Supreme Court of California

A commercial general liability insurer may obtain reimbursement of its expenses of defending its insured against a third party lawsuit, even though a duty to defend never arose, as long as the insurer properly reserved its right to such reimbursement.

Appellate Information

• Decided 07/25/2005
• Published 07/25/2005

Judges

• BAXTER, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Selman Breitman, Neil Selman, Jan L. Pocaterra, Lynette Klawon, Alan B. Yuter and Rachel E. Hobbs, Los Angeles, for Plaintiff and Appellant., Wiley Rein & Fielding, Laura A. Fogan, Alicia C. Ritter;  Sinnott, Dito, Moura & Puebla, Randolph P. Sinnott and John J. Moura, Los Angeles, for Complex Insurance Claims Litigation Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Appellant., Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland, Irving H. Greines, Feris M. Greenberger and Robert A. Olson, Los Angeles, for Truck Insurance Exchange, Farmers Insurance Exchange and Fire Insurance Exchange as Amici Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Appellant., Hancock Rothert & Bunshoft, W. Andrew Miller, William J. Baron, Kathryn C. Ashton and Molly K. Kane, San Francisco, for Great American Insurance Company and London Market Insurers as Amici Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, Richard DeNatale, Peter F. McAweeney, David B. Goodwin, San Francisco, Deanna M. Wilcox, Los Angeles;  and John Andrew Baird for Defendants and Respondents., Latham & Watkins, David L. Milliken, Marc D. Halpern and Edward J. Balsamo, San Diego, for Montrose Chemical Corporation of California as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Respondents.