Opinion ID: 1448289
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Other Insurance and the Tenant Liability Policies

Text: NPIC also claims that because tenant leases required Americold Services Corporation to be named as an additional insured on tenant liability policies, coverage under those policies should be primary to NPIC coverage. The tenant policy endorsements afford liability coverage to the landlord for property damage claims incurred in ownership or use of the leased premises. As the landlord, Americold Services Corporation, not Americold Corporation, was named as an additional insured in the tenant leases. As the owner of the facility and employer, Americold Corporation was the target defendant, not Americold Services Corporation. The NPIC Other Insurance provision stated: If other insurance applies to claims covered by this policy, the insurance under this policy is excess and we will NOT make any payments until the other insurance has been used up. The term other insurance means: Insurance other than Scheduled Underlying Insurance or insurance specifically purchased to be excess of this policy affording coverage that this policy also affords. Plaintiffs contend that to the extent Americold Services Corporation had any coverage under the tenant liability policies, it would apply only to events occurring on the leased premises and attributable to tenants' operations. Because the fire was in Portal A, away from plaintiffs' leased premises in Portal B, plaintiffs contend that the tenant liability coverage would not apply to Americold Services Corporation. NPIC argues: (1) plaintiffs' damage claims were incurred in the use or ownership of their leased premises; (2) the smoke damage occurred on the leased premises of each plaintiff; and (3) the tenants' policy endorsements do not impose a requirement that the source of the damages must originate on the leased premises or be attributable to the tenants' own conduct. We agree with plaintiffs. See Harvey v. Mr. Lynn's, Inc., 416 So.2d 960, 962 (La. App. 1982) ([Owners', landlords', and tenants' liability insurance] coverage properly pertains only to those claims which arise out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of the insured premises and all operations necessary or incidental to such ownership, maintenance, or use. A modelling agency's policy did not provide liability coverage for personal injury claim of model injured in fall during modelling show at a different location away from the agency's premises.); Federal Ins. Co. v. Commerce & Industry Ins. Co., 187 App. Div.2d 278, 279, 589 N.Y.S.2d 439 (1992) (The only rational interpretation of the policy is that the landlord was afforded liability coverage for third-party actions based on landlord's vicarious liability for the tenant's acts. Insurer of tenant's contents in warehouse was held not required to defend landlord against tenant's damage claim for roof leak when landlord was additional insured under tenant's policy.). NPIC has not shown the existence of any valid coverage for Americold under any of plaintiffs' liability policies. NPIC failed to present sufficient evidence raising any material issues of fact as to whether coverage under any other tenant liability policies existed.