In the matter of Belmain Place Condominium Owners Association v. American Insurance Company, 2:19-cv-00156-MJP (W.D. Wash., September 4, 2019) the Washington federal district court denied an insured/plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on coverage related to water damage to a condominium. Based on the “inverse proximate cause” language found in the “Washington Changes — Excluded Causes of Loss” form, the Court rejected the insured’s argument that if water intrusion damage is not specifically excluded, it is always covered under an ensuing loss provision.
The Court explained that the Washington Supreme Court expressly allowed for “inverse proximate cause” language in Vision One, LLC v. Phila. Indemn. Ins. Co., 174 Wn.2d 501 (2012) and distinguished this matter from another Western federal district court decision that addressed different policy language.
Notably, the decision also states that “Plaintiff’s position has the potential to swallow the exclusions in an all-risk policy whole.”