General Liability
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May 12, 2025
Broker Wants To Trim Chipwich Maker's $4.5M Recall Suit
An insurance broker asked a Connecticut state court to trim a suit seeking $4.5 million for losses that the maker of Chipwich ice cream sandwiches alleges it incurred because of insufficient product recall coverage, saying the company can't sustain its breach of contract claim.
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May 09, 2025
W.Va. Justices Say UIM Coverage Needn't Always Be Offered
West Virginia does not require commercial auto insurers to offer underinsured motorist, or UIM, coverage for all vehicles they insure, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled, answering a question from the Fourth Circuit in a dispute over a policy insuring both owned and "non-owned" vehicles.
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May 09, 2025
Insurers Urge 1st Circ. To Undo Oil Co. Coverage Ruling
Insurers for a heating oil company asked the First Circuit to reverse a decision forcing them to defend the company and several executives in a class action alleging damage caused by fuel containing elevated levels of biodiesel, saying the company's "purposeful business choices" do not constitute an occurrence.
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May 08, 2025
10th Circ. Urged To Undo Insurers' Pollution Exclusion Win
A New Mexico property owner urged the Tenth Circuit to rethink its ruling that separate pollution exclusions in its commercial general liability policies entirely removed two insurers' duty to defend underlying environmental contamination claims, arguing the appeals court overlooked a significant principle under settled New Mexico insurance law.
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May 08, 2025
Insurer Owed Reimbursement In Worker Injury Coverage Row
A Washington federal court on Thursday ordered a subcontractor's insurer to reimburse a general contractor's insurer for more than $280,000 after both insurers helped settle an underlying worker injury lawsuit, finding the subcontractor's insurer owed additional insured coverage to the general contractor.
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May 08, 2025
Alaska Fishery Insurance Co-Ops Cast Wide Coverage Net
The Alaska House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill permitting commercial fishers to form insurance cooperatives, a move that allows all eligible boat owners the ability to obtain coverage from a source that understands the industry for a reasonable price, representatives said. Here, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 speaks with Reps. Louise Stutes and Kevin McCabe about what to expect.
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May 08, 2025
9th Circ. Says Oil Co. Marine Policy Doesn't Cover $8M Award
Lloyd's underwriters don't owe coverage for an $8.1 million award to the employer of a deckhand who was injured by defective mooring at a natural gas extraction platform, the Ninth Circuit held, saying coverage wasn't triggered under the platform owner's charterers legal liability policy.
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May 08, 2025
Insurer Drops Coverage Fight Over NC Truck Stop Shooting
An insurer and a security guard service company have settled a coverage dispute over underlying negligence lawsuits involving a fatal shooting that occurred at a North Carolina truck stop, according to a notice filed in federal court.
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May 07, 2025
UnitedHealth Hid Biz Impact Of CEO's Killing, Investor Says
UnitedHealth Group concealed how public scrutiny of its coverage policies and backlash from the killing of its CEO was harming its business, leading to plummeting stock prices when the insurer lowered its 2025 earnings outlook, according to a proposed investor class action filed Wednesday in New York federal court.
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May 07, 2025
Zurich Wants Midtrial Win In Fluor $300M Bad-Faith Case
Insurer Zurich urged a federal judge Wednesday to find midtrial that former policyholder Fluor has failed to prove up a case for bad-faith refusal to settle regarding a $300 million lead pollution payout, saying there's been no evidence Zurich ever received a proper offer.
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May 07, 2025
Politics, Tech Issues Top Concerns At Chicago Risk Event
Insurance and risk professionals around the country gathered in Chicago to discuss potential perils and opportunities for the future, with talks often centering on President Donald Trump's administration, technological developments and statutory reform of the legal system.
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May 07, 2025
Chubb Can't Get Archdiocese's Abuse Coverage Suit Trimmed
A New York state court refused Wednesday to toss the Archdiocese of New York's claims for bad faith and violations of the state's deceptive trade practices law in a suit seeking coverage from Chubb units for thousands of sexual abuse lawsuits.
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May 07, 2025
Mich. Justices Mull 'Straddle Policies' In No-Fault Cases
The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday considered whether insurance policies that straddle the date no-fault reforms went into effect should be subjected to post-reform increased limits for liability and scheduled medical care reimbursement rates.
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May 07, 2025
Boarding School Not Covered In Sex Abuse Suit, Insurer Says
An insurer for a private boarding school told a Massachusetts federal court it owes no coverage to the school and its former head for a civil lawsuit accusing a former teacher of sexually abusing students, pointing to separate exclusions barring coverage for abuse and known wrongful acts.
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May 07, 2025
Liberty Mutual Must Pay $1.3M Crash Verdict, Woman Says
A woman who won a $1.3 million verdict against a Liberty Mutual insured over a car crash said the insurer is now on the hook for the award, telling a Connecticut federal court the insurer could and should have resolved the suit within policy limits.
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May 06, 2025
Insurer Denies Coverage For Amtrak Employee Slip-And-Fall
An insurer told an Illinois federal court that Amtrak has no coverage for an underlying slip-and-fall injury lawsuit brought by an employee, because it's not an additional insured under its policy and the underlying litigation cannot be covered because of a workers' compensation exclusion, among other reasons.
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May 05, 2025
Class Cert. Partially Granted In Auto Insurance Discount Case
A California federal court partially granted class certification Monday over policyholders' claims that a group of insurers violated the state's rule on good driver discounts.
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May 02, 2025
NJ Panel Affirms $2.6M Coverage Payout In Cleanup Case
A New Jersey appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court's decision finding that under Massachusetts law an insurer owed a BASF entity only $2.6 million in coverage for underlying environmental remediation costs after the lower court found a prior, larger coverage calculation it had adopted was "palpably incorrect."
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May 02, 2025
NC Farmers Say Fight With Crop Insurer Must Stay In Court
A suit by six tobacco farmers lodging tort claims against their crop insurer should proceed in state court, they told a North Carolina appeals court, arguing that an arbitration provision in their policy applies only to disputes over a coverage determination.
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May 01, 2025
Public Fire Model Could Boost Calif. Insurance Oversight
Developing a public wildfire model in California could help provide a transparent benchmark for insurance regulators to better understand fire risk and evaluate rates, but experts warn that challenges remain as the federal government eyes cuts to key climate monitors.
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May 01, 2025
Insurance Pros Stress Disaster Mitigation In Senate Hearing
A panel of insurance experts stressed in front of a U.S. Senate committee Thursday the importance of mitigation efforts, such as strengthening building codes and hardening homes, as the experts discussed how prices in the property insurance market have soared because of recent natural disasters across the country.
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May 01, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Fourth Circuit upheld Kaiser Gypsum Co. Inc.’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan, insurers for the Suquamish Tribe further urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review their tribal jurisdiction dispute and the Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a McDonald’s franchisee’s bid for coverage. Here, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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May 01, 2025
Trucker Chases Down Mich. Appeals Court Win In Injury Suit
A trucker who was hit in his sleeper cab and then ran after the semi-truck that he believed caused the incident, jumping on its running board till he was thrown, may be entitled to insurance benefits, Michigan appellate judges said, reversing most of a lower court's judgment.
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May 01, 2025
Foster Care Insurance Costs Surge Amid Abuse Claims
Foster care agencies have faced increased costs of general liability insurance and with insurers hesitant to write policies for these entities in certain states, experts point to the need for legislative reform and regulation all while trying to prevent further trauma for children.
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May 01, 2025
Bank Says Insurer Owes $1.8M In Vandalism Coverage
A bank accused a Berkshire unit and its insurance agent of underpaying coverage for property damage from "vandalism and/or theft," saying that while it's received roughly $105,000 in coverage to date, the insurer has yet to pay nearly $1.8 million.
Expert Analysis
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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 Âé¶¹´«Ã½.
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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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The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024
Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.
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Insurance Considerations For LA Wildfire Recovery
Businesses and homeowners affected by the destructive Southern California wildfires must act swiftly and strategically to navigate the complexities of the insurance recovery process, including by identifying all applicable policies, documenting damage thoroughly and keeping abreast of relevant state law, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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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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What Insurers Should Know About AI Use In Litigation
As the use of artificial intelligence in litigation evolves, insurers should note standing court orders, instances of judges utilizing AI to determine policy definitions and the application of evidentiary standards to expert evidence that incorporates AI, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.
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5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025
Âé¶¹´«Ã½yers 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.
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A Federal Insurance Mandate For Private Aviation Is Overdue
A recent private plane crash in California that killed two people and injured 19 others spotlights the dangers of such occurrences — and serves as a reminder that because there is no federal requirement for general aviation pilots to carry insurance, the victims of these accidents are often unable to obtain fair compensation, says Timothy Loranger at Wisner Baum.
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6 Predictions For Cyber Risk And Insurance In 2025
This year is likely to bring with it some thorny and expensive cyber challenges, including increased ransomware activity, more data breach class actions and continued efforts to define business interruption loss calculations, say attorneys at Wiley.
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Defense Strategies For Addressing Conspiracy-Minded Jurors
As conspiracy theories continue to proliferate and gain traction in the U.S., defense attorneys will need to consider ways to keep conspiracy-minded jurors from sitting on the jury, and to persuade them when this isn’t possible, say consultants at IMS Legal Strategies.
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Surprise NC COVID Ruling Revises Reasonable Expectations
The North Carolina Supreme Court's recent finding in favor of policyholders in a suit for business interruption coverage due to COVID-19 shutdown orders runs contrary to most other state and federal courts' holdings on the issue, and may revitalize the reasonable expectations doctrine in the state, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.