Typical first party property policies include provisions that address failure to maintain heat as excluded losses. The Eastern District of New York recently analyzed a specific endorsement requiring that heat be maintained at a particular temperature.
In Read Prop. Group LLC v. Hamilton Ins. Co., No. 16-4573, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54734 (E.D.N.Y. Mar.…
The Massachusetts reference process is a creature of statute designed to provide an expeditious method to resolve disputes over the amount of loss covered by a property insurance policy. While a reference panel cannot decide coverage issues, its calculation of the amount of loss is “conclusive and final” under the governing statute, and courts have concluded that such an award is not subject to challenge except on grounds such as fraud, collusion, or bias. The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts recently affirmed the finality of a reference award in Bearbones, Inc. v. Peerless Indemnity Ins. Co., Civil Action No. 3:15-cv-30017 (KAR) (D. Mass. Oct. 17, 2017).
Bearbones involved a burst water pipe at a commercial bakery in Pittsfield, Massachusetts that caused physical damage to the bakery’s building and business personal property and interrupted its business operations. After receiving notice of the loss, Peerless conducted an investigation and issued payments totaling $32,496.08 for building and business personal property losses.
Continue Reading Massachusetts Reference Award and Alleged Chapter 93A Violation Addressed By Federal District Court Opinion
