Supreme Court of California

An unconditional denial of coverage still commences the running of the one-year statute of limitation of Insurance Code section 2071 although insurer may be estopped from claiming defense if insured relied on insurer's factual misrepresentation in failing to bring timely claim.

Appellate Information

• Decided 11/05/2001
• Published 11/05/2001

Judges

• KENNARD, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
•  Gruber & Kantor, Glenn R. Kantor, Daniel S. Gruber, Encino, Lisa S. Kantor, Northridge, and Sara Smith Ray, for Plaintiff and Appellant., Bill Lockyer, Attorney General, Timothy G. Laddish, Assistant Attorney General, Randall P. Borcherding, Deputy Attorney General for the State Insurance Commissioner as amicus curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Appellant., James T. Linford, San Francisco, as amicus curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Appellant., Horvitz & Levy, Mitchell C. Tilner and Lisa Perrochet, Encino, for 21st Century Insurance Company and Truck Insurance Exchange as amici curiae., James Osborne & Associates and W. James Osborne as amicus curiae., Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Mueller & Naylor and Richard D. Martland, Mill Valley, for the California Chamber of Commerce and California Manufacturers Association as amici curiae., Barger & Wolen and Kent R. Keller, Los Angeles, for Century National Insurance Company, the National Association of Independent Insurers and the Association of California Insurance Companies as amici curiae., Robinson, Calcagnie & Robinson and Sharon J. Arkin, Newport Beach, for United Policyholders as amicus curiae., Fred J. Hiestand, Sacramento, for the Civil Justice Association of California as amicus curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Berger, Kahn, Shafton, Moss, Figler, Simon & Gladstone, Janice A. Ramsay, James F. Henshall, Jr., William Wraith, Craig S. Simon, Irvine;  Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, Ronald D. Kent and Susan M. Walker, Los Angeles, for Defendant and Respondent., Robie & Matthai, Pamela E. Dunn, Los Angeles, and Daniel J. Koes, for the Personal Insurance Federation of California as amicus curiae on behalf of Defendant and Respondent., Lewis, D'Amato, Brisbois & Bisgaard, Raul L. Martinez, Richard B. Wolf and Elise D. Klein, Los Angeles, for California FAIR Plan Association as amicus curiae on behalf of Defendant and Respondent.,  Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps, Peter H. Klee, San Diego, and Marc J. Feldman, Los Angeles, for the National Association of Independent Insurers as amicus curiae on behalf of Defendant and Respondent., Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, Ronald D. Kent and Susan M. Walker, Los Angeles, for the Association of California Insurance Companies as amicus curiae on behalf of Defendant and Respondent.