Missouri Appeals Court Finds Pollution Exclusion Ambiguous; Reverses Coverage Decision

ST. LOUIS - Finding the language of an insurance policy's pollution exclusion ambiguous, a Missouri state appeals court has reversed a lower court's award of summary judgment on the issue of coverage for damages to an orphan association's building resulting from asbestos contamination caused by renovation. Cincinnati Insurance Company v. German St. Vincent Orphan Association, Inc., No. ED78552 (Mo. Ct. App., Eastern Dist., Div. Four).

In its July 24 ruling, the Court of Appeals of Missouri said it was unable to clarify language used in the Cincinnati Insurance Company policy that covered German St. Vincent Orphan Association's building, especially language …