Anadarko Petroleum Corp. v. Houston Casualty Co.

January 25, 2019 by Justia

The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the trial court’s judgment in favor of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Anadarko E&P Co., L.P. (collectively, Anadarko), minority-interest owners in the Deepwater Horizon operation, on Anadarko’s claim that it was entitled to insurance coverage for the legal fees and related expenses Anadarko incurred defending against liability and enforcement claims, holding that a negotiated policy provision did not limit the excess coverage for defense expenses.In this appeal, Anadarko argued that the insurance policy covered all of its defense expenses, up to the policy’s $150 million excess-coverage limit. The policy’s underwriters (the Underwriters), however, argued that the negotiated policy provision capped the excess coverage, including coverage for defense costs, at twenty-five percent of the policy’s excess-coverage limit. The trial court granted Anadarko’s summary judgment motion in part. The court of appeals reversed and rendered judgment for the Underwriters. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the provision at issue did not limit coverage for Anadarko’s defense expenses. View "Anadarko Petroleum Corp. v. Houston Casualty Co." on Justia Law