New York Appeals Court Allows Grouping of Claims to Avoid Individual Deductibles
One of the threshold – if not determinative – issues in many insurance coverage disputes is the number of “occurrences” that are presented by a particular set of facts relating to a claim submitted by the policyholder. In a recent decision, a New York appeals court has concluded not only that the relevant policy language allows for grouping of claims into similar “occurrences,” but that additional discovery may be conducted of the parties’ intent and the insurers’ underwriting guidelines and procedures relating to the relevant policy terms. In Mt. Kinley Ins. Co. v. Corning Inc., the Court affirmed the Trial Court’s denial of summary judgment, concluding that the insured’s comprehensive general liability (“CGL”) policies’ “occurrence”-related terms allowed for grouping of claims arising at a common location or at approximately the same time, which may result in a drastically reduced number of deductibles under the applicable policies. Thousands of individuals had brought separate claims against the insured — Corning Inc. — as a result of exposure to two asbestos-containing products. At issue on summary judgment was whether each of these individual claims constituted a separate “occurrence” under Corning’s primary, excess, and umbrella CGL policies, such that each claim would be individually subject to a deductible before the insurers’ coverage was implicated.