Specialty Lines

  • January 10, 2025

    LA Fire Insured Damages Could Top $20B, JP Morgan Says

    Insured losses from wildfires still blazing through Los Angeles could exceed $20 billion, J.P. Morgan analysts said in client notes, a steep increase from the more than $12 billion California insurers incurred from the next costliest spate of wildfires in 2018.

  • January 09, 2025

    Policyholders' Bump-Up Win Reshapes Nat'l Coverage Fight

    A Delaware Superior Court reshaped a national insurance coverage fight when it ruled last week that Harman International Industries' settlement of suits tied to a transaction with Samsung was not an excluded form of consideration for the deal itself.

  • January 09, 2025

    Towers Watson Says Del. Ruling Should Guide Bump-Up Win

    Towers Watson & Co. told the Fourth Circuit that a recent Delaware Superior Court decision favoring an insured showed that a bump-up exclusion in policies couldn't prevent coverage of the company's $75 million settlement traced to its merger with Willis Group Holdings PLC.

  • January 09, 2025

    Calif. Reinsurance Plan Spurs Mixed Feelings As Fires Spread

    One week before the Los Angeles wildfires began, California's insurance regulator said insurers would soon be required to increase coverage in areas deemed high-risk for wildfires, leaving experts split over whether the regulation is an overdue update or an opportunity to pass costs onto policyholders.

  • January 09, 2025

    Top Climate Stories For Insurance Attys To Watch In 2025

    Climate change is fueling a national insurance crisis that is threatening housing markets, municipal tax revenues and the ability to adapt to extreme weather events. Here, Law360 examines the top climate stories attorneys should watch in 2025.

  • January 09, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    A Delaware court sided with a policyholder in a dispute over a bump-up exclusion, an Ohio federal court permitted an interlocutory appeal on the number of occurrences at issue over recalled batches of peanut butter, and a Pennsylvania appeals court clarified when stacking of underinsured motorist benefits is permitted. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • January 09, 2025

    Calif. Insurance Chief Blocks Policy Cancellation In Fire Zones

    Insurance companies can't cancel or refuse to renew homeowners coverage for policyholders in the immediate vicinity of the Los Angeles wildfires for one year, the California Department of Insurance announced as fires continue to ravage Southern California.

  • January 08, 2025

    Captive Insurer Says Reinsurer Must Cover Legionnaires' Row

    The captive insurer of a Michigan healthcare system asked a federal court Wednesday to find that its reinsurer couldn't sell off coverage responsibilities and owes payment for underlying suits alleging various patients contracted Legionnaires' disease.

  • January 07, 2025

    Insurer Seeks Exit From Engineering Co.'s $1M Settlement

    An engineering company's insurer told a Texas federal court it needn't cover the company's $1 million payment to settle a man's personal injury claims, arguing the company failed to give proper notice after the underlying court had already entered an over $7.2 million default judgment that was ultimately vacated.

  • January 06, 2025

    Insurance Execs Seek Defense Costs For Self-Dealing Suit

    Insurance company executives who were fired amid accusations they stole assets from their company to start a competing venture demanded coverage for the dispute from their new business's insurer in Georgia Federal Court.

  • January 03, 2025

    Del. Court Rules Against Insurers In Harman 'Bump-Up' Case

    In a closely watched ruling on director and officer insurer denials of mergers and acquisitions cost "bump-up" payouts, a Delaware judge sided on Friday with Harman International Industries' claims that insurance providers unjustifiably denied coverage for a $28 million settlement of challenges to Harman's 2017 merger with Samsung Electronics America Inc.

  • January 02, 2025

    Year In Review: AI Tops Insurance Issues Amid Mass Adoption

    2024 marked the year when generative artificial intelligence systems moved past their headline-grabbing debut to widespread adoption across industries, providing opportunities and challenges to policyholders and their insurers looking to navigate risks associated with the technology's use. Here, Law360 speaks to experts in insurance and technology law to explain how AI adoption and risks developed over the past year and what insurers and their insureds should focus on in the new year.

  • January 02, 2025

    D&O, Cyber Issues Top Specialty Line Cases To Watch In 2025

    2025 promises to usher in significant developments in ongoing litigation fights over crucial specialty line insurance issues, including directors and officers and cyber risk policies. Here, Law360 speaks to experts for carriers and policyholders on the top cases to watch in the new year.

  • January 02, 2025

    Top Specialty Lines Insurance Cases of 2024

    The past year featured litigation over bump-up exclusions and the rights of excess insurers, a court split over clauses that limit policyholders' ability to seek coverage, and another appeal by Towers Watson over coverage for its failed merger with Willis. Here, Law360 takes a look at the top five cases involving specialty lines insurance policies in 2024.

  • December 23, 2024

    Ethics Disclosure Fail Sinks Firm's Coverage, NJ Panel Says

    A law firm that failed to reveal an attorney's ethics case when applying for malpractice insurance coverage effectively secured the policy using misrepresentations, the New Jersey state appeals court ruled, declining to revive the firm's suit over the rescission of its policy.

  • December 20, 2024

    Insurer Gets Out Of Ga. Sperm Bank's Bad Seed Claims

    A Georgia federal judge said Allied World Surplus Lines Insurance Co. has no duty to defend a sperm bank that has been sued in Canada and the United States for allegedly selling semen from a donor with genetic abnormalities.

  • December 19, 2024

    State And Federal Insurance Regulations To Watch For In 2025

    The insurance market will likely face regulatory challenges and opportunities in 2025 as regulators on the state and federal level gear up to reverse major trends and tackle emerging developments. Here, Law360 looks at a few key pieces of regulation and regulatory areas that will be closely watched by the insurance industry.

  • December 19, 2024

    Policyholders See Notable But Limited Win In NC Virus Suit

    North Carolina's top court handed policyholders a rare victory last week in finding that the "direct physical loss" requirement for "all-risk" insurance can cover losses connected to the coronavirus pandemic, but experts say the ruling's late-in-game arrival will limit its impact.

  • December 19, 2024

    Overlooked Evidence In Katrina Suit Highlights Insurers' Risks

    The Mississippi Supreme Court's ruling affirming a $10 million Hurricane Katrina damages award against USAA emphasized the risk a carrier runs when ignoring evidence while investigating a claim, while an additional $4.5 million awarded in attorney fees by the court raised eyebrows, insurance experts told Law360.

  • December 19, 2024

    Insurer Win In Lead Abatement Row A Blow To Policyholders

    The Ohio Supreme Court's ruling that insurers for Sherwin-Williams Co. needn't cover the paint-maker's portion of a $305 million settlement to abate lead paint in California marked another win for carriers in public nuisance litigation, as policyholder experts remain unconvinced by the court's evaluation of "damages" in commercial general liability policies.

  • December 19, 2024

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The North Carolina Supreme Court handed policyholders a rare win in a COVID-19 coverage suit, the Eleventh Circuit revived a citrus grower's bid for damages and a North Carolina state appeals court threw out a nearly $29 million judgment against an insurance company. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • December 19, 2024

    The 5 Strangest Insurance Cases Of The Year

    Insurance protects policyholders from the unforeseen, but some circumstances are so strange that even insurers couldn't have predicted them. While 2022 was wild and 2023 was weird, 2024 saw cases involving bear costumes, cannibalism, vulture infestation, a severe bug problem and a former Allstate employee with animation skills and an alleged vendetta. Here, Law360 looks back on the strangest insurance cases of 2024.

  • December 17, 2024

    Insurer Can't Duck Coverage Of Fire Suit, Texas Jury Finds

    A Texas federal jury rejected an insurer's bid to escape covering a trucking company in an underlying suit over a fire at a saltwater disposal facility that killed one of the company's employees, finding that the incident was not caused by the excluded act of hydrofracking.

  • December 16, 2024

    11th Circ. Says Citrus Grower's Coverage Row Was Ripe

    A citrus grower's bid for damages from its insurer in connection with environmental remediation costs was ripe, the Eleventh Circuit said, reviving the case after finding that a Florida district court wrongly dismissed it by conflating the issue of ripeness with the merits of the grower's claims.

  • December 13, 2024

    Retirees Say Lumber Co.'s $1.5B Pension Transfer Upped Risk

    A wood product manufacturer violated federal benefits law when it transferred $1.5 billion of pension obligations to a private equity-backed insurance company, substantially increasing the risk that retirees will see their benefits slashed, according to a proposed class action filed in federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Crypto Coverage After FTX Fall: Accountant And Atty Liability

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    The recent fall of cryptocurrency firm FTX highlights complexities regarding accounting and tax reporting for digital assets, and reveals lawyers’ potential liability exposure when providing services to crypto firms — as a result, insurers may face unintended vulnerabilities related to this nebulous landscape, say Anjali Das and Farzana Ahmed at Wilson Elser.

  • Anticipating Tech Market Volatility With R&W Policies

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    Technology executives, investors and their advisers should understand how representations and warranties insurance works ahead of a potential rise in claims activity and as deal makers focus on maximizing existing deals' value amid economic uncertainty, says Eric Larson at Morris Manning.

  • Crypto Coverage After FTX Fall: D&O Liability

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    The fallout surrounding the recent implosion of cryptocurrency firm FTX highlights potential crypto coverage exposure — including in the area of directors and officers liability — for insurance carriers in the evolving and largely misunderstood world of digital assets, says Anjali Das at Wilson Elser.

  • Litigation, Compliance And Enforcement In The 'Crypto Winter'

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    In 2022, cryptocurrency valuations plummeted, litigation proliferated and the "crypto winter" led to several high-profile bankruptcies, resulting in novel factual and legal questions being raised in areas like general commercial litigation, intellectual property, securities, bankruptcy, cybersecurity and compliance, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2022

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    Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2022, and explain how they may affect issues related to antitrust, the False Claims Act,​ ​federal jurisdiction and more.

  • Cultivating Good Relationships With Insurance Regulators

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    Insurers can develop mutually beneficial working relationships with insurance regulators by following some simple tips for streamlining communication, knowing how and when to ask for help, and treating regulatory staff with professional courtesy, says Layna Rush at Baker Donelson.

  • How Ohio Software Ruling Implicates Crypto Insurance Claims

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    The Ohio Supreme Court's recent decision in EMOI Services v. Owners Insurance, holding that software can never be physically damaged, has limited precedential value for property claims, but serious implications for cases involving loss or damage to intangible assets like cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens, say Jane Warring and Shannon O’Malley at Zelle.

  • 6 Ways To Avoid Compounding Errors When Practicing Law

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    For lawyers and law firms, inevitable human error can lead to claims of malpractice or ethical violations, but the key is to avoid exacerbating mistakes by adding communication failures, conflicts of interest or insurance coverage losses, says Mark Hinderks at Stinson.

  • More Stringent Calif. Claim Law Could Benefit Policyholders

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    Although a new California statute that imposes additional requirements for policyholder presuit demands — effective Jan. 1 — was ostensibly passed as a bad faith liability shield for insurers, used correctly it may provide a more specific road map for plaintiff recovery, says Shanti Eagle at Farella Braun.

  • Sandbagging Issues To Watch In Deal Documents

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    Attorneys at Kramer Levin explore how transactional practitioners address sandbagging in acquisition agreements, the default rules that courts may apply when deal parties are silent on the issue, and how sandbagging comes up in the context of representation and warranty insurance policies and any related special indemnities in acquisition agreements.

  • Ky. Ruling Shows Need For Consistent Insurer Claim Replies

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    The Kentucky Supreme Court's recent ruling in Ashland Hospital v. Darwin Select Insurance, allowing a hospital to continue seeking coverage for a medical malpractice claim, warns insurers against invoking a prior-notice exclusion to bar coverage after previously rejecting a notice of potential claim as insufficient, say Chet Kronenberg and Lindsay DiMaggio at Simpson Thacher.

  • Check This List Twice: 4 Steps To Abate Coverage Concerns

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    This holiday season give your company the gift of following easy administrative steps to avoid the far-too-common clerical errors that could lead to forfeited insurance coverage, say Vivek Chopra and Mattison Kim at Perkins Coie.

  • Lessons On Notice From 7th Circ. Claims-Made Policy Ruling

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    The Seventh Circuit's recent decision in Hanover Insurance v. R.W. Dunteman contains broad lessons for policyholders — as many claims-made policies include similar aggregation and claims notice provisions as the one at issue — on how to preserve coverage, say Brian Scarbrough and Maura Smyles at Jenner & Block.