Mass. Court: Lease Agreement to Buy Insurance Trumps State Law

A lease agreement to buy insurance for a landlord trumps a state law that prohibits property owners from requiring tenants to indemnify landlords for their own negligence, Massachusetts highest court ruled.

The decision centers on an appeal brought by Cummings Properties, which owns an office park north of Boston, and its insurer, OneBeacon Insurance Group.

At issue is an agreement signed by Dr. Beverly Shafer when she leased a suite for her medical office at the Cummings-owned complex for approximately 4,000 square feet, plus a 15.4 percent share of the complex’s common areas. Her lease included provisions that she and her insurer, Norfolk and Dedham, contend violate state law.

One provision stated that Shafer would be responsible for all injuries arising out of the use of the premises except those resulting from the “sole” negligence of the landlord. Another required her to purchase general liability insurance for the benefit of the landlord.

In 2007, when one of Shafer’s patients arrived at the complex for an appointment, the patient claims she tripped and fell on a newly constructed cement curb. She then proceeded to sue both Cummings and Shafer for damages for her injuries.

The Supreme Court ruling in this case dealt with Shafer’s and Norfolk and Dedham’s duty to defend and indemnify Cummings in accordance with the lease agreement.

Norfolk and Dedham sought a judgment from a superior court that the liability and insurance provisions of Shafer’s lease were void, and therefore it did not have a duty to defend or indemnify Cummings in the suit.

Massachusetts law voids lease provisions that require tenants to indemnify landlords or exonerate them from liability for their own negligence.

However, in this case, the court ruled that the statue didn’t apply, finding that the requirement to purchase insurance coverage for a landlord differs substantially from an agreement to indemnify or hold harmless.

The state law, wrote Supreme Court Justice Robert J. Cordy, “does not seek to limit commercial landlords and tenants from negotiating the apportionment of risk through the acquisition of insurance for their mutual protection and the benefit of third parties. Quite simply, the statute does not apply to insurance provisions, where the duty of indemnification resides, where it should – with the insurer.”

The court remanded the case to superior court.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Legislation Massachusetts