$1 Million Judgment Obtained by RDDJ Unanimously Affirmed

The Tennessee Court of Appeals affirmed a judgment in favor of the real estate development company Johnson & Associates, LLC, in a commercial property insurance dispute.  Johnson & Associates obtained a judgment requiring the defendant insurance company to pay a theft claim that the insurance company denied based on a vacancy exclusion in the policy.  RDDJ partner James Stovall briefed and argued the case for Johnson & Associates both in the trial court and on appeal.   The Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the judgment, finding that the loss was covered by the policy, that the policy was at least ambiguous, and that the insurance company was estopped from denying coverage based on statements of its agent.