In a recent case arising out of a denial of coverage for alleged construction defect claims concerning a pre-fabricated home, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado applied the 10th Circuit’s determination of what can constitute an “occurrence” under a commercial general liability (“CGL”) policy. SeeWardcraft Homes, Inc. v. Employers Mutual Cas. Co., […]
Colorado Construction Litigation Blog
Travelers Indemnity Company (“Travelers”) recently won a decision against Larimer County regarding a claim for damage caused to the roofs of several buildings at the County Fairgrounds. Travelers Indemnity Company v. Board of County Commissioners for Larimer County, Slip Copy, 2013 WL 238865, p. 1 (10thCir. 2013). Larimer County alleged, in district court, that snowstorms […]
Recently, this blog posted several articles regarding HB 10-1394, codified at C.R.S. § 13-20-808. As mentioned in those posts, C.R.S. § 13-20-808 has gathered an increasing amount of attention. Part of the interest is due to the ambiguous nature of how the trial courts are interpreting the statute. The following post analyzes the District Court […]
In TCD, Inc. v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company, TCD appealed the district court’s summary judgment ruling in favor of American Family. TCD, Inc. v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company Colo. App. No. 11CA1046 (April 12, 2012). TCD was the general contractor on a project to construct a building for Frisco General Gateway Center, LLC […]
In a post on February 2, 2012, this blog discussed the case of Continental Western Insurance Company v. Shay Construction, Inc., 805 F.Supp.2d 1125 (D. Colo. 2011). Recently the Court ruled on two Motions to Reconsider filed by Defendants Milender White and Shay Construction. Procedurally, the Motions to Reconsider were ruled on by the Honorable […]
On November 1, 2011, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the certified question of whether property damage caused by a subcontractor’s faulty workmanship is an “occurrence” for purposes of a commercial general liability (CGL) insurance policy. In Greystone Const., Inc. v. National Fire & Marine Ins. Co., No. 09-1412 (10th Cir. Nov. 1, […]
In D.R. Horton, Inc., et al. v. Assurance Company of America, et al., Judge Valeria N. Spencer applied HB 10-1394 retroactively in a coverage case. The case arose out of the construction of a multi-family condominium complex, on which DRH hired Campbell Beard as the roofer on the project. Pursuant to the requirements of the […]
In Martinez v. Mike Wells Construction Company, 09CV227, Teller County District Court Judge Edward S. Colt refused to apply C.R.S. § 13-20-808 retroactively to provide coverage for the underlying construction defect allegations. According to the recitation of facts in Judge Colt’s March 2011 order, Martinez contracted with Mike Wells Construction to serve as the general […]
In that there is no appellate law at this point interpreting or applying the recently enacted HB 10-1394, I find even district court orders on the topic to be very interesting. In Colorado Pool Systems, Inc., et al. v. Scottsdale Insurance Company, et al., The Honorable Christopher C. Cross set forth the pertinent facts as […]
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, interpreting Wyoming law, recently held that a reservation-of-rights letter from an insurance company to its insured was not sufficient to allow the insurer to recoup the costs of defending the insured in construction litigation. Rather than relying on a reservation-of-rights letter to seek recoupment of defense costs, an […]
