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The Duty to Defend and the Affirmative Defense

Specific jurisdictional flourishes notwithstanding, the duty to defend analysis typically involves some form of the "eight corners rule," whereby the four corners of the insurance policy are measured against the four corners of the complaint (and sometimes extrinsic evidence) in order to determine whether or not the claims set out in the complaint trigger the insurer's duty to defend.

14 minute read April 01, 2016 at 11:59 AM
By
Jay P. Farmer and Seth A. Schmeeckle
The Duty to Defend and the Affirmative Defense

Specific jurisdictional flourishes notwithstanding, the duty to defend analysis typically involves some form of the “eight corners rule,” whereby the four corners of the insurance policy are measured against the four corners of the complaint (and sometimes extrinsic evidence) in order to determine whether or not the claims set out in the complaint trigger the insurer's duty to defend.

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