Gillette v. OneBeacon Insurance

Summary

Gillette v. OneBeacon is an insurance liability case involving environmental remediation costs and defense costs associated with groundwater contamination resulting from the release of solvents at a former Gillette manufacturing facility in Santa Monica, California.

Gillette claims that defendant insurers OneBeacon Insurance, SPARTA Insurance, and Northern Assurance, must defend and pay environmental claims pursuant to primary comprehensive general liability, umbrella, and excess liability policies.

In the underlying claim, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (CRWQCB) and the City of Santa Monica alleged that a Paper Mate ball point pen factory located at 1681 26th St., in Santa Monica, released solvents during cleansing and degreasing operations that contaminated the Olympic Well Field, which is used as a source of drinking water by the City of Santa Monica.

In its complaint, Gillette claims to have submitted more than $14.5M in covered but unpaid defense, investigation, and indemnification costs, with additional costs anticipated.