Connecticut Holds that When a Lapsed Policy is Reinstated, Coverage is Only Restored Prospectively

In a case of first impression in the Nutmeg State, an intermediate level court in Connecticut recently held that reinstatement of coverage after a lapse for non-payment of premiums does not operate to restore coverage retroactively.  In Brown v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., 150 Conn.App. 405 (May 27, 2014), the court held that coverage is only restored on a prospective basis, and it barred the insured from recovering for a fire loss that took place between the time of the lapse and the reinstatement. The insured, Ralston Brown, owned a home in Bridgeport, and he purchased a homeowner’s insurance policy from State Farm on September 16, 2004.  One year later, the policyholder secured a business policy from the…