Specialty Lines
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February 27, 2025
Facility Says Insurer Flip-Flopped On Wrongful Death Defense
The operator of a skilled nursing facility in Los Angeles told a California federal court that its insurer wrongfully flip-flopped on defending it against a wrongful death suit, telling the court that despite $1 million in coverage, the insurer twice assigned and withdrew defense counsel.
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February 27, 2025
Insurer's Bid To Dodge $1.4M Bank Scam Suit Premature
An insurer cannot yet escape an attorney's demand for coverage in an alleged scheme to steal $1.4 million from a New Jersey development company, a Connecticut federal judge ruled, saying the carrier didn't follow court procedures before it moved to end the case.
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February 27, 2025
Q&A: Minnesota Law Prof On Hard-To-Read Insurance Policies
How hard is it to understand a homeowners insurance policy? For many, reading a policy will often raise more confusion about what's covered than if they hadn't read a policy at all, according to a new paper from experts in insurance and consumer law. Here, Law360 discusses the subject with Daniel Schwarcz, a University of Minnesota Law School professor who has built a career in studying the transparency of insurance markets.
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February 27, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
New York's insurance regulator imposed over $20 million in fines against auto insurers, the Eighth Circuit found that a Missouri law barred an insurer's $60 million asbestos coverage suit and the Tenth Circuit affirmed that AIG doesn't owe coverage to a Colorado ski resort's homeowners association.
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February 25, 2025
Fla. Bill Targets Last-Resort Coverage For Unsafe Condos
A bill introduced ahead of Florida's 2025 legislative session looks to bar the state's Citizens Property Insurance Corp. from providing or renewing coverage policies for condominiums that fall short of inspection requirements.
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February 24, 2025
Insurer Won't Have To Cover Sports CEO's Child Sex Suits
An insurance company doesn't have to defend the former leader of a sports equipment company against allegations of sexual assault against minors, a Washington federal court said Monday, making final an earlier ruling that said the policies offered no conceivable coverage.
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February 24, 2025
Lloyd's Says Cadwalader's Suit Claims Nonexistent Tort
A Lloyd's of London syndicate has urged a North Carolina judge to toss part of Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP's coverage lawsuit stemming from a data breach, saying there's no tort remedy for the allegation that the insurer exposed the firm's confidential information in a court filing.
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February 24, 2025
Insurer Needn't Cover Hospital's $2.5M Virus Vax Probe Costs
A Chubb unit has no obligation to pay an Illinois hospital for $2.5 million in legal costs associated with responding to federal and state probes into its COVID-19 vaccine distribution program, a federal court ruled, finding that the policy's $1 million regulatory claims sublimit applies.
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February 21, 2025
NJ High Court Takes Up Pharma Co. Fraud Coverage Row
The New Jersey Supreme Court will review an appeals court's ruling against indemnification in a case of first impression on the applicability of an exclusion barring directors and officers coverage for wrongful acts "in any way involving" an insured's work for an uninsured entity, the high court announced.
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February 21, 2025
Morgan Lewis Adds Partner To Insurance Recovery Practice
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP announced that it has added a new partner and insurance expert in its Chicago office, in a move to bolster the firm's insurance recovery and dispute resolution capabilities for corporate policyholder clients.
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February 20, 2025
Trump's Anti-DEI Orders Stress Existing D&O Insurance Risks
President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in government and the private sector are putting pressure on companies and insurers, threatening to strain directors and officers policies that were already stressed by a mounting backlash to DEI programs.
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February 20, 2025
Insurer Can't Quickly Exit Broker Premium Theft Row
A Louisiana federal court rejected most arguments made by an insurer seeking to avoid professional liability coverage of a broker whose former employee stole policy premiums and failed to secure insurance for clients, leaving the company to cover around $1 million in Hurricane Laura damage.
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February 20, 2025
Calif. Subrogation Bill Sets Insurers Against Oil Cos.
A California bill that would incentivize insurers to recoup disaster losses from oil and gas companies is being hailed by supporters as a novel way to hold large polluters accountable for climate change, but carrier attorneys say the bill is full of cost-drivers.
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February 20, 2025
9th Circ. OKs Bar On Ponzi Scam Suits Against Chicago Title
The Ninth Circuit on Thursday upheld a ruling barring further litigation against Chicago Title and law firm Nossaman LLP over claims they aided convicted businesswoman Gina Champion-Cain's nearly $400 million liquor-licensing loan Ponzi scheme, finding the litigation bar is necessary to protect the ongoing U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission-appointed receivership.
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February 20, 2025
Del. Judge Nixes Two Insurers In Cheer Abuse Coverage Row
A Delaware state court dismissed two insurers in a coverage dispute over underlying sexual abuse claims against a clothing retailer that also sponsors and organizes national cheerleading competitions, finding while the state's "long-arm statute" supports exercising jurisdiction over the insurers, doing so would violate their due process rights.
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February 20, 2025
NFIP Flood Claim Borrowing Raises Viability Concerns
FEMA's recent announcement that it was borrowing $2 billion from the U.S. Treasury to pay National Flood Insurance Program claims related to Hurricanes Helene and Milton emphasizes the insurance program's need for reform amidst threats of agency cuts under the Trump administration, experts say.
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February 20, 2025
Excess Insurer Needn't Cover Ga. Shooting Suit, Judge Rules
An excess insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify a property owner and manager in a suit over a fatal shooting at an apartment complex, a Georgia federal court ruled, finding that the insureds did not provide timely notice of the incident or lawsuit.
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February 19, 2025
Insurers Must Cover Soybean Loss, NY Appeals Court Affirms
A commodities trading company is entitled to coverage for the loss of over 500,000 bushels of soybeans resulting from a Mississippi-based warehouse's entrance into bankruptcy, a New York state appeals court affirmed.
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February 19, 2025
Insurer Must Cover Trucking Co. In Fatal Fire Row, Judge Says
A trucking company's insurer cannot rely on a hydrofracking exclusion to avoid covering an underlying suit over a fire at a saltwater disposal facility that killed one of the company's employees, a Texas federal court ruled, rejecting the insurer's request for a new trial.
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February 18, 2025
Calif. Insurance Chief Asks State Farm To Justify Rate Hikes
California's insurance commissioner asked State Farm General Insurance Co. to appear for an in-person "informal conference" later this month over its request for emergency rate hikes in the wake of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires in January, saying the insurer has not yet justified the move.
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February 18, 2025
Firm Says Insurer Refused To Repay It For $1.5M Cyber Theft
A law firm claimed its cyber insurer refused to reimburse it after hackers allegedly stole more than $1.5 million that was supposed to go to an attorney who had teamed up with the firm on a personal injury case.
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February 14, 2025
Insurers Say Del. Ruling Caps Redstone, NAI Coverage
Four insurers for National Amusements Inc. and Shari Redstone are pointing to a recent Delaware Supreme Court ruling as supporting their claim that common, underlying wrongful acts bar two separate multimillion-dollar coverage claims for litigation costs in 2016 and 2019 focused on control of CBS and Viacom.
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February 14, 2025
Insurer Can Proceed With Miami Retaliation Coverage Dispute
A Florida federal court partially rejected on Friday a magistrate judge's dismissal recommendations in a dispute between the city of Miami and an insurer over coverage for underlying lawsuits that allege political retaliation, allowing the parties to litigate the insurer's potential duty to defend.
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February 14, 2025
Smithfield Fires Back At 'Improper' CLO Deposition Bid
Smithfield Foods Inc. urged North Carolina's Business Court not to let a Chubb unit depose the pork producer's legal chief, calling the insurer's motion from last week an "improper and untimely attempt to seek discovery that Ace could have pursued before the fact discovery deadline."
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February 14, 2025
Calif. Insurance Chief Backs Wildfire Mitigation, Recovery Bills
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced his support Friday for a slew of bills aimed at addressing wildfire mitigation and recovery, including measures to maximize insurance claim payouts and stabilize the state's insurer of last resort.
Expert Analysis
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Justices Stay The Course In Maritime Choice-Of-Law Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's narrowly drawn decision in Great Lakes Insurance v. Raiders Retreat Realty, enforcing the underlying insurance contract's choice-of-law provision, carefully distinguishes those provisions from forum selection clauses, and ensures that courts will not apply its precepts outside the maritime context, says John Coyle at the University of North Carolina.
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Key Lessons After A Rare R&W Insurance Ruling
The recent New York state court decision in Novolex Holdings v. Illinois Union Insurance is noteworthy as one of the rare judicial opinions arising in the context of representations and warranties insurance, serving to remind parties entering into R&W insurance policies that they may not be immune from some doctrines unfavorable to insurers, say attorneys at Kramer Levin.
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SEC Regs Give Banks Chance To Step Up Cyber Safety Game
Just as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act forced financial institutions to undertake best practices in recordkeeping, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recently effective cybersecurity regulations stand to similarly drive those same enterprises to seek out and implement best practices in cybersecurity, to everyone's benefit, says James Gerber at SimSpace.
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What To Know About RWI In Acquisition And Divestiture Deals
As a slower pace of merger activity turns underwriters toward new industries, representations and warranties insurance policies are increasingly being written for acquisition and divestiture energy deals, making it important for contracting parties to understand how the RWI underwriting process works in this new sector, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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SAG-AFTRA Contract Is A Landmark For AI And IP Interplay
SAG-AFTRA's recently ratified contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers introduced a framework to safeguard performers' intellectual property rights and set the stage for future discussions on how those rights interact with artificial intelligence — which should put entertainment businesses on alert for compliance, says Evynne Grover at QBE.
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What R&W Insurance Access Means For Small-Cap M&A
As a slowdown in mergers and acquisitions has increased insurer appetite for underwriting small-cap transactions, buyers of small and midsize enterprises stand to benefit from easier access to representations and warranties insurance, which can add protection and reassurance for all parties involved in a deal, say Caroline Thee and Ewelina Mikocewicz at Taft Stettinius.
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How Merck Settlement Can Inform Cyberinsurance Approach
This month's settlement in Merck v. ACE spotlights how cyber exclusions have evolved since the significant decision in the case — allowing for insurance coverage despite the presence of a policy war exclusion — and where else corporate risk managers may look for coverage in case of a cyberattack, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
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Mitigating Compliance And Litigation Risks Of Evolving Tech
Amid artificial intelligence and other technological advances, companies must prepare for the associated risks, including a growing suite of privacy regulations, enterprising class action theories and consumer protection challenges, and proliferating disclosure obligations, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.
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ESG Around The World: Canada
In Canada, multiple statutes, regulations, common law and industry guidance address environmental, social and governance considerations, with debate over ESG in the business realm potentially growing on the horizon, say attorneys at Blakes.
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Insured Takeaways From 10th Circ. Interrelated Claims Ruling
The Tenth Circuit's recent ruling in American Southwest Mortgage v. Continental Casualty that multiple claims arising from consecutive audit years were interrelated — and thus subject to a per claim limit — creates a concerning precedent for policyholders, so companies should negotiate relevant policy language, says Michael Stockalper at Saxe Doernberger.
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Consider A Key Insurance Tool For Environmental M&A Deals
Transactional liability insurance can be a useful risk allocation tool for completing mergers and acquisitions in the renewable energy and climate and clean technology sectors, though policies must be structured carefully to achieve maximum coverage, say Joseph Castelluccio and Paul de Bernier at Mayer Brown.
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Policyholders Must Object To Insurer Reorganizations
When insurance companies reorganize, policies often take years to ultimately pay out a fraction of what is owed, so policyholders should organize and urge insurance commissioners to take action when retroactive reinsurance deals are announced, says Jonathan Terrell at KCIC.
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Ill. BIPA Ruling May Spark Violation-Of-Law Exclusion Fight
An Illinois appeals court's recent holding in National Fire Insurance v. Visual Pak that a violation-of-law exclusion didn't preclude coverage for an underlying Biometric Information Privacy Act suit contradicts an earlier Seventh Circuit decision that aligns with long-standing insurance law principles — which may lead the state's high court to weigh in, says Tae Andrews at Pasich.