Opinion issued August 31, 2005
In The
Court of Appeals
For The
First District of Texas
NO. 01-03-01340-CV
SMI REALTY MANAGEMENT CORP., Appellant
V.
UNDERWRITERS AT LLOYD’S, LONDON, Appellee
On Appeal from the 281st District Court
Harris County, Texas
Trial Court Cause No. 2002–62333
DISSENTING OPINION
Because I believe that the policy unambiguously excludes coverage for all “leakage,” both sudden and gradually occurring, I respectfully dissent. In Crisswell v. European Crossroads Shopping Center, Ltd., 792 S.W.2d 945, 948 (Tex. 1990), the supreme court stated that use of semicolons in drafting an agreement indicates that each phrase set off by a semicolon is to be read as having independent significance. In this case, the items in the list of excluded perils are set apart by semi-colons. Therefore, I believe that each has independent significance, and one item cannot be used to modify another. As such, the policy provides that it excludes “leakage” and “any other gradually occurring loss.” I cannot read the policy to exclude only “gradually occurring leakage,” as the term “leakage” is not so modified in the policy. See County of Maverick v. Tex. Ass’n of Counties Workers’ Comp. Self-Ins. Fund, 852 S.W.2d 700, 705 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1993, no writ) (“[If] one party’s interpretation would require the insertion of a qualifying phrase, that interpretation must be rejected as violating the rule of giving language its ordinary meaning.”). Accordingly, I dissent. I would affirm the summary judgment granted in favor of Underwriters.
Sherry Radack
Chief Justice
Panel consists of Chief Justice Radack and Justices Hanks and Higley.