{"id":903126,"date":"2024-08-08T14:17:03","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T20:17:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=903126"},"modified":"2025-12-17T11:32:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T18:32:38","slug":"surface-water-court-addresses-rainwater-on-roof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/surface-water-court-addresses-rainwater-on-roof\/","title":{"rendered":"Court Addresses Whether Rainwater Accumulation on Roof Constituted \u201cSurface Water\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Joshua Tumen | Property Insurance Law Observer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Zurich American Insurance Company v. Medical Properties Trust, Inc.<\/em>, 2024 WL 3504060 (Mass. Jul. 23, 2024), the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts held that the term \u201csurface waters<\/a>,\u201d as used in a limitation contained in commercial property insurance policies, was ambiguous in the context of rainwater accumulating on roofs, thereby finding coverage for the insured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The insurers issued commercial property policies that provided coverage for a hospital. As a result of a storm, rainwater accumulated on multiple roof areas, and eventually seeped inside, causing damage to the building and property within. The policies contained lower coverage limits for damage caused by \u201cFlood,\u201d which was defined, in part, as the \u201cunusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters<\/u><\/em>\u201d (emphasis added). Litigation ensued as a result of the insurer\u2019s coverage determination that the insured\u2019s recovery was subject to the \u201cFlood\u201d sublimit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analysis<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The parties disagreed about whether the water that accumulated on the roofs and infiltrated the buildings was \u201csurface water,\u201d and thus whether the damage was due to \u201cFlood\u201d to trigger the sublimit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The insureds contended that the plain meaning of \u201csurface waters\u201d included waters on the surface of the earth, or water at ground level or on a ground-level surface. The Court acknowledged that the flood provision\u2019s reference to \u201cwaves, tides, \u2026 [and] the rising, overflowing or breaking of boundaries of\u2026bodies of water\u201d supported the insureds\u2019 interpretation. Specifically, the Court noted that the listed terms all described water on the ground or moving from a body of water generally understood to be waters existing on the surface of the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, the insurers argued that the plain meaning of \u201csurface waters\u201d included waters naturally accumulating on surfaces, not just waters accumulating on the surface of the earth. The Court acknowledged that this too was a plausible literal interpretation of the words \u201csurface waters\u201d given the absence of the particular words \u201csurface of the earth\u201d or \u201cground\u201d in the definition of \u201cFlood.\u201d The introductory clause\u2019s language of \u201cinundation of normally dry\u2026structure(s) caused by\u2026surface waters\u201d also supported the insurers\u2019 interpretation, as the water on the surface of the roof inundated the structures. The Court further accepted that it would be difficult for a reasonable insured to distinguish between rain accumulating on the ground and on a roof from the same storm. In both circumstances, there would be an unusual and rapid natural accumulation of rainwater inundating a structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuing its analysis, the Court then turned to case law. However, the Court could not identify a consistent interpretation regarding whether the term \u201csurface waters\u201d included rainwater accumulating on a roof. Rather, multiple \u201creasonable interpretations\u201d emerged: \u201ca broader interpretation that includes rainwater accumulating on a roof\u2026and a narrower interpretation that would exclude water not on the ground or the surface of the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the competing constructions, the Court concluded that the meaning of \u201csurface waters,\u201d and thus the meaning of \u201cFlood\u201d under the policies, was ambiguous as it was susceptible to multiple reasonable interpretations. It instructed that the insurers could have defined surface waters to include the unusual accumulation of rainwater on a roof, but they failed to do so. As such, the Court stated that such ambiguity warranted resolution in favor of the insureds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In interpreting an insurance policy, the contract should be read as a whole with undefined terms given their plain and ordinary meaning. Medical Properties Trust <\/em>highlights how the context in which a term is utilized can impact the extent and\/or scope of coverage. As it pertains to \u201csurface waters,\u201d parties should remain cognizant of how their jurisdiction construes the term as there are inconsistencies nationally depending on the type of loss.<\/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":"

Joshua Tumen | Property Insurance Law Observer In Zurich American Insurance Company v. Medical Properties Trust, Inc., 2024 WL 3504060 (Mass. Jul. 23, 2024), the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts held that the term \u201csurface waters,\u201d as used in a limitation contained in commercial property insurance policies, was ambiguous in the context of rainwater accumulating on… Continue reading Court Addresses Whether Rainwater Accumulation on Roof Constituted \u201cSurface Water\u201d<\/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":[10791,30,10721],"tags":[9895,7777,22,12063],"class_list":["post-903126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commercial-general-liability-policy","category-general-liability-policy","category-insurance","tag-advise-consult","tag-commercial-property-liability-insurance-policy","tag-insurance","tag-surface-water","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nCourt Addresses Whether Rainwater Accumulation on Roof Constituted \u201cSurface Water\u201d - 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