Erroneous Boundary Line Agreement Presents Triable Issue of Fact Re: Liability of Title Insurance Company

In reversing Supreme Court, the Second Department determined there was a triable issue of fact about whether the defendant title insurance company was liable for a defect in title (boundary line agreement) which resulted in plaintiffs owning half the property they thought they were purchasing:

…Chicago Title established, prima facie, that the defect in title fell within exclusion 3(c) of the policy, which excludes from coverage defects “resulting in no loss or damage to the insured claimant.” Chicago Title presented an affidavit from a certified real estate appraiser opining that the plaintiffs have not sustained any loss in property value as a result of the boundary line agreement. Indeed, Chicago Title’s appraiser opined that the boundary line agreement resulted in a benefit to the plaintiffs and added significant value to their property due to the government’s maintenance and nourishment of the beach. In opposition, however, the plaintiffs raised a triable issue of fact as to whether they suffered a loss or damages as a result of the defect in title. The plaintiffs submitted an affidavit of their certified real estate appraiser, who opined that the total loss to the plaintiffs of all title to the portion of their purchased premises lying to the south of the 188-foot line constituted a measurable diminution in the value of the plaintiffs’ purchase. In light of these conflicting expert opinions, there is a triable issue of fact as to whether the plaintiffs sustained a loss or damages as a result of the defect in title …. Nastasi v County of Suffolk, 2013 NY Slip Op 03824, 2nd Dept, 5-29-13

 

​