From FC&S Legal: Superstorm Sandy: Insurers' Filing Sets Forth Roadmap to Their Likely Defenses. Liaison counsel for insurance companies in the over 800 Superstorm Sandy insurance coverage-related cases pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York has filed a list of commonly occurring legal issues and defenses that the insurers anticipate may arise in the Sandy cases, along with relevant case law or other authority addressing these issues. The document essentially is a roadmap to the insurers’ defenses in these suits.

1. The Insurance Coverage Law Information Center
The following article is from National Underwriter’s latest online resource,
FC&S Legal: The Insurance Coverage Law Information Center.
SUPERSTORM SANDY: INSURERS’ FILING SETS FORTH ROADMAP
TO THEIR LIKELY DEFENSES
March 13, 2014 Steven A. Meyerowitz, Esq., Director, FC&S Legal
Liaison counsel for insurance companies in the over 800 Superstorm Sandy insurance coverage-related cases pending in
the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York has filed a list of commonly occurring legal issues and defenses
that the insurers anticipate may arise in the Sandy cases, along with relevant case law or other authority addressing these
issues. The document essentially is a roadmap to the insurers’ defenses in these suits.
The property insurance issues and cases cited were:
- Fortuity (Simplexdiam, Inc. v. Brockbank, 283 A.D.2d 34 (1st Dept. 2001), 80 Broad Street Co. v. U.S. Fire Insurance
Co., 88 Misc.2d 706 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. 1975), Montefiore Medical Center v. American Protection Ins. Co., 226 F. Supp.
2d 470 (S.D.N.Y. 2002)).
- Insurable interest (Etterle v. Excelsior Ins. Co. 74 A.D.2d 436 N.Y.S.2d 95 (4th Dept. 1980)).
- Rules of construction for interpreting insurance policies (RSL Commc’ns, PLC v. Bildirici (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 5, 2010),
Peabody v. Weider Publ’ns, Inc., 260 F. Appx. 380 (2d Cir. 2008), W.W.W. Assocs. v. Giancontieri, 77 N.Y.2d 157 (1990),
Senaca Ins. Co. v. Ill. Nat’l Ins. Co. (S.D.N.Y. July 9, 2009), White v. Cont’l Cas. Co., 9 N.Y.2d 264 (2007), In re Estate
of Covert, 97 N.Y.2d 68 (2001), Hatalmud v. Spellings, 505 F.3d 139 (2d Cir. 2007), Slatery Skanska Inc. v. Amer. Home
Assur. Co., 67 A.D.3d 1 (1st Dept. 2009), Maurice Goldman Sons, Inc. v. Hanover Ins. Co., 80 N.Y.2d 986 (1992),
Bassuk Bros. v. Utica First Ins. Co., 1 A.D.3d 470 (2d Dept. 2003), Broad St., LLC v. Gulf Ins.Co., 37 A.D.3d 126 (1st
Dept. 2006), Red Ball Interior Demolition Corp. v. Palmadessa, 173 F.3d 481 (2d Cir. 1999)).
- An insured person is presumed to understand the terms of their policy (Metzger v. Aetna Ins. Co., 227 N.Y. 411(1920),
Porwick v. Fortis Benefits Ins. Co. (S.D.N.Y. December 3, 2004), Busker on the Roof Ltd. P’ship v. Warrington, 283
A.D.2d 376 (1st Dept. 2001), Chase Sci. Research v. NIA Group, 96 N.Y.2d 20 (2001), Maple House, Inc. v. Alfred F.
Cypes Co., Inc., 80 A.D.3d 672 (2d Dept. 2011), Motor Parkway Enterprises, Inc. v. Loyd Keith Friedlander Partners,
Ltd., 89 A.D.3d 1069 (2d Dep’t 2011), Portnoy v. Allstate Indem. Co., 82 A.D.3d 1196 (2d Dept. 2011), Stilianudakis
v. Tower Ins. Co. of New York, 68 A.D.3d 973 (2d Dept. 2009), Catskill Mountain Mech., LLC v. Marshall Sterling
Upstate, Inc., 51 A.D.3d 1182 (3d Dept. 2008), Gui’s Lumber Home Ctr., Inc. v. Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mut.
Ins. Co., 55 A.D.3d 1389 (4th Dept. 2008), Stone v. Rullo Agency, Inc., 40 A.D.3d 1185 (3d Dept. 2007), McGarr v.
Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am., 19 A.D.3d 254 (1st Dept. 2005), Loevner v. Sullivan Strauss Agency, Inc., 35 A.D.
3d 392 (2d Dept 2006), Hoffend Sons, Inc. v. Rose Kiernan, Inc., 19 A.D.3d 1056 (4th Dept. 2005) affd. on other
grounds 7 N.Y.3d 152 (2006), Laconte v. Bashwinger Ins. Agency, 305 A.D.2d 845 (3d Dept. 2003)).
- An insured has constructive knowledge of the terms of the policy (Hoffend Sons. Inc. v. Rose Kiernan, Inc.,
19 A.D. 3d 1056 (4th Dept. 2005), MEMfg. Co. v. Frank H. Reis, Inc., 258 A.D.2d 9 (1999), Metzger v. Aetna Ins.
Co., 227 N.Y. 411 (1920).
Exclusions
- Applicable Burden of Proof between Insured and lnsurer (Czech v. Kelly, 36 Misc. 3d 152(A) (App. Term 2d Dept.
2012), Fernandes v. Allstate Ins. Co., 305 A.D.2d 1065 (4th Dept. 2003), U.S Dredging Corp. v. Lexington Ins.
Co., 99 A.D.3d 695 (2d Dept. 2012), CTI International, Inc. v. Lloyds Underwriters, 735 F.2d 679 (2nd Cir. 1984),
Berkshire Mut. Ins. Co. v. Moffett, 378 F.2d 1007 (5th Cir. 1967), Ragas v. State Farm First Casualty (E.D. La. Feb.
11, 2008), Volkswagen of America, Inc. v. Robertson, 713 F.2d. 1151 (5th Cir.1983), LaCroix v. State Farm Fire and
Casualty Company (E.D. La., June 2, 2010), Broussard v. State Farm (E.D. La. Aug. 2, 2007)).
Call 1-800-543-0874 | Email customerservice@SummitProNets.com | www.fcandslegal.com

2. - Anti-Concurrent Causation Policy Provisions (Cashew Holdings LLC v. Canopius U. S. Insurance, Inc.
(E.D.N.Y. September 3, 2013), ABU Asser Corp. v. Twin City Fire Ins. Co. (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 18, 1997),
Papadopoulos v. Cambridge Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 104 A.D.3d 659 (2d Dept. 2013), Kannatt v. Valley Forge Ins.
Co., 228 A.D.2d 564 (2d Dept. 1996), Jahier v. Liberty Mut Group, 64 A.D.3d 683 (2d Dept. 2009)).
- Weather Conditions Exclusions (Hamm v. Allstate Prop. Cas. Ins. Co., 908 F.Supp.2d 656 (W.D. Pa. 2012)).
- Wear and Tear Faulty Workmanship Exclusions (Rapid Park Indus. BEW v. Great Northern Ins. Co., 502 Fed.
Appx. 40 (2d Cir. 2012), Wider v. Heritage Maint., Inc., 14 Misc. 3d 963 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. 2007)).
- Damages and Valuation (Executive Plaza, LLC v. Peerless Ins. Co., 717 F.3d 114 (2d Cir. 2013), Bradley v. Allstate Ins.
Co., 620 F.3d 509 (5th Cir. 2010), Rosenblatt v. Washington County Coop. Ins. Co., 191 A.D.2d 883 (3d Dept. 1993),
JR Electronics, Inc. v. One Beacon Ins. Co., 35 A.D.3d 169 (1st Dept. 2006)).
Policy Conditions
- Duty to Cooperate (Lancaster v. Incorporated Village of Freeport, 92 A.D.3d 885 (2d Dept. 2012), Harris v.
Allstate Ins. Co., 83 F.Supp.2d 423 (S.D.N.Y. 2000), Igbara Realty Corp. v. New York Prop. Ins. Underwriting
Ass’n, 63 N.Y.2d 201 (1984), Do-Re Knit, Inc. v. National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, 491 F.Supp. 1334
(E.D.N.Y. 1980).
Extra Contractual Claims
- Lender Placed Policies (M. Paladino, Inc. v. J. Lucchese Son Contracting Corp., 247 A.D.2d 515 (2d Dept.
1998), Catholic Health Serv. of Long Is., Inc. v. National Union Fire Ins. Co of Pittsburgh, P.A., 46 A.D.3d 590
(2d Dept. 2007), Sanabria v. American Home Assur. Co., 68 N.Y.2d 866 (1986), Seavey v. James Kendrick
Trucking, 4 A.D.3d 119 (1st Dept. 2004), Mitchell v. County of Jefferson, 217 A.D.2d 917 (4th Dept. 1995),
National Gen. Ins. Co. v. Hartford Acc. Indem. Co., 196 A.D.2d 414 (1st Dept. 1993), State of New York
v. American Mfrs. Mut. Ins. Co., 188 A.D.2d 152 (3d Dept. 1993), Reed v Federal Ins. Co., 71 N.Y.2d 581
(1988), Grady v Utica Mut. Ins. Co., 69 A.D.2d 668 (2d Dept. 1979), Fields v. Western Millers Mut. Fire Ins.
Co., 290 N.Y. 209 (1943)).
The cases cited for issues involving claims against insurance agents were:
Wright v. Allstate Ins. Co., 415 F.3d 384 (5th Cir. 2005), C.E.R 1988, Inc. v. The Aetna Cas. Sur. Co., 386 F.3d 263
(3d Cir. 2004), Gibson v. Am. Bankers, 289 F.3d 943 (6th Cir.2002), Lawrence v. Fid. Nat’l Ins. Co.5 (E.D. La. June 8,
2007), Wright v. Allstate Ins. Co., 415 F.3d 384 (5th Cir. 2005), Worcester Ins. Co. v. Aaron Grover Agency, 220 A.D.2d
659 (2d Dept. 1995), Rotanelli v. Madden, 172 A.D.2d 815 (2d Dept. 1991), American Motorist Ins. Co. v. Salvatore,
102 A.D.2d 342 (1st Dept. 1984), M E. Manufacturing Co., Inc. v. Frank H. Reis, 258 A.D.2d 9 (3d Dept. 1999),
Leiberthal v. Agency Brokers, 216 A.D.2d 816 (3d Dept. 1995), Nicholas J. Masterpol, Inc. v. Travelers Ins. Cos.,
273 A.D.2d 817 (4th Dept. 2000), Murphy v. Kuhn, 90 N.Y.2d 266 (1997), Chaim v. Benedict, 216 A.D.2d 347
(2d Dept. 1995), Martian Entm’t, LLC. v. Harris, 12 Misc.3d 1190(A) (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. July 5, 2006), 532 Madison Ave.
Gourmet Foods, Inc. v. Finlandia Ctr., Inc., 96 N.Y.2d 280 (2001), Eurycleia Partners, LP v. Seward Kissel, LLP, 46
A.D.3d 400 (1st Dept. 2007), Curanovic v. N.Y. Cent. Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 307 A.D.2d 435 (3d Dept. 2003), aff’d on
appeal, 22 A.D.3d 975 (3d Dept. 2005)).
The case is In re Hurricane Sandy Cases, No. 14 MC 41 (E.D.N.Y.). The Defendants’ Liaison Counsel is Jared T. Greisman
of White Fleischner Fino, LLP.
Call 1-800-543-0874 | Email customerservice@SummitProNets.com | www.fcandslegal.com

3. Call 1-800-543-0874 | Email customerservice@SummitProNets.com | www.fcandslegal.com
Copyright © 2014 The National Underwriter Company. All Rights Reserved.
NOTE: The content posted to this account from FCS Legal: The Insurance Coverage Law Information Center is current to the date of its initial
publication. There may have been further developments of the issues discussed since the original publication.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding
that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional service. If legal advice is required, the services of a competent
professional person should be sought.
For more information, or to begin your free trial:
• Call: 1-800-543-0874
• Email: customerservice@SummitProNets.com
• Online: www.fcandslegal.com
FCS Legal guarantees you instant access to the most authoritative and comprehensive
insurance coverage law information available today.
This powerful, up-to-the-minute online resource enables you to stay apprised
of the latest developments through your desktop, laptop, tablet, or smart phone
—whenever and wherever you need it.