Anthony Crawford Represents GJM Engineering in Securing Broad Duty-to-Defend Ruling for Plumbing Contractor Client

Law360 (subscription required) reported that a federal court in New York ruled that Mt. Hawley Insurance Co. must defend GJM Engineering in an underlying lawsuit involving alleged leaks at three Los Angeles apartment buildings. The court held that the insurer had not established that claims involving one of the properties fell entirely outside the scope of coverage, triggering its duty to defend the entire action. Anthony Crawford, Chair of Olshan's Insurance Coverage Law Practice, represented GJM Engineering. He told Law360 that the decision was consistent with the "broad duty to defend" imposed on insurance carriers under New York law. He added, "That is what policyholders buy when they buy this type of coverage — they get broad litigation support."