When insureds don't comply strictly with the terms of their insurance policy, coverage is generally void. (Photo: Shutterstock)
An appellate court in California has ruled that the owner of an apartment building sued by tenants for missing or inoperable smoke detectors was not entitled to a defense of the lawsuit from its insurer because the owner breached the insurance policy by failing to provide working smoke detectors.
The case
Tenants at a Los Angeles apartment building owned, maintained and leased from July 1, 2012, to Dec. 26, 2013, by New Hampshire Apartment, Inc., sued the owner for multiple habitability violations. They alleged, among other things, that the property was infested by vermin and cockroaches, lacked security, had broken windows and doors that were off their hinges, and lacked adequate water supply, heat and proper sewage disposal.
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Steven A. Meyerowitz
Steven A. Meyerowitz, a Harvard Law School graduate, is the founder and president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. He may be contacted at [email protected].
