County of Columbia, Appellant v. Continental Insurance Company, Respondents

Summary

The Court affirmed the Appellate Division, holding that the insurers had no duty to defend the County because the underlying claims were barred by the policies' pollution exclusions and did not fall within the personal injury endorsement. The Court further held that the personal injury endorsement does not extend coverage to pollution‑related property damage. The decision rests on a construction of the policies that gives effect to the exclusion and limits the endorsement to purposeful torts enumerated therein.