In Widdows v. State Farm Florida Ins. Co., No, 5D05-1052, 2006 WL 247905 (Fla. App. Feb.3, 2006), a Florida appeals court ruled that an abnormality in a pipe constituted accidental direct physical loss.

James Widdows called a plumber to fix his toilet, which was backed-up. The plumber said that the pipe connecting the toilet to the sewer pipe had become backpitched, impeding the flow of water. The plumber thought the possible causes for the problem could be settlement, erosion (but not erosion caused by a leak in the plumbing system), or sinkhole; he did not believe the problem was caused by construction defect.