California Corner: Loss of Use under Commercial General Liability Insurance Policies Includes the Inability to Use a Property in a Particular Manner
Most commercial general liability (“CGL”) policies contain standard, insurance industry-drafted language regarding an insurer’s duty to defend and indemnify its insured. The language typically states something like, the insurer “will pay those sums that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay as damages because of . . . ‘property damage’ to which this insurance applies. We will have the right and duty to defend the insured against any ‘suit’ seeking those damages.” Commercial General Liability Insurance Policy Form No. CG 00 01 04 13, § I, Coverage A.1.a. (Insurance Services Office, Inc. 2012). “Property Damage” is defined as “[p]hysical injury to tangible property, including all resulting loss of use of that property” or “[l]oss of use of tangible property that is not physically injured.” Id. at § V, ¶ 17.a and b.
The second definition of “property damage” provides coverage when the allegations do not amount to physical injury of tangible property. However, insurers often attempt to strictly narrow the coverage available by arguing that certain types of lost use are not covered because they are merely the loss of economic privileges that accompany the property, such as the right to hold a liquor license or to use the property a certain way via a permit. In other words, insurers often argue that “loss of use” of tangible property requires the total loss of all uses on the property, not merely some uses. The California Court of Appeal recently rejected this argument. See Thee Sombrero, Inc. v. Scottsdale Ins. Co., 28 Cal. App. 5th 729, 239 Cal. Rptr. 3d 416 (2018).
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