Specialty Lines
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									July 24, 2025
									Renewed Bid For National Reinsurer May Not Rein In CostsA revamped legislative proposal to create a national reinsurer would significantly change the federal government's role in insurance markets, but experts say it's not clear that the program would effectively address insurance cost and availability issues. 
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									July 24, 2025
									Lincoln National Beats Investor Suit Over $2.6B Loss, For NowA Pennsylvania federal judge on Thursday tossed with leave to amend a proposed securities class action alleging that Lincoln National Corp. misled investors about its financial health before reporting a $2.6 billion net loss in 2022, finding that the investors didn't specify when Lincoln National had access to certain data and studies. 
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									July 24, 2025
									Evolving California Wiretapping Law Challenges PolicyholdersThe evolution of a California privacy law has generated extensive litigation around the use of personal data in commonplace or widespread web activity and has challenged policyholders, according to Amy Mushahwar, chair of Lowenstein Sandler's data, privacy and cybersecurity practice. She spoke to Law360 about the implications of the California Invasion of Privacy Act's new relevance in the digital age. 
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									July 24, 2025
									Silica Injury Claims Reemerge As Pollutant Trend To WatchIn what is considered by some as “the next asbestos,” lawsuits alleging injury due to silica exposure are ramping up and the way in which they unfold may bring coverage questions under commercial general liability policies center stage, policyholder attorney Jeff Kiburtz of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP told Law360. Here, he shares his optimism for policyholders' success in litigating these claims and why he believes this topic is one to watch in the CGL industry. 
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									July 24, 2025
									Insurance Litigation Week In ReviewThe Second Circuit ruled that a former New York state official is immune from the National Rifle Association's First Amendment suit, the Eighth Circuit said a Minnesota bar isn't entitled to nearly $2 million for an arson, and the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a Georgia church's $1.75 million coverage win. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news. 
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									July 23, 2025
									Insurer Says No Coverage For Poor Financial Advice ClaimsAn insurer for a wealth management firm told a Tennessee federal court it should owe no coverage over two couples' arbitration petitions claiming that its CEO's advice to switch life insurers caused the couples to lose roughly $6.85 million, all while the executive allegedly profited from commissions. 
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									July 22, 2025
									Phone Co.'s Stockholder Disputes Not Covered, Insurers SayA former smartphone developer's insurers told a New York federal court they owe no coverage for a suit seeking access to the company's books and records and a stockholder derivative action accusing the CEO of misusing company funds while the board of directors failed to provide oversight. 
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									July 22, 2025
									Insurer Denied Quick Win In Staffing Co. Injury Coverage RowA Massachusetts federal court refused to rule that an insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify a staffing agency and its produce distributor client in an underlying worker injury suit, saying a genuine dispute of material fact exists over whether the worker qualifies as an "employee" under the policies. 
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									July 21, 2025
									Baldoni's Insurer Says No Coverage For Lively SuitAn insurer for Justin Baldoni told a New York federal court Monday it owes no coverage to the "It Ends With Us" lead and director, his production company and other officers for co-star Blake Lively's lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, arguing the insureds failed to give proper claim notice. 
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									July 21, 2025
									Travelers Unit, NC Door Maker Settle Excess Insurance FightA Travelers unit has resolved a North Carolina door manufacturer's lawsuit seeking $10 million in excess coverage from the insurer to help cover a $39.5 million securities class action settlement, court records show. 
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									July 21, 2025
									Hartford Unit Must Cover Drug Test Co. In False Results SuitA Hartford unit must cover a drug testing company in a suit over false positive tests, a Virginia federal court ruled, finding that the suit was not related to a prior proposed class action filed during another insurer's coverage period. 
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									July 18, 2025
									Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age. 
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									July 17, 2025
									Top Legal Developments That Could Impact LA Fire AftermathWhile the full consequences of a series of devastating wildfires that struck Los Angeles in January are still becoming clear, insurance experts and attorneys have pointed to a series of lawsuits and decisions as having important implications for the city's recovery. 
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									July 17, 2025
									Insurance Litigation Week In ReviewFlorida's insurer of last resort was hit with a lawsuit over its use of arbitration, an insurer sought to limit its coverage exposure for 175 silica injury lawsuits to a single policy and the Ninth Circuit issued a no-coverage ruling concerning a $58.5 million judgment over mishandled bodily remains. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news. 
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									July 17, 2025
									Insurer Says Pollution Exclusion Applies To Asbestos SuitsA Berkshire Hathaway unit said it doesn't owe coverage to a paint and drywall product manufacturer in a number of asbestos exposure suits, telling a Texas federal court Thursday that coverage is barred by a pollution exclusion in its umbrella and excess policies. 
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									July 17, 2025
									Mass Deportations Could Raise Insurance Costs, Profs SayThe Trump administration's mass deportation program could increase costs for insurance carriers and homeowners by reducing the number of undocumented immigrants so critical to the construction industry, business and insurance professors say. 
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									July 17, 2025
									Oil Cos. Not Covered In Gas Exposure Suit, Markel Unit SaysA Markel unit has no duty to defend or indemnify oil and gas companies in a suit over a worker's exposure to toxic hydrogen sulfide gas, it told a Texas federal court, saying the underlying suit did not allege an occurrence. 
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									July 17, 2025
									5th Circ. Affirms Nix Of Doctor's Captive Insurance DeductionsThe owner of a Texas urgent care network is not entitled to $1 million in tax deductions for insurance premiums he paid to inside companies, the Fifth Circuit ruled, affirming the U.S. Tax Court's decision that the payments were not actually for insurance. 
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									July 16, 2025
									Bojangles Insurer Must Cover Settled Rape Suit, Court RulesA Bojangles franchisee's insurer had a duty to cover it in a now-settled civil lawsuit alleging that a manager at one of the franchisee's locations raped an employee who was a minor, a Georgia federal court ruled Wednesday, finding that one of two coverage forms at issue was triggered. 
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									July 15, 2025
									Medicaid Cuts Pose 'Frontal Assault,' Penn Law Prof SaysAllison K. Hoffman, a health insurance regulation expert at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, talks about the wide-ranging impacts of the cuts coming to Medicaid funding. 
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									July 15, 2025
									These Firms Worked On The Top First-Half Real Estate DealsA&O Shearman and Stibbe are among the more than 20 law firms that scored work on the 10 largest global real estate mergers and acquisitions of the first half, a period that saw three transactions above $4 billion. 
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									July 14, 2025
									Insurer Seeks $1M Coverage Cap Over 175 Silica SuitsAn insurer for a manufacturer of countertops told a New York federal court that only one primary environmental liability policy it issued applies to roughly 175 lawsuits seeking damages for exposure to silica, pointing to "deemer provisions" relating to coverage for "progressive or indivisible" bodily injury. 
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									July 11, 2025
									7th Circ. Affirms End To Vandalism Dispute Over Key RecordsThe Seventh Circuit upheld discovery sanctions against an Indianapolis hotel owner after an Indiana federal court found it repeatedly failed to hand over records relating to whether the property was deemed "vacant" per the terms of its property insurance policy with a Liberty Mutual unit. 
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									July 11, 2025
									Coverage For RV Dealer's $1.2M Fraud Loss Limited To $100KA Texas federal court tossed an RV dealer's suit seeking to recover more than $1 million it lost after transferring funds to a fraudster posing as a general contractor, saying the dealer's insurer already paid the maximum amount owed under the policy's deception fraud provision. 
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									July 10, 2025
									Specialty Line Insurance Cases To Note: 2025 Midyear ReportThe first half of the year has already delivered a series of high-profile decisions giving specialty line insurance practitioners clarity on some of the hottest coverage dispute issues and even a preview of their ripple effects. Here, Law360 reviews some of the top specialty line insurance decisions from the first half of 2025. 
Expert Analysis
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								4 Do's And Don'ts For Trial Lawyers Using Generative AI  Trial attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools should review a few key reminders, from the likelihood that prompts are discoverable to the rapid evolution of court rules, to safeguard against embarrassing missteps, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie. 
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								5 Argument Techniques For Policyholder Advocates  Winning insurance coverage disputes often comes down to who has articulated the more compelling interpretation of the relevant policy language, which is why the best policyholder advocates come back to certain tried and true argument approaches, says Greg Van Houten at Haynes Boone. 
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								Improving Comms Between Trial Attys And Tech Witnesses  In major litigation involving complex technology, attorneys should employ certain strategies to collaborate with companies' technical personnel more effectively to enhance both the attorney's understanding of the subject matter and the expert's ability to provide effective testimony in court, say attorneys at Buchalter. 
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								Del. Ruling Further Narrows Scope Of 'Bump-Up' Exclusion  The recent Delaware Superior Court ruling in Harman International v. Illinois National Insurance offers a critical framework for interpreting bump-up exclusions in management liability insurance policies, and follows the case law trend of narrow interpretation of such exclusions, says Simone Haugen at Tressler. 
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								A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape  Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape. 
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								Best Practices To Optimize Cybersecurity Insurance  As cyberthreats continue to evolve, the risks associated with third-party vendor breaches are an increasing concern, so businesses must not only reevaluate their internal cybersecurity insurance, but also take proactive steps to evaluate and manage the risks posed by their third-party relationships, say attorneys at Reed Smith. 
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								Courts Should Nix Conferencing Rule In 1 Discovery Scenario  Parties are generally required to meet and confer to resolve a discovery dispute before bringing a related motion, but courts should dispense with this conferencing requirement when a party fails to specify a time by which it will complete its production, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law. 
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								Top Considerations For Insurance Companies In 2025  As insurance industry participants look to plan for the year, regulatory changes, climate-related challenges, the ongoing effects of social inflation and the potential for significant mergers and acquisitions will be among the key items for insurer boards and management to have on their radar, say attorneys at Debevoise. 
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								What Public View Of CEO's Killing Means For Corporate Trials  Given the proliferation of anti-corporate sentiments following recent charges against Luigi Mangione in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, attorneys who represent corporate clients and executives will need to adapt their trial strategy to account for juror anger, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation Consulting. 
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								Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: Nov. And Dec. Lessons.png)  In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five federal court decisions and identifies practice tips from cases involving takings clause violations, breach of contract with banks, life insurance policies, employment and automobile defects. 
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								Artfully Conceding Liability Can Offer Defendants 3 Benefits  In the rare case that a company makes the strategic decision to admit liability, it’s important to do so clearly and consistently in order to benefit from the various forms of armor that come from an honest acknowledgment, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies. 
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								5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025  Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital. 
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								Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win  Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.