Date of Claim Denial in Dispute in Lawsuit over Mold and Water

TROY, Mich. - Michigan's Court of Appeals has reversed summary judgment for an insurer after concluding that correspondence between State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. and a homeowner raised genuine issues of fact as to when a one-year statute of limitations period began. Johnson v. Parker & Sons Roofing & Chimney Inc., et al., No. 271779 (Mich. Ct. App., 2nd Dist.).

The court based its decision on a December 2002 letter disclaiming coverage for Vanessa Johnson's claim because the damage was caused by mold, and a letter issued two years later that referenced the same claim number and disclaimed 'any …