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Court Ruling Highlights Importance of Policy Language

4/11/18

By: America Vidana
In Mt. Hawley Insurance Co. v. Tactic Security Enforcement, Inc., No. 6:16-cv-01425 (M.D. FL. 2018), U.S. District Judge Paul Byron of the Middle District of Florida recently denied an insurance company’s motion for summary judgment, in which it relied on an exclusion to deny coverage to its policyholder. The policyholder and restaurant establishment, Que Rico La Casa Del Mofongo, had two negligence lawsuits filed against it for allegedly failing to prevent violent incidences from occurring on its premises.
The insurer denied coverage per an exclusion included in the policy prohibiting “operations involving bars, taverns, lounges, gentlemen’s clubs and nightclubs.” The Court, however, found that the insurer failed to clearly define the terms cited in the exclusion. It noted that the policyholder’s establishment was interchangeably referred to as a “restaurant,” and at other times as a “lounge.” Consequently, because the terms “bars, “taverns,” “lounges,” and “gentlemen’s clubs” were undefined, it deemed the entire exclusion as imprecise and inapplicable—unilaterally denying the insurer’s summary judgment.
The Court’s decision in Mt. Hawley significantly reinforces the principle that precise policy language is required before an insurer can deny coverage based on an exclusion. It also highlights the importance for a policyholder to read the entire policy to ensure there are no broad exclusions that could potentially bar coverage.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact America Vidana at avidana@fmglaw.com.