Condo Media - September 2020 - 15

As state governments ease their lockdown orders and businesses reopen, condominium
associations are bracing for a second wave. Not the second wave of infections that health
policy experts are warning may follow closely on the heels of the first, but the wave of
litigation that some condominium industry professionals fear may be heading their way.

H

How large is that wave likely to be?
Who will sue associations for what?
How will the courts respond? Will
insurers cover the damages awarded
to plaintiffs who prevail? Equally
important, will they cover the cost of
defending those claims? The answers
are neither clear nor reassuring for condominium associations, and they are
somewhat unsettling for the insurance
industry, as well.
There have not been many COVIDrelated suits filed against community
associations to date, and no one really
knows how widespread this litigation
will become. It is, in part, the uncertainty about the extent of the liability
risks condominium associations may
face that is fueling the questions about
their insurance coverage and triggering an intensifying debate about the
issue. The debate focuses on four
types of insurance:
 ommercial General Liability
C
(CGL) - covering liability claims
related to personal injury or
property damage
 irectors' and Officers' (D&O)
D
liability - generally covering claims
against board members and managers for negligence and wrongful acts
 usiness Interruption - providing
B
compensation for loss of income
resulting from covered claims
 orkers' Compensation - coverW
ing the claims of injured employees
Workers' compensation seems to be
the least complicated and least controversial. Insurance and condominium
industry executives generally agree that
coverage for employees who contract
COVID-19 would apply only if they

have thought that association profescan demonstrate that their illness was
directly related to their work. A hospital sionals should disagree with what
employee would be able to advance that insurance agents and carriers
are saying."
argument more easily than a condoWhat they are saying about CGL
minium maintenance supervisor, who
policies is that they contain a specific
would have to establish convincingly
exclusion for communicable diseases,
that his/her most likely exposure was
an exclusion that was added to virtuin a condominium community.
ally all property and casualty policies
Business interruption coverage is by
far the most controversial and most com- following previous epidemics - SARs,
Swine Flu, and Ebola, primary among
plicated of the four, so we deal with that
them. The language, standard in most
one separately in the sidebar on page 20.
That leaves CGL and D&O insurance. policies, excludes coverage for bodily
injury or property damage "arising out
The most likely claims for CGL coverof the actual or alleged transmission of
age would be triggered by suits filed by
a communicable disease."
owners or guests who claim that the as"The language is clear," Gregory
sociation's negligence - failure to clean
Pierce, CPA, LIA, senior vice president at
common areas adequately or enforce
NorthStar Insurance Services, Inc., says.
social distance policies, for example -
"I don't know how you get around it."
resulted in an infection. D&O coverage
would be sought for
something owners
The position of insurance carriers
claim boards or managers did, didn't do,
is succinct and unequivocal:
or didn't do properly,
for example, failing to
There is no coverage... for
effectively sanitize the
common areas. The
COVID-related claims - period.
position of insurance
carriers is succinct
That isn't the industry's only arguand unequivocal: There is no coverage
ment against coverage. Insurance carriunder either policy for COVID-related
ers also contend that the virus does not
claims - period. That consensus view
meet the policy's definition of an "ocmay not be universal in the insurance
currence" - a single event that is unexindustry, but it is pretty darned close.
pected and unplanned. A key question
here, Marcus suggests, will be whether
THE COVERAGE QUESTION
an infection must result from a single
The 'no coverage' conclusion seems to
exposure - contact with an infected
be widely accepted by condominium
industry professionals as well, but there individual, for example; or whether
several potential exposures to the virus
are some who think it should be questioned. Stephen Marcus, founding part- might constitute an "occurrence."
"You touch a handrail leading to the
ner (recently retired) of Marcus, Errico,
pool, you touch an elevator button and
Emmer & Brooks (MEEB), is one.
fitness equipment, in my mind, that's
"In the 41 years I have been practican occurrence," Marcus says. But he
ing condominium law," he says, "this is
acknowledges, "that will be disputed."
the only time I can remember when I
September 2020 CONDOMEDIA

15



Condo Media - September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - September 2020

Contents
Condo Media - September 2020 - Cover1
Condo Media - September 2020 - Cover2
Condo Media - September 2020 - Contents
Condo Media - September 2020 - 2
Condo Media - September 2020 - 3
Condo Media - September 2020 - 4
Condo Media - September 2020 - 5
Condo Media - September 2020 - 6
Condo Media - September 2020 - 7
Condo Media - September 2020 - 8
Condo Media - September 2020 - 9
Condo Media - September 2020 - 10
Condo Media - September 2020 - 11
Condo Media - September 2020 - 12
Condo Media - September 2020 - 13
Condo Media - September 2020 - 14
Condo Media - September 2020 - 15
Condo Media - September 2020 - 16
Condo Media - September 2020 - BB1
Condo Media - September 2020 - BB2
Condo Media - September 2020 - 17
Condo Media - September 2020 - 18
Condo Media - September 2020 - 19
Condo Media - September 2020 - 20
Condo Media - September 2020 - 21
Condo Media - September 2020 - 22
Condo Media - September 2020 - 23
Condo Media - September 2020 - 24
Condo Media - September 2020 - 25
Condo Media - September 2020 - 26
Condo Media - September 2020 - 27
Condo Media - September 2020 - 28
Condo Media - September 2020 - 29
Condo Media - September 2020 - 30
Condo Media - September 2020 - 31
Condo Media - September 2020 - 32
Condo Media - September 2020 - 33
Condo Media - September 2020 - 34
Condo Media - September 2020 - 35
Condo Media - September 2020 - 36
Condo Media - September 2020 - 37
Condo Media - September 2020 - 38
Condo Media - September 2020 - 39
Condo Media - September 2020 - 40
Condo Media - September 2020 - 41
Condo Media - September 2020 - 42
Condo Media - September 2020 - 43
Condo Media - September 2020 - 44
Condo Media - September 2020 - 45
Condo Media - September 2020 - 46
Condo Media - September 2020 - 47
Condo Media - September 2020 - 48
Condo Media - September 2020 - Cover3
Condo Media - September 2020 - Cover4
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