Legal Opinion
Fitzpatrick v. American Honda Motor Co.
New York Court of Appeals
Decided May 7, 1991PublishedCited by 335 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
OPINION OF THE COURT
Titone, J.
It is well established that a liability insurer has a duty to defend its insured in a pending lawsuit if the pleadings allege a covered occurrence, even though facts outside the four corners of those pleadings indicate that the claim may be meritless or not covered (see, e.g., Ruder & Finn v Seaboard Sur. Co., 52 NY2d 663, 669-670). The issue in this appeal is whether the insurer has a duty to defend in the opposite circumstance, i.e., where the pleadings do not allege a covered occurrence but the insurer has actual knowledge of facts demonstrating that the…
2Cases cited23 opinions
- Servidone Construction Corp. v. Security InsuranceNew York Court of Appeals · 1985
- Ruder & Finn Inc. v. Seaboard Surety Co.New York Court of Appeals · 1981
- Technicon Electronics Corp. v. American Home Assurance Co.New York Court of Appeals · 1989
- International Paper Co. v. Continental Casualty Co.New York Court of Appeals · 1974
- Goldberg v. Lumber Mutual Casualty InsuranceNew York Court of Appeals · 1948
18 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by335 opinions
- Continental Casualty Co. v. Rapid-American Corp.New York Court of Appeals · 1993
- Allianz Insurance Company v. Regina LernerCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2005
- Automobile Insurance v. CookNew York Court of Appeals · 2006
- Hugo Boss Fashions, Inc. & Hugo Boss Usa, Inc., Plaintiffs-Appellees-Cross-Appellants v. Federal Insurance Company, Defendant-Appellant-Cross-AppelleeCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 2001
- Frontier Insulation Contractors, Inc. v. Merchants Mutual InsuranceNew York Court of Appeals · 1997
330 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.