Silica Defendant Urges High Court to Reconsider Application of Pollution Exclusion

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Calling it the 'most important insurance coverage decision of the past year,' a silica defendant has urged the California Supreme Court to review a recent appellate court ruling that allowed an insurer to bar coverage for underlying silica personal injury claims based on a policy's pollution exclusion. John Garamendi v. Golden Eagle Insurance Co., No. S133077 (Calif. Sup. Ct.).

The Petition for Review was filed April 15 by Pauli Systems Inc., a defendant in several Mississippi silica lawsuits for which it sought coverage under a commercial general liability policy issued by now-defunct Golden Eagle Insurance Company. According …