Pa. Court Applies Multi-Trigger Approach to Determining Coverage in Asbestos-Related Insurance Dispute

PITTSBURGH –– A Pennsylvania trial court has rejected a theory that the multi-trigger approach of determining insurance coverage begins when an insured can establish the exposure date in which the progression of an asbestos-related disease began.

In the Feb. 13 decision, the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Allegheny County granted Mine Safety Appliances Co.’s motion for partial summary judgment, in which it argued that the continuous trigger adopted in J.H. France Refractories Co. v. Allstate Ins. Co. “determines which insurance policy(ies) apply to bodily injury claims involving mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer.” [534 Pa. 29, 626 A.2d 502, 1993].