Specialty Lines
-
February 11, 2025
Progressive Inks $3.25M Data Breach Deal With 350K Members
Approximately 350,000 Progressive Casualty Insurance customers on Tuesday asked an Ohio federal judge to grant final approval to a $3.25 million settlement stemming from a data breach event that exposed their personal information, noting the resolution is a favorable outcome, given the risks to their claims if litigation continued.
-
February 10, 2025
Calif. Ruling Holds Wildfire Debris Not A Coverable Loss
Two California homeowners didn't have a covered claim for wildfire debris that infiltrated their home, a state appeals panel ruled, saying there was no evidence the debris caused the kind of loss or damage required for coverage.
-
February 10, 2025
Chubb Wants Depo Of Smithfield Foods CLO In Coverage Row
A Chubb unit facing coverage claims from Smithfield Foods Inc. asked the North Carolina Business Court to let it depose the company's chief legal officer before the parties' upcoming April trial even though discovery for the case has ended.
-
February 07, 2025
5th Circ. Upholds High School's Win In Gym Fire Suit
The Fifth Circuit on Thursday upheld a Louisiana high school's win in its suit claiming that a flooring company caused a gym fire, holding that the high school has a right of action for property damage to the gymnasium.
-
February 07, 2025
Plaintiffs Lawyers Swarm Los Angeles Post-Fires
A deadly wildfire may be among the first covered by a new state fund that reimburses at-fault utility companies. This could mean billions of dollars for plaintiffs lawyers, and, if past fires are any indication, frustration and confusion for some victims.
-
February 06, 2025
Trump Tariffs Portend Higher Insurance Industry Costs
President Donald Trump's tariff regime is threatening sections of the insurance industry with higher costs or uncovered exposures, pushing policyholders with few applicable coverage lines at their disposal to explore more indirect forms of risk mitigation.
-
February 06, 2025
Insurance Co. Must Cover Truck Driver Injury, 11th Circ. Rules
The Eleventh Circuit has affirmed a Georgia federal judge's decision to hand a win to a transport company in a coverage dispute with Crum & Forster Insurance, ruling the insurer must cover a workers' compensation claim brought by a trucker maimed in an accident.
-
February 06, 2025
SC Justices To Weigh Jurisdictional Limits In Asbestos Cases
The South Carolina Supreme Court will consider Tuesday whether its first female justice and former chief, who now oversees the state's asbestos cases, can continue to exercise jurisdiction over companies not incorporated in the state or haven't directly done business there, and nevertheless appoint a receiver over their insurance assets.
-
February 06, 2025
Pillsbury Adds Insurance Partner From Morgan Lewis
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has announced the addition of an insurance recovery expert from Morgan Lewis as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office to advise and represent insurance policyholders.
-
February 06, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Delaware Supreme Court agreed that a jury's fraud verdict against an ex-Xerox unit was improper and also limited a pharmaceutical company's recovery for a securities suit, while the Sixth Circuit refused to review Home Depot's data breach coverage loss. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
-
February 06, 2025
Insurance Expert Tackles Super Bowl Coverage Risks
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles earned their way to the Super Bowl only last week, but the NFL, host city New Orleans, the stadium and others have spent years planning and securing the necessary insurance coverage to ensure the biggest sporting event of the year is properly protected. Here, insurance industry veteran Lori Shaw spoke with Law360 about insuring one of the world's most-watched sporting events.
-
February 05, 2025
Seattle Garage Not Covered For Deadly Shooting, Insurer Says
An insurer said Wednesday that it does not owe the owners of Seattle's "sinking ship" public garage coverage in an underlying wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a man fatally shot while parking his car at the downtown facility.
-
February 05, 2025
6th Circ. Won't Revisit Home Depot Data Breach Coverage Suit
The Sixth Circuit refused Wednesday to review its January finding that an electronic data exclusion in Home Depot's commercial general liability policies barred coverage for the retail giant's $50 million claim for defense and settlement costs over a 2014 data breach.
-
February 05, 2025
Del. Justices Undo Insurance Cap Ruling In Alexion Suit
Delaware's top court has reversed a Superior Court ruling that upheld Alexion Pharmaceuticals' claim to coverage under a $105 million "tower" of insurance for potential stockholder claims in a suit accusing the company of propping up share prices with misleading information.
-
February 04, 2025
Funeral Home BIPA Violations Not Covered, Insurer Says
An insurer told an Illinois federal court to dismiss a suit seeking $10 million in coverage for underlying litigation from a funeral home it insured, arguing that claims in a proposed class action by family members of decedents against the facility were all for noncovered biometric privacy violations.
-
February 04, 2025
Insurer Points To Limits In McDonald's Franchisees' Policies
An insurer told a Washington federal court that it owes limited coverage to two McDonald's franchisees it insures in suits accusing them of illegally withholding specific pay figures in job postings.
-
February 03, 2025
Del. Justices Agree Conduent Fraud Verdict Wasn't Proper
Delaware's Supreme Court on Monday affirmed a Superior Court judge's ruling setting aside a jury verdict that Delaware-chartered Conduent State Healthcare LLC tried to defraud insurers after paying a $236 million Medicaid settlement in Texas.
-
February 03, 2025
Co.'s Coverage Suit Over $1.9M Email Spoof Scheme Tossed
An Alaska federal court on Monday officially dismissed a construction company's lawsuit accusing Travelers of a bad faith refusal to provide directors and officers coverage for a $1.9 million email spoofing scheme, days after the construction company filed a voluntary motion to dismiss with prejudice.
-
February 03, 2025
Climate Group Says Insurance Hikes Threaten Housing Market
The U.S. housing market could sustain a $1.4 trillion loss in value over the next 30 years as insurance costs surge and consumer demand shifts due to climate change, according to a report Monday from climate analytics company First Street.
-
February 03, 2025
NC Justices Urged To Reject Appeal Over Rate Hike Approvals
North Carolina's insurance commissioner urged the state's highest court to reject a policyholder's appeal challenging a series of insurer rate hike approvals in court, saying an appeals panel correctly found that the policyholder failed to support his claims that intervening in the preceding approval process was impossible.
-
February 03, 2025
Yacht Building Co. Faces Sanctions For Hiding Hoist Failure
A Washington federal judge has said yacht builder Delta Marine Industries owed sanctions over its failure to provide access to parts related to a boat hoist that failed during the launch of a yacht in a $3.4 million dispute between Lloyd's syndicates, underwriters and a Seattle boat builder.
-
January 31, 2025
Supreme Court Eyes Its 'Next Frontier' In FCC Delegation Case
A case about broadband subsidies will give the U.S. Supreme Court the chance to revive a long-dormant separation of powers principle that attorneys say could upend regulations in numerous industries and trigger a power shift that would make last term's shake-up of federal agency authority pale in comparison. And a majority of the court already appears to support its resurrection.
-
January 31, 2025
Judge Blocks Symetra Life Policyholders' $32.5M Deal
A Washington federal court rejected a $32.5 million settlement bid brought by a proposed class of Symetra life insurance policyholders who accused the life insurer of using undisclosed nonmortality factors to overcharge monthly rates, noting the proposed settlement notice leaves information on the class counsel's cost reimbursement blank.
-
February 14, 2025
Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2025 Editorial Boards
Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2025 editorial advisory boards.
-
January 30, 2025
Ex-Doc Wants Insurer's Defense Against Sex Misconduct Suits
A former Ohio doctor facing civil suits after being indicted for sexual misconduct including rape during medical exams told an Ohio federal court that his insurer can't cancel his coverage and must keep defending him regardless of prior alleged misconduct, because he wasn't required to report it.
Expert Analysis
-
Presidential Campaign Errors Provide Lessons For Trial Attys
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign employed numerous strategies that evidently didn’t land, and trial attorneys should take note, because voters and jurors are both decision-makers who are listening for how one’s case presentation would affect them personally, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
-
Putting NYDFS AI Cybersecurity Guidance Into Practice
New guidance from the New York Department of Financial Services explains how financial institutions should assess and mitigate cybersecurity risks associated with artificial intelligence, focusing on four main threats and highlighting how varying environments require specific mitigation measures, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.
-
Recent Developments In Insurance Coverage For FCA Claims
As the U.S. Department of Justice continues its vigorous False Claims Act enforcement, companies looking to their insurers to help defray the costs of an investigation or settlement should note recent decisions on which types of policies cover FCA claims, which policy periods apply and which portions of FCA-related losses are covered, say attorneys at Covington.
-
Consider The Impact Of Election Stress On Potential Jurors
For at least the next few months, potential jurors may be working through anger and distrust stemming from the presidential election, and trial attorneys will need to assess whether those jurors are able to leave their political concerns at the door, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
-
NC Ruling Takes Practical Approach To Duty-To-Defend Costs
In Murphy-Brown v. Ace American Insurance, a case of first impression, the North Carolina Business Court adopted the commonsense rationale of many state courts in holding that policyholders' defense costs should be deemed presumtively reasonable when a insurer breaches its duty to defend, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
-
A Look At Insurance Coverage For Government Investigations
Attorneys at Jenner & Block discuss the quirks and potential pitfalls of insurance coverage for government claims and investigations, including those likely to arise from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently announced whistleblower program.
-
Why Diversity Jurisdiction Poses Investment Fund Hurdles
Federal courts' continued application of the exacting rules of diversity jurisdiction presents particular challenges for investment funds, and in the absence of any near-term reform, those who manage such funds should take action to avoid diversity jurisdiction pitfalls, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.
-
7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight
Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
-
Insurance Considerations For Cos. That May Face Strikes
The recent surge in major work stoppages in the U.S. highlights the growing importance of strike preparedness for businesses, which includes understanding strike insurance coverage options, say Chris D’Amour and Brooke Duncan at Adams and Reese.
-
Challenges Of Insuring An NIL Collective
Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty examines the emergence of name, image and likeness collectives for student-athletes, the current litigation landscape that has created a favorable environment for these organizations, and considerations for director and officer insurers looking to underwrite NIL collectives.
-
An Update On Legal Issues In The Drone Market
Marialuisa Gallozzi and Alex Slawson at Covington examine recent developments in the legal issues surrounding the growing drone market, including possible First Amendment protections, Fourth Amendment surveillance, and litigation involving criminal and civil penalties, evidentiary pursuits, and insurance.
-
Key Insurance Implications Of Hawaii's Historic GHG Ruling
In Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance, the Hawaii Supreme Court became the first state court to classify greenhouse gasses as pollutants barred from insurance coverage, a ruling likely to be afforded great weight by courts across the country, say Scott Seaman and Gar Lauerman at Hinshaw & Culbertson.
-
Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.