Eastern Concrete Materials, Inc. v. ACE American Insurance Co., No. 18-11043 (5th Cir. 2020)
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GAIC filed suit seeking a declaratory judgment that it was not required to defend or indemnify Eastern Concrete because of a pollution exclusion in its insurance policy. The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of Eastern Concrete's motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction and grant of GAIC's motion for summary judgment.
After determining that the district court properly exercised personal jurisdiction over Eastern Concrete, the court held that, under Texas law, an unplanned discharge of "rock fines," pellets produced during the course of quarry operations, is not covered by a company's umbrella insurance policy and is excluded by a pollution exclusion. In this case, rock fines are "contaminants" under the policy at issue and thus GAIC had no duty to defend or indemnify Eastern Concrete.
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