An Indiana appeals court says a missed sprinkler-notice deadline can sink a fire claim – and insurers need not prove it caused harm.
On July 15, 2026, the Court of Appeals of Indiana answered a question coverage lawyers long debated: does a late-notice slip void a claim only when it truly hurts the insurer? For one class of provisions, the answer favored the carriers.
The court affirmed a lower court’s rulings in a dispute involving a group of insurers including Ascot Specialty Insurance Company. At the center was a Protective Safeguards Endorsement, or PSE – the clause that ties coverage to keeping a sprinkler system, alarm, or similar safeguard in working order…