In National Casualty Company v. Georgia School Board Association – Risk Management Fund1, the Eleventh Circuit recently affirmed a Georgia rule under which irreconcilable “other insurance” clauses will not be enforced. The Eleventh Circuit found that, under Georgia law, when insurance policies’ “other insurance” clauses are “functionally the same” and cover the same risk, they are irreconcilable, requiring the insurers to provide coverage on a pro rata basis. “Other insurance” clauses are generally written with stock language, and this case affirms the principle that insurers may not escape coverage on the basis that competing clauses leave the insured without a primary policy. When an insured has multiple policies covering the same risk, either one insurer must take the position as primary, or all insurers will be forced to share the obligation on a pro rata basis.
Ms. Markham may be contacted at SMarkham@sdvlaw.com