Articles Tagged with “First Party Property Claims”

Everyone might think they know what a collapse is. Everyone probably says they know a collapse when they see it. Most New York businesses and homeowners have policies of property insurance to protect them and their property from major, and sometimes minor, damage. But has anyone ever really taken the time to figure out whether a collapse is actually covered under their policy of property insurance? Even if the policy states that it provides additional coverage for collapse, whether or not the policyholder will be able to recover depends, in large part, on the definition of collapse.

There have been a number of major collapses in the news recently. There have been crane collapses in New York City. The blizzard of February 8-February 9, 2013, aka winter storm Nemo, dumped more than two and one half feet of snow on many parts of eastern Long Island. As a result, the roof of a local bowling alley in Smithtown, New York collapsed, and the nearby Smithhaven Mall was evacuated because authorities feared the roof would collapse when large amounts of water gushed through the ceiling of multiple stores within it.

The two recent incidents on Long Island point out the key aspects of what constitutes a collapse under New York law and whether a policy of property insurance will provide coverage for it when it occurs. To be clear, we are talking about a specific type of claim: A first party property claim. This is one in which the policyholder, which is normally the business owner or the homeowner, makes a claim to recover for what they allege is damage that occurred as a result of a loss for which the policy provides coverage; i.e., they try to recover under their own policy of insurance.

Under New York law, there are two definitions of collapse. The first is the significant impairment of the structural integrity of a building or part of a building. This means that a building or part of a building does not have to fall down, fall in, or be nearly destroyed in order to collapse; it can just be in imminent danger of doing so. See Royal Indem. Co. v. Grunberg, 155 A.D.2d 187, 553 N.Y.S.2d 527(3rd Dept. 1990). This seems to be the view of the majority of courts and jurisdictions across the country.

The second definition requires that a collapse include an element of suddenness, a falling in, and total or near total destruction; and it excludes sinking, bulging, or cracking. See Graffeo v. U.S. Fid. & Guar. Co., 20 A.D.2d 643, 246 N.Y.S.2d 258 (2nd Dept. 1964), motion for leave to appeal denied, 14 N.Y.2d 685, 198 N.E.2d 911 (1964). A policy of property insurance, however, can specifically exclude coverage for imminent collapse; it depends on the precise policy language. See Rector St. Food Enterprises, Ltd. v. Fire & Cas. Ins. Co. of Connecticut, 35 A.D.3d 177, 827 N.Y.S.2d 18 (1st Dept. 2006).
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