","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/water-damage-pooled-on-roof\/"]}]},{"@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\/p2ztG6-3MG0","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902100","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=902100"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":902102,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902100\/revisions\/902102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=902100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=902100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}