No `Multiple Trigger’ for Insurance Coverage In Continuous Property Damage Cases in Pa.

Pennsylvania insurance law allowing coverage under consecutive policies in asbestos and silica cases doesn’t extend to cases involving continuous and progressive property damage, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Dec. 15 (Pa. Nat’l Mut. Cas. Ins. Co. v. St. John, 2014 BL 351070, Pa., No. 86 MAP 2012).

The duty of insurers—apart from asbestos and silica cases—is limited to the policy period during which the injury is first manifested, the court said, finding subsequent policies weren’t triggered.

The court also ruled that the “occurrence” triggering coverage happened when the injury became “reasonably apparent,” not when the cause of the ...