Source: https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/, March 17, 2026
By: Camille Joyce Lisay

A US federal appeals court has ruled that regulatory permits allowing emissions do not override pollution exclusions in insurance policies, concluding that an insurer had no duty to defend claims tied to long-term hazardous emissions.

In a decision issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the court found that pollution exclusions remain enforceable even when a company operates under valid environmental permits. The ruling stems from litigation involving Griffith Foods International Inc. and its subsidiaries, which faced multiple lawsuits over the release of ethylene oxide in a Chicago suburb. Read more.