Legal Question in Construction Law in California

No way to tell without knowing what caused the piece to fall. It's possible but far from certian that it was defectively installed or the piece was defective itself. It's also possible that a lack of maintenance allowed water penetration or other elements to dislodge the piece. There are lots of possibilities. Only if it was a defect in the materials or installation would it be covered.

I agree that the cause of the incident is crucial. However, I also believe the ten-year latent defect law is only a statute of limitations, making it clear that you have a right to sue for ten years, and does not in itself create a ten-year warranty, which would assure that you would win such a suit (given contractor fault).