Plaintiff filed a breach of contract claim against defendant after defendant denied plaintiff’s insurance claim for the contents of a vacation property that was lost due to a fire. Plaintiff also asserted claims under state insurance and consumer fraud statutes. The district court found that defendant had properly classified most of the house’s contents as business property and granted partial summary judgment for the defendant. The parties settled the remaining issues and plaintiff appealed the entry of partial summary judgment. The Seventh Circuit affirmed, finding that plaintiff operated the property as an upscale lodging and events facility and used nearly all of the building’s contents to conduct that business and that the loss of the contents was not covered by the plaintiff’s homeowner’s policy, which excluded property used to conduct the insured’s business. (ST. EVE and MALDONADO, concurring)
Federal 7th Circuit Court
Civil Court
Insurance Coverage