Do you have homeowner’s or renter’s insurance? Then read on. Your coverage for losses may be a whole lot broader than you know.

United States:Overview Of The Duty To Defend In Illinois

11 May 2007

byWilliam P. ShelleyandMartha Conlin

Cozen O’Connor

The increasing complexities of duty to defend issues in Illinois have led us to take a careful look and provide our clients with what we hope is a useful overview on Illinois law.

A. GENERAL NATURE OF THE DUTY TO DEFEND

The insuring agreement of most standard form liability policies grants the insurer the right and duty to defend its insured in any suit seeking damages allegedly within the scope of coverage. Despite this relatively simple directive, there are many conditions and obligations inherent in the duty to defend that are important to understand, particularly if the insurance contract will be governed by Illinois law. Under…