The Ninth Circuit affirmed the District Court's granting summary judgment to two insurers who denied coverage based upon inaccurate insurance applications. Hughes v. First National Insurance Company of America, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 6609 (9th Cir. March 20, 2024).
Plaintiff submitted a claim to First National Insurance Company of America and General Insurance Company of America when her property burned down. After learning that the property was used as a short-term rental and had suffered three prior lossses in the past five years, both insurers denied the claim. They then sought judicial recission of the policites based on material misrepresentations in plaintiff's insurance applications.
Both insurers had applications asking whether the property was used for business or commercial purposes, and whether the applicant had suffered a loss on the property in the last five years. If an applicant answered either question in the affirmative, the application was denied.
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