What is the insurer's duty to defend against a plaintiff who is not covered by the policy?

British Columbia, Canada


The following excerpt is from St. Andrew's Service Co. v. McCubbin, 1988 CanLII 2926 (BC SC):

Waite v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., 467 P. 2d 847 (Wash. S.C., 1970) was relied on by the third party. There a lawsuit was brought against the appellant involving several claims, some of which it was conceded were not covered by the policy and some of which were within the coverage. The court defined the insurer's duty in these terms at p. 851: It had an obligation and a right, under the provisions of its policy of indemnity insurance, to conduct the defense against those claims which came within the policy coverage, but it had neither the duty nor the right to defend against the claims which were undisputedly outside the coverage, and, at p. 853, the court stated: In the case of the claims which were clearly not covered, the Respondent had neither the right nor the duty to defend. [my emphasis]

Other Questions


Is a payment made by an insurer under a life insurance policy an indemnification of the insured under the policy? (British Columbia, Canada)
Is there an "insurance exception" where a plaintiff receives insurance from a defendant? (British Columbia, Canada)
When can an insured be found to have breached the terms of their accident insurance policy? (British Columbia, Canada)
Is an insurer bound to defend against some of the allegations contained within the coverage of the policy? (British Columbia, Canada)
Can a plaintiff be both a defendant and a plaintiff in the same proceeding? (British Columbia, Canada)
Can a certificate of insurance policy be retroactive for an accident that occurred a few hours after the policy was purchased? (British Columbia, Canada)
What is the effect of a municipality's by-laws on the renewal of a policy of purchase and use of a vehicle insurance policy? (British Columbia, Canada)
Is a vehicle that is insured for farm use and pleasure use more than twice as much as the vehicle insured for the purpose of transporting the insured to and from work? (British Columbia, Canada)
What is the effect of an election by an insurer under the indemnity clause of a policy where the insurer elects to replace a damaged or partially destroyed building with a replacement plan? (British Columbia, Canada)
Is a plaintiff entitled to a premium from a private policy of insurance? (British Columbia, Canada)
X



Alexi white


"The most advanced legal research software ever built."

Trusted by top litigators from across North America.