Louisiana Court of Appeal, Second Circuit
A Louisiana appellate court held that receipt of a policy listing one dwelling and no additional structures started the one-year deadline for claims against insurance agents and brokers.
Case record
The policy described a single-family dwelling and listed zero additional structures. After fire destroyed a rear apartment, the insurer denied coverage and the owners sued their agents and brokers for failing to procure appropriate insurance. The appellate court held that receipt of the policy supplied constructive notice of the omission and began Louisiana’s one-year peremptive period, making the later claims untimely.
Owners should reconcile every renewal against a written building, equipment, location, and operations schedule. A missing structure, location, vehicle, subsidiary, or endorsement can start a claim deadline long before an uncovered loss occurs.
The insurer had been dismissed with prejudice earlier, and this appeal addressed only the agent and broker claims. The court did not determine that the rear structure was covered or that the insurer’s denial was substantively correct.
Primary record
This update identifies the court, posture, holding, and unresolved questions. The linked opinion remains the controlling source.
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