The court concluded that a "civil commotion does not comprehend a loss occurring in the skies over two continents." The court's analysis was fact-specific and looked closely at the definition of "civil commotion" to make its decision. It may be easy to refer to current events in today's world as a "riot," "civil commotion," "insurrection," etc. When that causes damage and injury and insurance coverage is at issue, dictionary definitions will carry more weight than the opinions political commentators generate. Erin Mindoro Ezra is a regular contributing columnist on insurance coverage for Reuters Legal News and Westlaw Today.

Source: CNN October 13, 2022 20:20 UTC