A & E Supply Company, Inc. v. Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Company, a & E Supply Company, Inc. v. Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Company

WILKINSON, Circuit Judge:

This case presents a familiar problem in insurance law. The insured sustained a financial loss for which the policy promised indemnification. The insurer denied coverage, contending without factual support that the insured was responsible for the catastrophe. In the subsequent lawsuit, the insured recovered the proceeds due and also received punitive damages, which it had sought on the theory that the insurer’s breach constituted several independent, wilful torts. The insurer now appeals from this punitive, noncontractual award. We find that the insured did not prove…