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Minn. Stat. § 337.05

AGREEMENTS TO INSURE.

Applied in 13 court decisions — leading case Engineering & Construction Innovations, Inc. v. L.H. Bolduc Co. (2013)

Most recently applied in Engineering & Construction Innovations, Inc. v. L.H. Bolduc Co. (January 2013)

1983 c 333 s 5; 1984 c 598 s 6 -8; 2013 c 88 s 1; 2023 c 53 art 7 s 5

How often courts cite this section

199120002010201330
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

Subdivision 1. Agreements valid.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b), sections 337.01 to 337.05 do not affect the validity of agreements whereby a promisor agrees to provide specific insurance coverage for the benefit of others.

(b) A provision that requires a party to provide insurance coverage to one or more other parties, including third parties, for the negligence or intentional acts or omissions of any of those other parties, including third parties, is against public policy and is void and unenforceable.

(c) Paragraph (b) does not affect the validity of a provision that requires a party to provide or obtain workers' compensation insurance, construction performance or payment bonds, builder's risk policies, owner or contractor-controlled insurance programs or policies, or project-specific insurance for claims arising out of the promisor's negligent acts or omissions or the negligent acts or omissions of the promisor's independent contractors, agents, employees, or delegatees.

(d) Paragraph (b) does not affect the validity of a provision that requires the promisor to provide or obtain insurance coverage for the promisee's vicarious liability, or liability imposed by warranty, arising out of the acts or omissions of the promisor.

(e) Paragraph (b) does not apply to building and construction contracts for work within 50 feet of public or private railroads, or railroads regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration.

Subd. 2. Indemnification for breach of agreement.

If:

(a) a promisor agrees to provide specific types and limits of insurance; and

(b) a claim arises within the scope of the specified insurance; and

(c) the promisor did not obtain and keep in force the specified insurance;

then, as to that claim and regardless of section 337.02 , the promisee shall have indemnification from the promisor to the same extent as the specified insurance.

Subd. 3. When indemnification not available.

The indemnification stated in subdivision 2 is not available if:

(a) the specified insurance was not reasonably available in the market; and

(b) the promisor so informed the other party to the agreement to insure before signing the agreement, or signed the agreement subject to a written exception as to the nonavailable insurance.

Subd. 4. Indemnification regarding deductible amounts.

If:

(1) a promisor agrees to provide specific types and limits of insurance; and

(2) a claim arises within the scope of the specified insurance; and

(3) the insurance provided by the promisor includes a self-insured retention or a deductible amount;

then, as to that claim and regardless of section 337.02 , the promisee shall have indemnification from the promisor to the full extent of the deductible amount or self-insured retention.

Subd. 5. No waiver by certificates.

A promisor's obligation to provide specified insurance is not waived by either or both of the following:

(1) a promisee's failure to require or insist upon certificates or other evidence of insurance;

(2) a promisee's acceptance of a certificate or other evidence of insurance that shows a variance from the specified coverage.

Official source: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Reproduced from public-domain Minnesota statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.