City of Tualatin v. City-County Insurance Services Trust

The question in this case is whether an insurer is obligated to defend a local government officer named in a complaint filed with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, 1 alleging that the officer violated an ethics statute. Disposition of that issue depends on the proper interpretation of the first sentence of ORS 30.287(1), which we quote later in this opinion.

City-County Insurance Services Trust and its trustees (defendants, hereafter defendant or defendant insurer) provided comprehensive liability insurance to plaintiff City of Tualatin. The parties dispute whether their insurance…