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General Liability

  • April 14, 2025

    Chubb Units Owe $9M For Sex Abuse Settlement, Court Told

    A former student of a Brooklyn private school said two Chubb units are on the hook for a $9 million settlement he entered into with the school to resolve sexual abuse claims, telling a New York federal court that the insurers unreasonably delayed and refused to settle his claims.

  • April 14, 2025

    Insurers Not Liable For Counterfeit Drug Suit, 6th Circ. Says

    Insurers do not have to cover a Michigan pharmacy accused of selling counterfeit HIV medication, the Sixth Circuit affirmed Monday, finding that policy exclusions prevented the coverage.

  • April 14, 2025

    Mich. Panel Says Car Insurance Fee Schedule Not Retroactive

    A Michigan appellate panel said a fee schedule governing benefits auto insurers must pay injured parties does not apply to injuries sustained before the fee schedule became law, determining the state insurance regulator's 2024 memo misinterpreted the rules.

  • April 14, 2025

    1st Circ. Can't Hear Class Suit Coverage Row, Oil Co. Says

    A heating oil company urged the First Circuit to toss an appeal its insurers filed following a ruling that they must continue defending the company and several executives in a class action over alleged damage caused by oil containing elevated levels of biodiesel, saying the court doesn't currently have jurisdiction.

  • April 11, 2025

    Insurers Allowed To End Chemical Explosion Coverage Suit

    Insurers were allowed Friday to dismiss their case in Texas federal court against Team Industrial Services Inc. seeking to disclaim coverage for underlying suits filed against the company in connection with injuries from a 2021 explosion at a chemical plant.

  • April 11, 2025

    7th Circ. Asks For Ill. Justices' Input On Pollution Exclusion

    A Seventh Circuit panel considering whether an insurer for Sterigenics and its former parent company could avoid paying $150 million in legal costs for defending the company from a torrent of pollution suits has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to weigh in on how to apply a pollution exclusion in the relevant policy.

  • April 11, 2025

    2nd Circ. Tosses Mid-Case Appeal In Asbestos Coverage Row

    A Second Circuit panel dismissed on Friday a mid-case appeal in a dispute over coverage for hundreds of asbestos-related lawsuits, saying that resolving certified questions, including whether an insurer must defend a suit that doesn't name its policyholder, won't substantially advance the litigation.

  • April 11, 2025

    ​​​​​​​Outlet Chain Says NC Court Ruling Allows COVID Coverage

    A retail outlet chain asked a North Carolina state court to find it had coverage for more than $50 million in pandemic losses, citing a recent state Supreme Court ruling holding that the insuring phrase "direct physical loss" included loss of property use due to COVID-19 public health orders.

  • April 10, 2025

    Rising Type Of M&A Coverage Can Limit Cyber Risk, Pros Say

    Conditions in the market for cyber insurance are positive for buyers, and insurance meant to protect against mergers and acquisitions improprieties can form a key part of transactions as cyber risks increase, industry and legal professionals said Thursday.

  • April 10, 2025

    6th Circ. Upholds No-Coverage Ruling For $13M Loss

    Errors and omissions insurers for two Liberty Mutual units owe no coverage for the units' $13.3 million coverage payment to a motel operator found civilly liable for a woman's murder, the Sixth Circuit ruled Thursday, finding a settlement demand letter did not constitute a claim under the E&O policies.

  • April 10, 2025

    Manufacturer Says Insurers Owe $3.4M For Warehouse Theft

    An anime merchandise manufacturer is seeking to recover over $3.4 million from its insurers for business personal property and business income that was lost after its warehouse was robbed, telling a California federal court that a majority of its claim hasn't been paid.

  • April 10, 2025

    Pet Insurer Exec Shares Insight On Double-Digit Growth

    The pet insurance industry is experiencing large amounts of growth, both in policies purchased and the cost of premiums, a trend which Brian Jorgensen, the CEO of MetLife Pet Insurance, attributes to owners spending more time with their animals and veterinary costs, respectively. Here, Jorgensen chats with Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 about the growing pet insurance market.

  • April 10, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    Insurers lost their subrogation bid over a ransomware attack against software company Blackbaud, carriers accused a California utility of causing one of this year's wildfires, Meta prevailed in an insurance coverage forum battle over numerous underlying injury claims, and the Ninth Circuit partially reversed a lower court's duty-to-defend decision.

  • April 10, 2025

    Ga. Tort Reform Promises Relief From Insurance Industry Ills

    Georgia is on the cusp of enacting major reforms to its tort claims system that aim to reduce outsize jury awards and other expenses contributing to rising liabilities, which carriers and policyholders hope will relieve strains on the insurance industry.

  • April 10, 2025

    Insurer Denies $3M Legal Fees After Worker Death Settlement

    An insurer that paid its policy limits on behalf of insured contractors to settle a lawsuit over a jobsite fatality told an Oklahoma federal court it owed no coverage for more than $3 million in legal fees incurred because the insureds hired private counsel without consent.

  • April 09, 2025

    AIG Unit Seeks $3.7M Clawback In Whistleblower Murder Row

    A tree service company, subsidiary and certain former employees can't be covered in two civil suits alleging an employee was murdered for reporting the company's use of undocumented labor, an AIG unit told an Ohio federal court, seeking nearly $3.7 million in coverage reimbursement.

  • April 08, 2025

    Town's Insurance Suit Unfrozen After $11M Civil Rights Deal

    A previously paused lawsuit that East Haven, Connecticut, brought against its insurers has been referred for settlement negotiations after the town and former officials lost an underlying civil rights case over the politically motivated closure of a quarry and then reached an $11 million deal to end the underlying dispute.

  • April 08, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Revisit Ambiguous Endorsement Ruling

    The Fourth Circuit on Monday declined to review its ruling that a South Carolina district court erred by finding that an endorsement unambiguously applied to cap an aluminum supplier's insurance recovery for a fire loss at $10 million.

  • April 08, 2025

    4th Circ. Says Insurer Needn't Chip In For $9M Fatal Fire Deal

    A Munich Re unit needn't contribute to The Travelers Indemnity Co.'s $9 million settlement of suits brought over a fatal apartment fire, the Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday, saying the unit's policy issued to a North Carolina county's emergency services department did not also extend coverage to its 911 call center.

  • April 08, 2025

    Uber's Crash Coverage Bid 'Too Little, Too Late,' Insurer Says

    An insurer said it has no duty to defend or indemnify Uber in five underlying personal injury suits, telling a New York federal court that the company's bid for coverage is "too little, too late" because the active negligence claims don't trigger coverage and the request was not timely.

  • April 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Partially Reverses LA Port Co.'s Coverage Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday held that United National Insurance Company was obligated to defend a Los Angeles Port operator against pollution claims brought by the city, but said a district judge deprived the insurer of a jury trial on the operator's claimed defense costs due to the breach of contract.

  • April 07, 2025

    Insurer Seeks $300K For Damaged Crane Barge

    An insurer told a California federal court it is owed $300,000 from the federal government and a California county for damages its insured's barge sustained when it struck a drawbridge because the government entities failed to raise the bridge after receiving a signal to do so.

  • April 07, 2025

    Insurer Settles Ga. Motel Shooting Coverage Suit

    StarStone National Insurance Co. has settled a coverage dispute with a Georgia motel over whether the insurer was obliged to defend the establishment from a negligent security claim brought by the family of a man robbed and murdered on the premises five years ago, the company said Friday.

  • April 07, 2025

    Reinsurer Seeks Arbitration In Bermuda In Legionnaires' Row

    A Michigan healthcare system's captive insurer turned to an improper venue to litigate coverage issues with its reinsurer over underlying Legionnaires' disease claims, the reinsurer told a Michigan federal court, saying the captive insurer's coverage claims must be sent to arbitration in Bermuda.

  • April 04, 2025

    Insurer's Policy Won't Cover General Contractor In Injury Suit

    An Illinois federal judge has permanently tossed a construction company's bid for insurance coverage on an underlying injury suit under one of its subcontractor's policies, saying the injury suit doesn't include the kind of claim that would have triggered coverage.

Expert Analysis

  • Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Group.

  • NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    In a relatively light few months for banking legal updates in New York, the state Department of Financial Services previewed its views on banking sector artificial intelligence use via insurer guidance, and an anti-money laundering enforcement action underscored the importance of international monitoring processes, say Eric McLaughlin and Dana Bayersdorfer at Davis Polk.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: September Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy identifies practice tips from four recent class certification rulings involving denial of Medicare reimbursements, automobile insurance disputes, veterans' rights and automobile defects.

  • 3 Coverage Tips As 2nd Circ. 'Swipes Left' On Tinder Claim

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    The Second Circuit's recent opinion in Match Group v. Beazley Underwriting, overturning Tinder's victory on its insurer's motion to dismiss a coverage action, reinforces three best practices policyholders purchasing claims-made coverage should adhere to in order to avoid late-notice defenses, say Lynda Bennett and Alexander Corson at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • What To Know About Insurance Coverage For Antitrust Risks

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    With all the regulatory activity surrounding antitrust and unfair competition claims, as highlighted by last month's D.C. federal court decision that Google is a monopolist, businesses must not only ensure compliance, but also understand their potential insurance coverage when such claims arise, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes Boone.

  • Rise Of Transpo Contractors Brings Insurance Disputes

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    As more independent contractors are contracted and subcontracted in the delivery industry, companies must be prepared to defend claims from drivers who are injured on the job as they are often seeking to establish an employment relationship with one of the entities in the chain, says Nathan Milner at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Finding Coverage For Online Retail Privacy Class Actions

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    Following recent court rulings interpreting state invasion of privacy and electronic surveillance statutes triggering a surge in the filing of privacy class actions against online retailers, companies should examine their various insurance policies, including E&O and D&O, for defense coverage of these claims, says Alison Gaske at Gilbert LLP.

  • What We Know From Early Cyberinsurance Rulings

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    Recent cyber disruption incidents, like the Crowdstrike outage and the CDK Global cyberattack this summer, highlight the necessity of understanding legal interpretations of cyberinsurance coverage — an area in which there has been little litigation thus far, say Peter Halprin and Rebecca Schwarz at Haynes Boone.

  • Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss the muted nature of the property and casualty insurance class action space in the second quarter of the year, with no large waves made in labor depreciation and total-loss vehicle class actions, but a new offensive theory emerging for insurance companies.

  • Insurance Lessons From 11th Circ. Ruling On Policy Grammar

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision in ECB v. Chubb Insurance, holding that missing punctuation didn't change the clear meaning of a professional services policy, offers policyholder takeaways about the uncertainty that can arise when courts interpret insurance policy language based on obscure grammatical canons, say Hugh Lumpkin and Garrett Nemeroff at Reed Smith.

  • 6 Factors That Can Make For A 'Nuclear' Juror

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    Drawing from recent research that examines the rise in nuclear verdicts, Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies identifies a few juror characteristics most likely to matter in assessing case risk and preparing for jury selection — some of which are long-known, and others that are emerging post-pandemic.

  • Illinois BIPA Reform Offers Welcome Relief To Businesses

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    Illinois' recent amendment to its Biometric Information Privacy Act limits the number of violations and damages a plaintiff can claim — a crucial step in shielding businesses from unintended legal consequences, including litigation risk and compliance costs, say attorneys at Taft.