Judge: CGL Insurer Has No Duty To Defend Suit Alleging Substandard Work By Insured

(July 2, 2024, 8:41 AM EDT) -- SANTA ANA, Calif. — A federal judge in California granted a commercial general liability insurer’s motion for judgment on the pleadings in its declaratory judgment lawsuit disputing coverage for an underlying action alleging that its insured did substandard work on a Los Angeles luxury apartment project before being fired and it was liable for flooding damage to switchgear, finding that the insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify because the insured’s alleged “shoddy work” fails to constitute “property damage” to trigger coverage....