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Montrose doctrine

The Montrose doctrine is a legal principle, enunciated by the California Supreme Court in Montrose Chem. Corp. v. Admiral Ins. Co., 10 Cal. 4th 645, 42 Cal. Rptr. 2d 324, 913 P.2d 878 (1995).

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Montrose doctrine

The Montrose doctrine is a legal principle, enunciated by the California Supreme Court in Montrose Chem. Corp. v. Admiral Ins. Co., 10 Cal. 4th 645, 42 Cal. Rptr. 2d 324, 913 P.2d 878 (1995).

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The ruling held that injury or damage for which an insured may incur liability is not a "known loss"—hence uninsurable under basic precepts of insurance law—until liability for the injury or damage has been assessed by a court. As a result of Montrose, standard general liability policies now exclude liability from any injury or damage known to the insured at the time the policy takes effect.

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