Allstate Ins. Co. v. Tenn

Summary

The court answered the certified question negatively, holding that a nolo contendere plea cannot be used to prove the criminal conduct necessary to invoke a criminal-acts exclusion in the homeowners policy. Because the policy exclusion turned on the insured's intentional or criminal acts rather than on the existence of a conviction, the plea was inadmissible under Connecticut evidence law, although the insurer may rely on other evidence of the conduct. D’Auria, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part, would have admitted the plea as relevant but non-dispositive evidence in the coverage dispute.