The eight corners rule is the method most states use to decide whether an insurer must defend. The court reads the allegations of the underlying complaint alongside the terms of the policy and asks whether any allegation, if true, could fall within coverage. Facts outside those two documents are generally excluded from the analysis.
Courts apply the rule liberally in favor of the insured, resolving doubts about the pleading's meaning toward a defense obligation. Artful pleading by a plaintiff can therefore create a defense duty even where the true facts would not.
Alternative Names:
Four Corners Rule, Complaint Allegation Rule
Why it Matters?
The rule controls the threshold question in nearly every coverage dispute arising from complex tort litigation. Because plaintiffs' counsel often plead alternative theories specifically to trigger coverage, defense and coverage counsel must analyze each count separately rather than assessing the case as a whole.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Can an insurer use facts outside the complaint to deny a defense?
What if the complaint is ambiguous?
