Supreme Court of Texas

In an action brought by a general contractor seeking a defense and coverage from the commercial general liability insurer for alleged construction defects, judgment of the court of appeals is affirmed in part and reversed in part and remanded where: 1) the duty to indemnify is not dependent on the duty to defend and an insurer may have a duty to indemnify its insured even if the duty to defend never arises; and 2) in determining coverage, a matter dependent on the facts and circumstances of the alleged injury-causing event, parties may introduce evidence during coverage litigation to establish or refute the duty to indemnify.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/11/2009
• Published 12/11/2009

Judges

• Justice WAINWRIGHT delivered the opinion of the Court.

Court

• Supreme Court of Texas

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Robert B. Gilbreath, Hawkins, Parnell & Thackston, LLP, Dallas, TX, Brandy M. Wingate, Mission, TX, Maurice Bresenhan Jr., Pascal Paul Piazza, Zukowski, Bresenhan & Sinex, L.L.P., Houston, TX, Blake S. Evans, Stephen Wayne Burnett, Schubert & Evans, P.C., Dallas, TX, for D.R. Horton-Texas, Ltd., James M. Tompkins, Leslie Dean Pickett, James Terry Bailey, Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith, Todd Frederick Newman, Irelan & Hargis PLLC, Houston, TX, for Markel International Insurance Company, Ltd., Robert A. Shults, McFall, Breitbeil & Shults, P.C., Jacob Allen Deleon, McFall, Sherwood & Breitbeil, Houston, TX, for other interested party Sphere Drake Insurance, Ltd., Lee H. Shidlofsky, Visser Shidlofsky LLP, Austin TX, for Amici Curiae Texas Association of Builders and Associated General Contractors of America.