(February 27, 2019, 1:29 PM EST) -- SAN FRANCISCO— An insured does not have to pay a separate self-insured retention before liability attaches to excess policies, and the insured is entitled to be indemnified by the excess insurers for defense costs incurred in underlying asbestos exposure personal injury suits filed against the insured regardless of whether the underlying suits were resolved through dismissal or settlement, the First District California Court of Appeal said Feb. 25 in reversing a trial court’s ruling (Deere & Co. v. Allstate Insurance Co., et al., No. A145170, Calif. App., 1st Dist., Div. 4, 2019 Cal. App. LEXIS 147)....