U.S. FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY, APPELLANT,
v.
SOVRAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC., ET AL, APPELLEE; U.S. FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY, APPELLANT, V. JADE EAST TOWERS DEVELOPERS, ET AL, APPELLEE

Fla. 1st DCA | 2003-08-12
Nos. 1D02-1590, 1D02-2823
KAHN, WEBSTER, and DAVIS, JJ., concur.
854 So. 2d 221 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (2003)

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Synopsis

U.S. Fire Insurance Company appeals a trial court judgment requiring its builder's risk insurance policy to indemnify a condominium association for construction defects. The court held that builder's risk insurance is property insurance, not liability insurance, and does not cover third-party claims for defective workmanship.


Holding

A builder's risk insurance policy is property insurance, not liability insurance, and therefore does not indemnify a third party such as a condominium association for faulty workmanship or construction defects.


Headnotes

[1] A builder's risk insurance policy is a type of property insurance, not liability insurance or warranty coverage, and is intended to protect against fortuitous loss during…

[2] A builder's risk policy is a first-party contract and does not indemnify a third party for faulty workmanship.

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Key Quotes

“Builder's risk insurance is a type of property insurance coverage, not liability insurance or warranty coverage. The purpose of this type of insurance is to provide protection for fortuitous loss sustained during the construction of the building.”

Establishes the fundamental nature of builder's risk insurance as property insurance, not liability coverage

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Facts & Procedural History

A condominium project in Destin, Florida was constructed by Sovran and the Developers, who purchased a builder's risk insurance policy from U.S. Fire …

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

In these consolidated cases, the Jade East Towers Owners Association, Inc. (Association) obtained a judgment against appellees Sovran Construction Company, Inc. (Sovran) and Jade East Towers Developers (Developers) for damages resulting from construction defects and deficiencies in a condominium project in Destín, Florida. Before making the claims, the Association and individual unit owners had taken over control and occupancy of the condominium from Sovran and the Developers. In subsequent third-party actions by Sovran and the Developers against appellant U.S. Fire Insurance Company, the trial court ruled that a builder’s risk insurance policy, purchased from appellant by the Developers and effective during construction of the condominium project, must indemnify the Association for the claimed construction defects and deficiencies.

The trial court determined that the builder’s risk policy was in effect a liability policy. In the trial court’s own words, “[TJhis court finds that the policy must cover, and does cover, the losses claimed against Sovran by the plaintiff in this case.” This was error. See Swire Pac. Holdings, Inc. v. Zurich Ins. Co., 845 So. 2d 161 (Fla.2003); Edward J. Gerrits, Inc. v. Nat’l Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa., 634 So. 2d 712 (Fla. 3d DCA 1994).

Appellees rely on Dyson & Co. v. Flood Engineers, Architects, Planners, Inc., 523 So. 2d 756 (Fla. 1st DCA 1988), and argue that the trial court reached the proper result. Appellees’ reliance on Dyson is misplaced, however, because that case involved a completely different situation — an insurer’s right to subrogation against a co-insured. The Florida Supreme Court has very recently said that a builder’s risk policy is not a liability policy: “Builder’s risk insurance is a type of property insurance coverage, not liability insurance or warranty coverage. The purpose of this type of insurance is to provide protection for fortuitous loss sustained during the construction of the building.” Swire, 845 So. 2d at 165. Further, as the Third District explained in Gerrits, a builder’s risk policy is a first-party contract and does not indemnify a third party, such as a condominium association, for faulty work manship. See Gerrits, 634 So. 2d at 713.

Accordingly, we REVERSE the judgment and REMAND with directions that judgment be entered in favor of appellant.

KAHN, WEBSTER, and DAVIS, JJ., concur.


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