Richard J. Doyle v. Allstate Insurance Company

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals held that an insurer's duty to defend under a liability policy applies to any suit in which the insured could be legally obligated to pay damages, regardless of whether the suit seeks monetary relief, and that the insurer breached this duty by refusing to defend the plaintiff's nuisance action, obligating the insurer to reimburse the plaintiff's defense costs but not the attorney's fees incurred in the present suit.