The priority of coverage nettles the best of us in multi-party, bodily injury cases under New York’s Labor Law. A plaintiff’s claims spawn third-party claims for common-law and contractual indemnification; and the insurance policies of the owner, general contractor, and subcontractors afford primary and excess coverage for named and additional insureds.

In cases involving a “grave injury” under New York’s Workers’ Compensation Law, the subcontractor employing the plaintiff also has a workers’ compensation policy providing unlimited employers-liability (EL) coverage. In a “grave injury” case involving an owner- or contractor-controlled insurance program, the employer’s EL carrier and the program’s excess carriers sometimes clash over coverage for the employer’s liability.