*371INTRODUCTION
Good fences make good neighbors. Unless they obstruct an easement.
Shelly Albert's neighbor, Henri Baccouche, sued her for "abatement of private nuisance," alleging Albert had erected and refused to remove a fence that partially blocked the only road leading to Baccouche's undeveloped property. Albert tendered Baccouche's complaint to her homeowners and umbrella insurers, but each declined to provide a defense. Albert first sued her homeowners insurer for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, but the trial court and the Court of Appeal in that action determined there was no potential for coverage under the policy.
Albert then sued her umbrella insurer, Truck Insurance Exchange, in this action for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The trial court granted Truck's motion for summary judgment. Albert appeals, arguing the complaint in the underlying action created a potential for coverage under the umbrella policy's "personal injury" coverage for "injury arising out of ... wrongful entry ... or invasion of the right of private occupancy."
We agree with cases from California and other jurisdictions that "invasion of the right of private occupancy" is ambiguous and may include non-physical invasions of rights in real property. We disagree with one California case, Sterling Builders, Inc. v. United Nat. Ins. Co. (2000)
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
A. The Policy
Albert's umbrella policy with Truck provided: "We will ... pay damages caused by an occurrence in excess of the retained limit on the insured's behalf." The policy defined "retained limit" as the greater of "the total limits of liability of any underlying insurance providing coverage for damages as *372the result of an occurrence" or $1,000. The policy further provided: "If underlying insurance does not cover damages covered by this policy, we will pay damages which exceed [$250]." *778Because Albert's homeowners policy did not include coverage for personal injury, the umbrella policy's personal injury provision provided coverage for damages from personal injury that exceeded $250.
The policy's definition of "Damages" included "the total of damages that the insured must pay ... because of ... personal injury ... caused by an occurrence covered by this policy."
B. The Underlying Action
Baccouche filed his complaint in the underlying action during the umbrella policy period. Baccouche alleged that a 400-foot long, 26-foot wide private road provided the only access to his property from any public road. The private road straddled the property line separating two of Baccouche's neighbors, so that each neighbor owned half (i.e., 13 feet) of the road from the center of the road. Albert owned one half of the road and the other neighbor (who is not a party to this action) owned the other half. Baccouche alleged that he had an easement over the road, giving him access to his property, but that Albert erected and refused to remove a fence that obstructed the easement and precluded Baccouche from using the half of the road on Albert's property.
*373Specifically, Baccouche alleged Albert "erected a permanent chain-link fence on certain portions of her property that were subject to a reciprocal easement as a private roadway for ingress and egress," which "constitutes a nuisance within the meaning of Civil Code Section 3479 in that it ... interfere[s] with the comfortable enjoyment by plaintiff of his property, including access thereto." Instead of using a 26-foot wide road, Baccouche could only access his property using a 13-foot wide road. He sought damages including the "diminishment in value" of his property. Albert points to these allegations as the basis for potential coverage under the personal injury provision of the umbrella policy, and hence the duty to defend.
*779C. The Tenders
Albert tendered Baccouche's complaint to Mid-Century Insurance Company, which issued her homeowners policy, and to Truck. Mid-Century denied the claim, stating it did not owe Albert a "defense or indemnity obligation" under the homeowners policy.
Three years later, Albert re-tendered the complaint to Truck.
Counsel for Albert responded to Truck's denial letter and pointed out that Baccouche's complaint alleged Albert "had erected and continued to maintain a chain-link fence on property subject to a reciprocal easement," which "constituted a nuisance," and that Baccouche sought damages "for the diminished value of his real property and emotional distress." Counsel for Truck responded by "disagree[ing] with [the] assertion" that "the erection of *374the fence and the maintenance of the fence on the easement was a 'wrongful eviction, wrongful entry or invasion of the right of private occupancy.' " Counsel for Truck stated that "Ms. Albert could not be said to have 'wrongfully entered' the easement since the easement was on her own property" and that "Mr. Baccouche could not be said to have made a claim for 'invasion of the right to private occupancy' with respect to the easement since he never had a right to 'private occupancy' of the easement."
D. Albert's Complaint Against Truck
Albert sued Truck for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing on the theory Truck had a duty to defend and indemnify her under the umbrella policy's personal injury coverage. Albert alleged Truck's duties to defend and indemnify arose from Baccouche's allegations that Albert "erected and maintained a permanent chain-link fence on real property subject to a reciprocal easement, thereby interfering with Baccouche's right of full use of said easement for ingress and egress to his real property; that said interference with the reciprocal easement constituted a nuisance; and that as a result Baccouche was entitled to an injunction and damages for diminishment in value of his real property and emotional distress." Albert alleged "Truck ... breached [its] contract of insurance by failing and refusing to defend and indemnify [Albert] in connection with [the] Baccouche action" and "Truck ... breached its duties of good faith and fair dealing [by] fail[ing] to pay contract benefits to [Albert] at the time when [Truck] knew, or should have known, that [Albert was] entitled to defense and indemnity under the terms of [its] insurance policy."
*780E. Truck's Motion for Summary Judgment and Albert's Motion for Summary Adjudication
Truck moved for summary judgment, arguing "[t]he claims for erection and maintenance of a fence on Mr. Baccouche's easement do not constitute a 'wrongful entry, wrongful eviction or invasion of the right of private occupancy' under the 'personal injury' coverage of the Truck personal umbrella policy as a matter of law." Albert moved for summary adjudication on whether Truck owed Albert a duty to defend. In her opposition to Truck's motion for summary judgment and her motion for summary adjudication, Albert argued Baccouche's complaint alleged wrongful entry because "Baccouche alleged he had a property right (reciprocal easement) which was physically invaded by Albert's placement of the fence. In other words, Baccouche claimed that Albert's ownership of the property gave her no right to impede his use of the easement; if so, it would be a 'wrongful entry.' " Albert also argued Baccouche's complaint alleged an "invasion of right of *375private occupancy" because "an easement creates a 'right to enter and use land in another's possession' and to that extent grants a limited right to occupy the land. Albert's fence allegedly interfered with that right, and hence was an 'invasion of the right of private occupancy.' "
The trial court ruled there was no potential coverage for wrongful entry onto the easement because, "if the interest in real property is nothing more than a limited privilege to use land belonging to another, then interference with said interest cannot constitute 'unauthorized entry onto the land of another.' " The court also ruled that maintaining the fence could not be an "invasion of the right of private occupancy" because Baccouche did not control the easement and "[o]ccupancy means having possession, which in turn, requires having control."
The trial court granted Truck's motion for summary judgment and denied Albert's cross-motion for summary adjudication. Albert timely appealed from the judgment.
DISCUSSION
Albert states her appeal "is based solely on a claim that there was a duty to defend [her] in the underlying Baccouche Complaint for Abatement of Private Nuisance, and that her claim was only under the 'personal injury' coverage, not under the 'bodily injury' or 'property damage' coverages in the Truck policy." Albert argues Truck had a duty to defend under the personal injury coverage for "invasion of the right of private occupancy" because Albert's "alleged interference with the roadway easement ... interfered with Baccouche's use and enjoyment of his adjoining property. To the extent that a 'possessory interest' in the land is required, Baccouche certainly had a possessory interest in his adjoining land." Albert asserts "Baccouche clearly had a right to occupy his own property, which right was interfered with by Albert's fence over the roadway easement."
Truck does not respond to Albert's argument there was a potential for coverage *781under the personal injury provision of the policy because Albert allegedly interfered with Baccouche's right of private occupancy of his *376property, even though this is Albert's main argument on appeal. Instead, Truck relies on the trial court's ruling that "Mr. Baccouche had no 'right of private occupancy' in or to the reciprocal easement on Ms. Albert's property." We agree with Albert, however, that this is not the issue.
A. Applicable Law and Standard of Review
1. Interpreting an Insurance Contract
"Our goal in construing insurance contracts, as with contracts generally, is to give effect to the parties' mutual intentions." ( Boghos v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's of London (2005)
If the language of an insurance contract is ambiguous, however, " 'in order to protect the objectively reasonable expectations of the insured, the courts endeavor to interpret the ambiguous language in the sense in which the insurer believed, at the time of making it, the insured understood it. Only if *377this approach does not resolve the ambiguity, do the courts then resolve it against the insurer.' " ( Pulte Home Corp. , supra , 14 Cal.App.5th at p. 1105,
Finally, " 'the term personal [in personal injury] is used in a highly specialized sense. It does not mean physical damage to a person; rather it means injury arising out of one or more specified offenses.' " ( General Accident Ins. Co. v. West American Ins. Co. (1996)
2. The Duty To Defend
" '[A] liability insurer owes a broad duty to defend its insured against claims that create a potential for indemnity.' " ( Riddell, Inc. v. Superior Court (2017)
"Whether an insurer owes an insured a duty to defend a third party's lawsuit depends, in the first instance, on a comparison of the allegations of *378the third party's complaint and the terms of the insured's policy. [Citation.] If any facts stated in or fairly inferable from the complaint, or otherwise known or discovered by the insurer, suggest a claim potentially covered by the policy, the insurer's duty to defend arises."
"The duty to defend, though broad, is measured by the nature and *783kinds of risk insured by the policy." ( The Traveler's Property Casualty Co. of America v. Actavis, Inc. , supra , 16 Cal.App.5th at p. 1037,
3. Summary Judgment Standard and Standard of Review
The legal framework governing the duty to defend "shapes a party's burden when seeking summary judgment." ( Gonzalez v. Fire Ins. Exchange , supra , 234 Cal.App.4th at p. 1229,
" 'Where summary judgment has been granted, we review the trial court's ruling de novo. [Citation.] We consider all the evidence presented by the parties in connection with the motion (except that which was properly excluded) and all the uncontradicted inferences that the evidence reasonably supports. [Citation.] We affirm summary judgment where the moving party demonstrates that no triable issue of material fact exists and that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. [Citation.] Our review of the interpretation of an insurance contract on undisputed facts is also de novo." ( Albert v. Mid-Century Ins. Co. , supra , 236 Cal.App.4th at p. 1289,
B. There Was No Potential for Coverage Based on Wrongful Entry
Albert argues Baccouche's allegation she erected and maintained a fence on her property, which Baccouche claimed constituted a nuisance, was an allegation of "wrongful entry" because wrongful entry includes nuisance claims. The court in Martin Marietta Corp. v. Insurance Co. of North America (1995)
" 'Wrongful entry' is a term not altogether foreign to the law. Our Supreme Court long ago said, 'It is elementary law, that every wrongful entry upon lands in the occupation or possession of the owner constitutes a trespass' " ( Martin Marietta , supra , 40 Cal.App.4th at p. 1132,
Thus, wrongful entry requires entry. Although Albert's actions (erecting and maintaining a fence that interfered with her neighbor's easement) may *380have been wrongful, her entry onto her own property was not. Baccouche's nuisance allegations did not allege wrongful entry or physical invasion by pollutants or anything else. Therefore, there was no potential for coverage under the umbrella policy's personal injury coverage for wrongful entry.
C. There Was a Potential for Coverage Based on Invasion of the Right of Private Occupancy
1. An Invasion of the Right of Private Occupancy Does Not Have To Be Physical
"Occupancy goes to the holding, possessing or residing in or on something." ( Fibreboard , supra , 16 Cal.App.4th at p. 515,
" '[A]ctual physical interference with land use constitutes the most obvious and common type of nuisance.' " ( Rancho Viejo v. Tres Amigos Viejos (2002)
"[I]nvasion of the right of private occupancy," a phrase "insurance companies have consistently refused to define," has "generated literally hundreds of lawsuits, with widely varying results." ( New Castle County, DE v. National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, PA (3d Cir. 2001)
In New Castle County , supra ,
Baccouche's allegations are similar to those in Town of Goshen and New Castle County . Baccouche alleged Albert interfered with his right "to the free enjoyment of his property" ( Town of Goshen , supra , 120 N.H. at p. 918,
2. The Cases Truck Cites (or Should Have Cited) Are Distinguishable
Truck relies on Kazi v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. (2001)
In Evergrow , supra ,
*384Baccouche may not have had an enforceable possessory interest in the easement, but he did have one in his property, and he alleged Albert interfered with it.
The strongest support for Truck's position is Sterling Builders , supra ,
We think the General Accident / Sterling Builders court was right the first time. The court's analysis in Sterling Builders relied on the Oxford English Dictionary's definition of "invasion," which the court stated must be physical: " 'Invasion' denotes an incursion, not a misrepresentation." ( Sterling Builders , supra , 79 Cal.App.4th at p. 112,
Moreover, the cases the court in Sterling Builders cited do not support its conclusion. According to Sterling Builders , "In Fibreboard [, supra , 16 Cal.App.4th at p.] 512 [
In Tinseltown Video, Inc. v. Transportation Ins. Co. (1998)
In Wilmington Liquid Bulk Terminals, Inc. v. Somerset Marine Inc. (1997)
*386Finally, the court in Stein-Brief Group, Inc. v. Home Indemnity Co. (1998)
DISPOSITION
The judgment is reversed. The trial court's order granting Truck's motion for summary judgment is vacated, and the trial court is directed to enter a new order denying the motion. The trial court's order denying Albert's motion for summary adjudication is vacated, and the trial court is directed to enter a new order granting the motion. Albert is to recover her costs on appeal.
We concur:
PERLUSS, P.J.
ZELON, J.
" 'Primary insurance provides coverage immediately upon the occurrence of a loss or an event giving rise to liability, while excess insurance provides coverage only upon the exhaustion of specified primary insurance. [Citation.] Insurance policies sometimes include both excess and umbrella insurance. Umbrella insurance provides coverage for claims that are not covered by the underlying primary insurance. [Citation.] An umbrella insurer "drops down" to provide primary coverage in those circumstances. [Citations.] Thus, a policy that provides both excess and umbrella insurance provides both excess and primary coverage.' " (Federal Ins. Co. v. Steadfast Ins. Co. (2012)
The policy excluded coverage for "damages ... [e]ither expected or intended from the standpoint of an insured." Truck does not argue this (or any other) exclusion applies.
Baccouche also alleged Albert engaged in other wrongful conduct occurring before the Truck umbrella policy took effect, including trespassing onto Baccouche's property and pruning his mature olive trees, leaving them in a "pitiable state." Albert does not argue these other allegations created a potential for coverage under the policy. (See Hartford Casualty Ins. Co. v. Swift Distribution, Inc. (2014)
At that point, Albert had appealed adverse judgments in the underlying action and her insurance coverage action against Mid-Century.
Although Albert did not make this precise argument in the trial court, we can consider it. (See DD Hair Lounge, LLC v. State Farm General Ins. Co. (2018)
Truck's brief includes other arguments that are, to put it mildly, not relevant to this appeal. Truck's first argument, in a section titled "No Property Damage," is that "there is no coverage for 'property damage' under the Policy" because "the claims for interference with the easement in the Baccouche Action do not constitute 'property damage' as a matter of law." As noted, Albert does not argue there was a potential for coverage under the property damage provision of the policy. Truck also argues, in a section titled "No Accident-Undisputed Willful Acts," that, "[u]ntil the insured makes out a prima facie showing of an 'accident,' the insurer has no burden whatsoever," and that Albert is collaterally estopped from arguing that cutting down olive trees is an accident. The occurrence required for personal injury coverage, however, is one of the offenses listed in the policy, not an accident, and, in any event, Albert does not argue cutting down the trees was an accident.
Albert does not argue that any facts other than those alleged in Baccouche's complaint give rise to Truck's duty to defend.
Truck does not argue a 13-foot-wide access road would be sufficient for the full use and enjoyment of Baccouche's property. In any event, Albert is entitled to all reasonable inferences from the allegations in Baccouche's complaint. (See Hartford Casualty Ins. Co. v. Swift Distribution, Inc. , supra , 59 Cal.4th at p. 298,
See, e.g., Town of Stoddard v. Northern Sec. Ins. Co., Inc. (D.N.H. 1989)
See, e.g., Lime Tree Village Community Club Assn., Inc. v. State Farm General Ins. Co. (11th Cir. 1993)
See, e.g., Titan Holdings Syndicate, Inc. v. City of Keene, N.H. (1st Cir. 1990)
See, e.g., Nautilus Ins. Co. v. BSA Ltd. Partnership (D. Md. 2009)
In a section of its brief titled "Misapplication of Sterling Builders ," Truck states that Albert "asserts that there is a case directly on point, which will resolve the issue before this Court-Sterling Builders ," but Truck argues that Albert "is mistaken." Indeed, Truck does not even argue an invasion of the right of private occupancy must be a physical invasion.
