Great American E&S Insurance Co. v. Sinars Slowikowski Tomasaka LLC
Summary
Division I of the Washington Court of Appeals reversed in part the trial court's summary judgment ruling in favor of Great American E&S Insurance Co. The appellate panel reversed and remanded the case for further proceedings, with Judge Ian Birk authoring the majority opinion and Judges Leonard Feldman and Linda Coburn concurring.
What changed
The Washington Court of Appeals Division I reversed the lower court's summary judgment in favor of Great American E&S Insurance Co., remanding the insurance coverage dispute for further proceedings. The three-judge panel majority opinion authored by Judge Ian Birk (with concurrences from Judges Feldman and Coburn) found the trial court erred in its summary judgment ruling. The case, docket 87386-5, arose from a judgment under review filed September 20, 2024, before Judge Mark Larranaga.
For insurers, this ruling signals that Washington appellate courts will scrutinize summary judgment motions in coverage disputes closely, and prior favorable trial rulings may face reversal on appeal. Policyholders and their counsel should evaluate whether remand proceedings present renewed opportunities to challenge coverage denials. Legal professionals handling insurance litigation in Washington should note the appellate standards applied and assess whether similar fact patterns in pending cases warrant different strategic approaches.
What to do next
- Review insurance policy interpretation practices in light of the appellate ruling
- Assess pending coverage disputes for remand implications
- Monitor for mandate issuance following the reversal
Archived snapshot
Apr 8, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
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Court of Appeals Division I
State of Washington Opinion Information Sheet
| Docket Number: | 87386-5 |
| Title of Case: | Great American E & S Insurance Co., Respondent V. Sinars Slowikowski Tomasaka Llc Et Al, Appellants |
| File Date: | 04/06/2026 |
SOURCE OF APPEAL
| Judgment or order under review | |
| Date filed: | 09/20/2024 |
| Judge signing: | Honorable Mark Larranaga |
JUDGES
| Authored by | Ian Birk |
| Concurring: | Leonard Feldman |
| | Linda Coburn |
COUNSEL OF RECORD
| Counsel for Appellant(s) | |
| | Marc Rosenberg |
| | Beresford Booth PLLC |
| | 145 3rd Ave S |
| | Edmonds, WA, 98020-3593 |
| | |
| | Todd Anthony Bowers |
| | Gordon Rees Scully & Mansukhani, LLP |
| | 701 5th Ave Ste 2100 |
| | Seattle, WA, 98104-7084 |
| | |
| | Malaika M. Eaton |
| | McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren PLLC |
| | 600 University St |
| | Ste 2700 |
| | Seattle, WA, 98101-3143 |
| | |
| | Micah Chadric Allred |
| | McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren PLLC |
| | 600 University St Ste 2700 |
| | Seattle, WA, 98101-3143 |
| | |
| | Bradley S. Keller |
| | Byrnes Keller Cromwell LLP |
| | 1000 2nd Ave Ste 3800 |
| | Seattle, WA, 98104-1062 |
| | |
| | Jofrey Malcolm Mcwilliam |
| | Byrnes Keller Cromwell LLP |
| | 1000 2nd Ave Ste 3800 |
| | Seattle, WA, 98104-1062 |
| Counsel for Respondent(s) | |
| | Mark Alan Johnson |
| | Johnson Flora Sprangers PLLC |
| | 2001 Western Ave Ste 205 |
| | Seattle, WA, 98121-2174 |
| | |
| | Michael Paul Sprangers |
| | Johnson Flora Sprangers PLLC |
| | 2001 Western Ave Ste 205 |
| | Seattle, WA, 98121-2174 |
| | |
| | Edward B. Parks |
| | Ruggeri Parks Weinberg, LLP |
| | 1875 K Street Northwest |
| | Ste 800 |
| | Washington, DC, 20006 |
| | |
| | James P. Ruggeri |
| | Ruggeri Parks Weinberg, LLP |
| | 1875 K Street Northwest |
| | Ste 800 |
| | Washington, DC, 20006 |
| Counsel for Other Parties | |
| | Steven P. Caplow |
| | Davis Wright Tremaine LLP |
| | 920 5th Ave Ste 3300 |
| | Seattle, WA, 98104-1610 |
| | |
| | Nancy Anne Brownstein |
| | Attorney at Law |
| | 4518 51st Pl Sw |
| | Seattle, WA, 98116-3902 |
| | |
| | Matthew Jedreski |
| | Davis Wright Tremaine LLP |
| | 920 5th Ave Ste 3300 |
| | Seattle, WA, 98104-1610 |
View the Slip Opinion(s) Filed for this Case.
View a Printer Friendly Version of this Opinion Information Sheet.
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Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from WA Court of Appeals Div I.
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