California Court of Appeal

Trial court judgment in a coverage dispute regarding asbestos claims is reversed to the extent it imposed liability on defendants-insurers, to the extent it required defendants to pay an aggregate sum for present and potential future asbestos claims against plaintiff, and to the extent that any indemnification was calculated on the basis of the allowed liquidated value of any claim.

Appellate Information

• Decided 01/19/2006
• Published 01/19/2006

Judges

• DOI TODD, J.

Court

• California Court of Appeal

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Wiley Rein & Fielding, Laura A. Foggan, Karalee C. Morell;  Sinnott, Dito, Moura & Puebla and John J. Moura, Counsel for Amicus Curiae Complex Insurance Claims Litigation Association.


• For Appellees:
  
• Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan, Frank Kaplan, Kenneth S. Meyers, Santa Monica;  Spepanik Cortner McNaboe Colliau & Jordan and Michael T. Colliau for Defendants and Appellants Transcontinental Insurance Company and Columbia Casualty Company., Hogan & Hartson, Kenneth D. Klein, David R. Singer, Los Angeles, William J. Bowman (pro hac vice), James P. Ruggeri (pro hac vice), Catherine E. Stetson (pro hac vice);  Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, Seth P. Waxman (pro hac vice), Jonathan E. Nuechterlein (pro hac vice), Craig T. Goldblatt (pro hac vice) and Todd Zubler (pro hac vice) for Defendants and Appellants First State Insurance Company, New England Reinsurance Corp., and Twin City Fire Insurance Company., Berkes Crane Robinson & Seal, Steven M. Crane, Barbara S. Hodous;  Munger, Tolles & Olson, Ronald L. Olson, Kelly M. Klaus, Paul J. Watford, Sarah E. Kurtin and Grant A. Davis-Denny, Los Angeles, for Defendant and Appellant Stonewall Insurance Company., Hancock Rothert & Bunshoft, Patrick A. Cathcart, Los Angeles, William J. Baron, San Francisco;  Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Michael W. Schwartz (pro hac vice), Douglas K. Mayer (pro hac vice), William Savitt (pro hac vice);  Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland, Irving H. Greines, Robert A. Olson and Peter O. Israel, Los Angeles, for Defendants and Appellants Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's London and Certain London Market Insurance Companies., Nancy F. Peters (pro hac vice);  Thomas C. Sanford & Associates and Thomas C. Sanford, Pasadena, for Defendants and Appellants Tenecom Insurance Company (f/k/a Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance Company (UK) Ltd.) and Winterthur Swiss Insurance Company., Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal and Ronald D. Kent, Los Angeles, for Defendant and Appellant International Insurance Company., Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Michel Y. Horton, Thomas M. Peterson, Jason B. Komorsky, Laura R. Ramos;  Anderson Kill & Olick, Robert M. Horkovich (pro hac vice), Rhonda D. Orin (pro hac vice) and Robert Y. Chung (pro hac vice) for Plaintiff and Respondent.