Judgment Eliminating Defamation Coverage Defeats Coverage

Although the duty to defend is exceedingly broad the obligation of an insurer to defend and insured is not unlimited. In University Of Louisville v. Kentucky School Boards Insurance Trust And Cyril William Helm, No. 2021-CA-1066-MR, Court of Appeals of Kentucky (August 19, 2022) the University of Louisville (the "University") appealed from the summary judgment in favor of Kentucky School Boards Insurance Trust (KSBIT) regarding KSBIT's duty to provide a defense and indemnification in a separate circuit court case pursuant to a policy of insurance. The underlying matter began with a suit for a declaratory judgment by KSBIT , in January 2021 related to the policy.

In this action, KSBIT sought a declaration that it did not have any obligation under the insurance policy to defend or indemnify the University as a result of a Kentucky Whistleblower Act claim filed by Dr. Cyril Helm (Helm v. University of Louisville, Jefferson Circuit Court Case No. 15-CI-01410). FACTS Dr. Helm's dispute with the University began in 2009, after his colleagues had alleged he had committed plagiarism or other misconduct in his research. Dr. Helm went on to file several lawsuits against the University and his colleagues arising from the misconduct allegations and the University's investigation into whether he had engaged in misconduct, including the one noted above. Because Dr. Helm's claims for back pay and attorney fees did not arise from a personal injury as defined in the policy, KSBIT alleged that there was no longer any factual or legal basis under the policy requiring it to defend or indemnify the University in Dr. Helm's underlying suit. Therefore, KSBIT sought a declaration that it did not have an obligation to further defend or indemnify the University for the claims Dr. Helm asserted in his underlying action.

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