Garage Liability
For over 20 years, the Firm has represented several surplus lines insurers specializing in garagekeepers and garage liability coverages primarily written for used car dealers and auto repair shops. Firm attorneys are well-versed in all the nuances and peculiarities of garage policy declarations, insuring agreements, exclusions, definitions, conditions, and endorsements.
In addition to representing and defending garage policy insureds in litigation involving all manner of motor vehicle accidents and negligent repair claims, the firm is regularly retained to perform coverage analyses in complex factual situations implicating issues of coverage.
Among the coverage issues regularly encountered are whether owned or non-owned vehicles were engaged in “garage operations” at the time of the accident; whether prospective customers on a test drive exceeded the scope of their permissive use; ranking of coverage where multiple garage policies may concurrently provide coverage; whether an insured is owed a defense and, if so, whether under a reservation of rights; whether issuance of an outright coverage declination is warranted; and whether coverage-limiting exclusions and endorsements are valid and enforceable.
Motions for summary judgment on behalf of the carrier have been successfully filed in appropriate cases where coverage is lacking.