How has the exclusionary clause in a personal injury policy regarding vehicle theft exclusion been interpreted?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from EMMI INC. v. Zurich American Ins. Co., 32 Cal.4th 465, 84 P.3d 385, 9 Cal.Rptr.3d 701 (Cal. 2004):

Because the exclusionary clause as a whole is ambiguous, it cannot be said to be clear and plain in limiting coverage. (MacKinnon v. Truck Ins. Exchange, supra, 31 Cal.4th at p. 649, 3 Cal.Rptr.3d 228, 73 P.3d 1205.) In no way does the policy language alert a reasonable insured that coverage is lost by simply stepping outside of the vehicle. In such a case, the insured is in close proximity to the jewelry and is providing some protection against theft. That Zurich's position is counterintuitive to what a reasonable insured would expect is partly borne out by its response to a question posed at oral argument. In that response, Zurich maintained that an insured traveling by train would come within the exception to the vehicle theft exclusion if the insured left the jewelry in one compartment while he or she walked to a different compartment, such as the dining car, because such insured would be "upon" the train. Thus, according to Zurich, an insured who remains in close proximity to an automobile and is paying attention to it, providing a theft deterrent, would not be covered under the policy, but an insured traveling by train who leaves the jewelry completely unattended, thus providing no deterrence to theft, would be covered. This outcome cannot be said to be consistent with an insured's reasonable expectations.

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