United Nuclear Corp. v. Allstate Insurance

OPINION

SERNA, Justice.

{1} This appeal turns on our construction of a single word, “sudden,” within a pollution exclusion clause in a series of liability insurance policies barring coverage for certain damages unless the events causing those damages were “sudden and accidental” — an issue of first impression in New Mexico, although one already considered by numerous courts in other jurisdictions. Concluding that “sudden” lacks a single clear meaning, we reverse the Court of Appeals’ holding that the word unambiguously signifies “quick, abrupt, or a temporarily short period of time.” United…