Policy Taken Out to Cover Original One Story Building Did Not Cover Accident on Additional Floors Under Construction
The First Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Saxe, determined that an insurance police which covered the original one-story building did not cover the additional floors subsequently under construction. In a full-fledged opinion by Justice Saxe (with a dissent), the First Department wrote:
“Coverage cannot be afforded on liability for which insurance was not purchased” …. While the obligation to defend is broader than the duty to indemnify, it “does not extend to claims not covered by the policy” …. “[I]f the allegations interposed in the underlying complaint allow for no interpretation which brings them within the policy provisions, then no duty to defend exists” … . If a policy insures a portion of a building, it does not cover an injury occurring in another portion of the building… . Seneca Ins Co v Cimran Co, Inc, 2013 NY Slip Op 02360, 9226, 1st Dept, 4-9-13
