Ohio’s Eighth Appellate District Affirms Intentional Acts Exclusion Bars Coverage

We’re pleased to announce that Partner, Eric Grinnell has secured a significant insurance victory with a favorable ruling from the Ohio 8th District Court of Appeals regarding intentional acts exclusions in auto insurance policies.

The case involved an insured who struck a plaintiff with his vehicle during an argument and subsequently pled guilty to aggravated assault. When the civil lawsuit was filed, the insured attempted to change his narrative, claiming the incident was merely an “accident” caused by an iced tea can that had become lodged under his brake pedal.

Representing State Farm, Eric successfully intervened and argued that the policy’s Intentional Acts exclusion precluded any duty to defend or indemnify based on the insured’s guilty plea to the criminal charge. After winning summary judgment at the trial court level, the 8th District has now affirmed this decision on appeal.

This ruling reinforces the established principle that a guilty plea to a crime requiring knowledge, such as aggravated assault, is sufficient to invoke intentional acts exclusions in insurance policies. The court confirmed that intent may be properly inferred from the criminal conviction itself, regardless of subsequent attempts to recharacterize the incident.

This ruling reinforces important precedent for insurance carriers dealing with intentional acts exclusions.

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