Fifth Circuit revives coverage, rejects Occidental homeowners’ drug exclusion

The case stems from a July 2019 incident at the Houston-area home of Ryan Zinkweg, whose parents were insured by Occidental Fire & Casualty Company of North Carolina. After Zinkweg and his friend, Christoffer Cox, took what they believed were LSD tablets (Cox also took what he believed to be one THC gummy), Cox fell from a knee‑high bed onto a carpeted floor, striking his head on a nightstand. Zinkweg did not immediately call 911, believing Cox’s condition was drug-related and concerned about getting caught. He phoned a sober friend, Sammy Azhar; together they moved Cox on to the bed without stabilizing his neck or spine. Cox is now a quadriplegic.