Sometimes headlines are misleading

No. The City of Abbotsford is not suing Ledgeview.

In the Friday edition (May 4) of the Abbotsford News, an article with the headline “City files lawsuit over Ledgeview clubhouse fire” was printed.

Unfortunately, while that headline and the lede following it might be compelling, they aren’t fully accurate.

What’s not clear in the article is this:
The lawsuit is driven by the insurance company, not the City of Abbotsford.

The language of insurance policies allows insurance companies to step into the shoes of the insured, in this case the City, without any forewarning.

The City of Abbotsford didn’t know if or when the insurance company might do this—until it did. In this case, the insurance company waited until just before the two-year time limit to launch a lawsuit was up.

The insurance company has already paid the loss caused by the fire and now is casting a wide legal net as it looks to recover from others some of the money it paid.

If you go to the City’s website, you can read a clarifying piece under Setting the Record Straight.

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