Hidden cameras and insurance
W. A. Griffin, M.D. v. Travelers Property Casualty Company of America
In brief
- Where it stands
- Dismissed
Petition denied.
- What it’s about
- Griffin's petition asks whether hidden surveillance devices embedded in commercial property used for medical care trigger coverage under a Travelers policy, and whether Griffin qualifies as an insured; he also cites disagreement among federal courts over what counts as physical damage.
- Who it affects
- Griffin received no Supreme Court answer on whether the policy covered the alleged intrusion or treated him as insured.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.

What it's about
The Supreme Court refused Griffin's request to hear the case (denied review), so it did not decide those questions.
The petition also questioned whether the policy’s definition of an insured included Griffin as the sole owner and member of a limited liability company.
Question presented
1. Whether the physical embedding of hidden surveillance cameras and listening devices within commercial property, which renders the premises unusable for their intended medical purpose due to a fundamental violation of privacy and security, constitutes “direct physical loss of or damage to property” under a standard commercial property insurance policy. 2. Whether the ongoing, multi-jurisdictional disagreement among federal courts over the definition of “physical loss or damage”—particularly in the context of nontraditional, non-structural intrusions such as contamination, surveillance, and cyber events—is an issue of imperative national public importance warranting this Court’s immediate and definitive resolution. 3. Whether a sole owner and member of a disregarded Limited Liability Company (LLC) is an “insured” with standing to sue under a commercial property policy that defines “insured” to include LLC members “with respect to the conduct of your business.”?
Documents
Docket activity
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AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
AI analysis generated: Decision Record
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Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
Brief added: Petition
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.