Excess Insurance Does Not Drop Down When Primary Goes Belly Up

Insolvency of a primary insurer represents a tremendous cause for concern for the next layer of excess and umbrella insurers. The Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued an important and favorable ruling for excess and umbrella insurers last month in Canal Insurance Company v. Montello, Inc., Civil Action No. 14-5039, 2015 U.S. Lexis 20625 (10th Cir. Nov. 27, 2015).

The insured, Montello, Inc., a distributor of oil-drilling products, distributed a “viscofier” – a mud drilling liquid agent – containing asbestos from 1966 …

Continue Reading