Specialty Lines
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December 11, 2025
Ore. Ski Areas Face High Insurance Costs, Carrier Withdrawal
Ski areas in Oregon are one of the latest industries to feel the strain of rising liability insurance costs, compounded by one of the state's insurance brokers leaving the market this fall, as operators are forced to weigh passing costs on to patrons as legislative reform stalls, experts told Law360.
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December 11, 2025
Life Insurers Exempt From Ill. Genetic Privacy Law, Court Says
An Illinois state appeals court affirmed the dismissal of a man's suit claiming two State Farm life insurers violated Illinois' genetic information privacy law, finding a section barring the use of genetic protected health information for underwriting purposes does not apply to life insurance companies.
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December 11, 2025
Blackstone Credit Inks $1B Partnership With Small Biz Lender
Blackstone Credit & Insurance said Thursday that it has reached a $1 billion partnership with small business lender Harvest Commercial Capital to acquire business loans secured by first-lien mortgages on owner-occupied commercial real estate.
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December 11, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
AMC can seek coverage for a $99.3 million stock settlement with theater chain shareholders, two AIG units needn't cover a firearms retailer accused of contributing to gun violence, and a home insurer must cover a $1 million settlement for injuries a man suffered after taking LSD.
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December 10, 2025
Retailer Not Covered In Ghost Gun Suits, 2nd Circ. Affirms
Two AIG units have no duty to defend or indemnify a Texas-based firearm retailer accused of contributing to gun violence by selling unfinished components used to assemble what are known as ghost guns, the Second Circuit affirmed Wednesday, saying the underlying claims do not allege harm caused by an accident.
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December 10, 2025
Crypto Bankruptcy Trust Can Tap D&O Policy, Judge Rules
A Texas bankruptcy judge has found that a directors and officers liability insurer was wrong to refuse a reasonable $4.65 million settlement demand from the trustee overseeing the wind-down of former cryptocurrency data miner Compute North Holdings, but that the court can't force the carrier to accept it.
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December 09, 2025
AmTrust Says Insurer Must Cover Securities Suit Losses
A British insurance company wrongfully denied excess directors and officers coverage for underlying securities fraud litigation, AmTrust says in a suit filed in New York federal court Monday, saying the insurer must provide coverage since its primary policy and other excess policies have already been exhausted.
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December 09, 2025
NJ Drugmaker, Chubb Settle $6.5M Defense Costs Suit
A New Jersey pharmaceutical company and Chubb have reached a settlement to end a lawsuit alleging the insurer owes nearly $6.5 million in outstanding legal fees stemming from a multibillion-dollar arbitration dispute over the development of a COVID-19 drug, according to a stipulation of dismissal from the companies.
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December 09, 2025
Medical Appliance Co. Seeks Coverage For SEC Investigation
A Connecticut-based medical device technology company told a federal court that its insurer wrongfully denied coverage for an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging in a new lawsuit that the federal government's inquiry into the company's insured members triggered its directors and officers policy.
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December 09, 2025
Marsh Rival Wants Out Of Employee Poaching Scheme Suit
An insurance company accused by Marsh & McLennan Agency of poaching an employee has asked a Manhattan federal judge to dismiss Marsh's suit, saying the court had no jurisdiction because the claims had not been sufficiently tied to New York.
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December 09, 2025
Insurer Berkshire Faces $750K Claim Over Navy Project Bill
An electrical subcontractor asked a Virginia federal court to help it collect nearly $750,000 from Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Co. under a payment bond for work at a Navy facility in Chesapeake.
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December 08, 2025
Liberty Seeks Excess Insurer Repayment For $21.3M Verdict
A Berkshire Hathaway unit must cover Liberty Insurance Underwriters Inc.'s portion of a $21.3 million jury award in a personal injury case, Liberty said in a new federal complaint, arguing the unit unreasonably failed to resolve the case before trial despite multiple settlement offers.
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December 08, 2025
Insurer Needn't Cover Jewish Group's $7.5M Wire Fraud Claim
A Jewish nonprofit organization isn't entitled to coverage for a fraudulent $7.5 million wire transfer, a Maryland federal court ruled, finding that its policy's extended reporting period was not active when it submitted the claim due to the start of another insurance program.
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December 04, 2025
Zillow's Climate Score Removal Sparks Insurance Concerns
Zillow's recent decision to reduce the visibility of a climate-risk feature attached to its real estate listings highlights a need to provide consumers with more information on a key driver of insurance costs, given differences in climate-risk modeling practices.
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December 04, 2025
'Public Policy' Exclusion Raises Red Flags For Insured Attys
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a coverage dispute over claims that a Philadelphia hotel ignored sex trafficking, drawing the attention of policyholder attorneys who believe the hotel's insurers asked the court to step beyond the bounds of insurance contracts by applying an implicit "public policy" exclusion.
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December 04, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Eleventh Circuit said a State Farm unit doesn’t owe $1 million for a gas station shooting, a California federal court gave its final sign-off to a $4 million settlement between Allstate and home insurance policyholders and a Massachusetts federal court certified a class of Liberty Mutual policyholders. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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December 03, 2025
Judge To OK $16.5M 23andMe Insurer Buyback Deal In Ch. 11
A Missouri bankruptcy judge Wednesday agreed to approve a $16.5 million settlement between genetic testing company 23andMe and its insurers, in which the carriers proposed to buy back the unused portion of their cyber coverage.
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December 02, 2025
23andMe Seeks OK For $16.5M Cyber Insurance Settlement
Genetic testing company 23andMe asked a Missouri bankruptcy judge to approve an agreement it reached with a group of cyber insurers, in which those carriers would buy back the remaining portion of their aggregate $25 million in coverage.
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December 01, 2025
AM Best Says US Home Insurance Market Outlook Is 'Stable'
The U.S. homeowners insurance market is benefiting from a combination of moderating premium growth, reinsurance market stabilization and improved catastrophe risk management practices, global credit rating agency AM Best said Monday, upgrading the outlook for homeowner insurers to "stable" from "negative."
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December 01, 2025
Chancery Sets Standard In Scottish Re Case
The Delaware Chancery Court has signed off on the framework that will govern how scores of insurers press claims in the liquidation of Scottish Re (U.S.) Inc., issuing an opinion to spell out when courts must defer to the state insurance commissioner and when they must step in.
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November 26, 2025
Marsh Says Yacht Coverage Rival Poached Employees, Clients
Insurance broker Marsh & McLennan Agency told a New York federal court that its competitor carried out a coordinated scheme to poach an experienced employee with a roster of high-value clients to bulk up its recently launched yacht insurance practice.
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November 26, 2025
Ex-Atty Not Covered In $750K Law Firm Purchase Dispute
An insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify a disbarred attorney, who is currently serving a 90-month sentence for embezzling funds from his clients and law firm, in an underlying suit claiming he owes more than $750,000 for the purchase of a firm, an Illinois federal court ruled.
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November 25, 2025
Bojangles Franchisee Ends Coverage Battle With Final Insurer
The largest franchisee of chicken and biscuit restaurant Bojangles has dropped its claims against the last of three insurers it sued for coverage of an underlying suit over an employee's alleged rape by a co-worker, according to a court filing Tuesday.
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November 24, 2025
Wash. Hits Regence BlueShield With Transparency Fine
Washington's insurance commissioner slapped Regence BlueShield with a $550,000 fine, the state announced Monday, for purportedly violating reporting requirements under a federal law that says health insurers must provide the same level of coverage for mental health care as general medical care.
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November 20, 2025
Texas Camp May Struggle To Get Coverage After Flood Deaths
Several wrongful death lawsuits brought against Camp Mystic after a series of deadly floods swept through Texas Hill Country in July have the potential to implicate the camp's general liability insurance program, but whether the camp can secure coverage constitutes a greater challenge, experts say.
Professor Highlights Climate Risks' Threats To Home Values
Climate perils have depressed home values in some of the riskiest real estate markets as insurers charge homeowners more for coverage to offset the cost of protecting against risks like hurricanes and fires, according to newly updated research. Here, Law360 talks to Philip Mulder, a risk and insurance professor, who updated a study tying insurance costs to climate risks to include more data and information on threats to home values.
Feds' Cyber Pullback Offers Little Relief To Insurance Pros
The federal government's retreat from regulations and enforcement actions around data breach and cybersecurity disclosures offers little relief to insurance experts, who see the exposure to cyber threats, potential liabilities and enforcement actions as only growing.
Google Suit Reveals Coverage Challenges For AI Integration
A proposed class action brought against Google alleges that the tech giant enabled artificial intelligence tools without disclosing them to users or requesting their consent, highlighting the litigation risks and coverage challenges that can arise when companies integrate AI tools into existing products and services.
Expert Analysis
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Tracking The Evolution Of AI Insurance Regulation In 2025
As artificial intelligence continues to transform the insurance industry, including underwriting, pricing, claims processing and customer engagement, state regulators, led by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, are increasing oversight to ensure that innovation does not outpace consumer protections, say attorneys at Fenwick.
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6 Ways To Nuke-Proof Litigation As Explosive Verdicts Rise
As the increasing number of nuclear verdicts continues to reshape the litigation landscape, counsel must understand how to create a multipronged defense strategy to anticipate juror expectations and mitigate the risk of outsize jury awards, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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What Law Firm Liability Risks In 2025 Signal For Year To Come
Trends and statistics reveal that law firms of all sizes and practice areas remained attractive litigation targets this year, so firms must take concrete steps to avoid professional liability risks in the year to come, say Douglas Richmond and Andrew Ricke at Lockton Companies.
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1st-Of-Its-Kind NIL Claim Raises Liability Coverage Questions
The University of Georgia Athletic Association recently sought to compel arbitration against former UGA football player Damon Wilson in a first-of-its-kind legal action for breach of a name, image and likeness contract, highlighting questions around student-athlete employment classification and professional liability insurance coverage, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.
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How Unchecked AI Exposes Expert Opinions To Exclusion
A growing number of cases illustrate the potential for misuse of artificial intelligence tools by experts in litigation, resulting in reports with hallucinated information or unexplainable analysis, so to embrace the efficiencies AI tools introduce without falling victim to the risks, attorneys and experts should implement a few best practices, say attorneys at Willkie Farr.
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A Primer On NYDFS' 3rd-Party Cybersecurity Guidance
The New York Department of Financial Services' recently released comprehensive guidance for registrants on managing cybersecurity risks associated with third-party service providers illustrates why proactive engagement by senior leadership, robust due diligence, strong contractual protections and ongoing oversight are essential to mitigating growing risks, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
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How Trial Attys Can Sidestep Opponents' Negative Frames
In litigation, attorneys often must deny whatever language or association the other side levies against them, but doing so can make the associations more salient in the minds of fact-finders, so it’s essential to reframe messages in a few practical ways at trial, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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Ill. State Farm Suit Tests State Insurance Data Demand Limits
The Illinois Department of Insurance's recently filed suit against State Farm, seeking nationwide data on its homeowners insurance, raises important issues as to the breadth, and possible overreach, of a state's regulatory authority, says Stephanie Pierce at Kutak Rock.
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Drafting For Distress: D&O Policy Tips Ahead Of Ch. 11 Filings
Considering recent bankruptcy statistics and the economic climate, now is a good time for companies to revisit their directors and officers liability insurance coverage, as understanding how these programs are structured and which terms matter at placement or renewal can materially improve protection for leaders of a distressed company, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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Defeating Estoppel-Based Claims In Legal Malpractice Actions
State supreme court cases from recent years have addressed whether positions taken by attorneys in an underlying lawsuit can be used against them in a subsequent legal malpractice action, providing a foundation to defeat ex-clients’ estoppel claims, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.
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AI Litigation Tools Can Enhance Case Assessment, Strategy
Civil litigators can use artificial intelligence tools to strengthen case assessment and aid in early strategy development, as long as they address the risks and ethical considerations that accompany these uses, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.
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10 Quick Tips To Elevate Your Evidence Presentation At Trial
A strong piece of evidence, whether in the form of testimony or exhibit, is wasted if not presented effectively, so attorneys must prepare with precision to help fact-finders both retain the information and internalize its significance, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.
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What Insurers Must Know When Insureds File For Bankruptcy
With increasing inflation, rising unemployment and growing consumer credit delinquencies, insurers and their intermediaries must be prepared to handle policyholders who are filing for bankruptcy by acquainting themselves with key procedural details of the bankruptcy process, say attorneys at McDermott.