Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Property

  • February 27, 2025

    Insurers' High Court Bid In Virus Case Tests Tribal Jurisdiction

    A group of insurers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit order directing them to litigate the Suquamish Tribe's COVID-19 coverage suit in tribal court, setting a potential showdown over the bounds of tribal jurisdiction and future tribal coverage disputes. Here, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 breaks down the case before the justices decide whether to take up the suit.

  • February 27, 2025

    Q&A: Minnesota Âé¶¹´«Ã½ 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, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 discusses the subject with Daniel Schwarcz, a University of Minnesota Âé¶¹´«Ã½ School professor who has built a career in studying the transparency of insurance markets.

  • 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.

  • February 26, 2025

    Auto Insurer Freed From Covering Gunshot Injury Litigation

    An auto insurer doesn't have to cover a driver whose passenger was shot, court papers allege, by a neighbor who was incensed by what he perceived to be reckless driving, a Florida federal judge ruled.

  • February 26, 2025

    Driver Accuses Geico Of Lying About Accident Forgiveness

    Geico unlawfully disguises rate increases as surcharges, a driver alleged in a suit filed in Texas federal court, saying his premium nearly doubled after an accident despite being enrolled in an accident forgiveness program.

  • February 25, 2025

    Chicago Escapes Bulk Of Insurer's $26M Willis Tower Suit 

    An Illinois federal judge dismissed the majority of a dozen counts brought by Travelers against the city of Chicago and its water district seeking repayment for $26 million in flood damage to Willis Tower, leaving only common law negligence claims.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • February 24, 2025

    Insurer Sues Valve Co. To Recoup Payout To Ohio School

    The "catastrophic" flooding of a Cincinnati school was due to a faulty water stop valve, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday by an insurance provider that seeks to hold building products manufacturer Masco Corp. and its plumbing subsidiary liable for the nearly $225,000 in damages.

  • February 24, 2025

    Penn National Settles NC Hurricanes Coverage Suit

    Penn National Mutual Casualty Insurance Co. settled a property owner's insurance payout suit filed in North Carolina federal court just before the suit headed to trial.

  • February 21, 2025

    Insurers Ask High Court To Review Tribal Jurisdiction Order

    A group of insurers led by AIG unit Lexington Insurance Co. urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit ruling ordering them to litigate COVID-19-related property insurance claims in Suquamish Tribal Court despite the insurers' contention that the coverage claims related to "off-reservation conduct."

  • 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.

  • February 21, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, V&E, Cravath, Dechert

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Diamondback Energy buys Midland Basin assets from another oil and natural gas company, GTCR closes its second strategic growth fund, Light & Wonder Inc. buys Grover Gaming's assets, and Barings acquires Artemis Real Estate Partners.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • February 20, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    State Farm was asked to justify desired rate hikes in California after recent fires, Zurich said the LA fires would cost it over $200 million, an insurer got out of covering a blaze because of a policyholder blunder and a hydrofracking exclusion can't prevent an insurer from covering a fatal fire. Here, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • February 19, 2025

    Fla. Court Won't Revive Property Manager's COVID Claims

    A Florida state appeals court on Wednesday said a lower court correctly ruled that a Miami property management company's insurance policy did not cover losses caused by COVID-19 closures because government shutdown orders were not specific to the business.

  • 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.

  • February 18, 2025

    Home Insurer Off The Hook In $750K Policy Lapse Dispute

    A Washington federal judge has tossed a suit seeking $750,000 in coverage from two Progressive units after a fire severely damaged a home, saying the homeowners had let the coverage expire by not paying premiums, even though the insurer's renewal notice was "not a paragon of clarity."

  • 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.

  • February 18, 2025

    Dechert, Paul Hastings Guide Barings' Takeover Of Artemis

    Barings, advised by Dechert LLP, inked an agreement to snap up Paul Hastings LLP-led Artemis Real Estate Partners, an investment firm managing over $11 billion of assets, according to a Tuesday announcement.

  • 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.

  • February 13, 2025

    Blake Lively Defamation Suits Bring Insurance Center Stage

    A stream of defamation lawsuits stemming from the movie "It Ends With Us" could have insurers gearing up to determine potential coverage obligations for such litigation, as the debate over settling versus going to trial marks a gap in the insurer-insured relationship for celebrity policyholders, experts say.

  • February 13, 2025

    Calif. Fire Debris Ruling Raises LA Blaze Recovery Concerns

    A California appellate court's ruling that two homeowners didn't have a covered claim for wildfire debris in their home has raised policyholder concerns that the decision could restrict coverage for Los Angeles fire victims, but some carrier lawyers say the ruling's impact could be limited to claims for lighter damage.

  • February 13, 2025

    Condo Association Seeks Over $450K For Property Damage

    A Florida condo association is seeking over $450,000 from its insurer for property damage occurring because of various conditions over six years, according to a lawsuit removed to Florida federal court Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • 3rd Circ.'s Geico Ruling May Encourage Healthcare Arbitration

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    The Third Circuit's recent decision in Geico v. Mount Prospect, finding that claims under New Jersey's Insurance Fraud Prevention Act can be arbitrated, strengthens arbitration as a viable alternative to litigation, even though it is not necessarily always a more favorable forum, say Khaled Klele and Jessica Osterlof at McCarter & English.

  • Key Lessons From Recent Insurance Policy Reform Litigation

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    A review of recent case law reveals the wide range of misunderstandings that may arise between insurers and policyholders in the purchase and renewal of insurance policies, as well as the utility — and the limits — of reformation and related remedies for these misunderstandings, say Jad Khazem and Seth Tucker at Covington.

  • Insurance Types That May Help Cos. After Key Bridge Collapse

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    Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, businesses that depend on the bridge, the Port of Baltimore and related infrastructure for shipment and distribution of cargo should understand which common types of first-party insurance coverage may provide recoveries for financial losses, say Bert Wells and Richard Lewis at Reed Smith.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Leveraging Insurance Amid Microplastics Concerns

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    A pending microplastics lawsuit — New York v. PepsiCo Inc. — may be a harbinger of what is to come for companies whose products are exposed to the environment, so any company considering how to address microplastics liability should include a careful assessment of the potential for insurance coverage in its due diligence, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • An American Policyholder's Guide To UK Insurance Arbitration

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    No matter how experienced U.S. policyholders are in stateside disputes, the procedural quirks of U.K. insurance arbitration mean Americans should learn a few key differences between U.S. litigation and London arbitration before heading across the pond, says Robert Jacobs at Blank Rome.

  • 5 Climate Change Regulatory Issues Insurers Should Follow

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    The climate change landscape for insurers has changed dramatically recently — and not just because of the controversy over the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related risk disclosure rules, says Thomas Dawson at McDermott.

  • Breaking Down 4th Circ. Pendent Appellate Jurisdiction Ruling

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    As illustrated by the Fourth Circuit's recent decision in Elegant Massage v. State Farm, denying class certification and granting a motion to dismiss, federal appellate courts continue to struggle with defining the scope of pendent appellate jurisdiction — or jurisdiction over nonfinal orders below, says Joan Steinman at the Chicago-Kent College of Âé¶¹´«Ã½.

  • Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss notable insurance class action decisions from the first quarter of the year ranging from salvage vehicle titling to rate discrimination based on premium-setting software.

  • Why RWI Insurers Should Consider Excluding PFAS

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    As regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances escalates, carriers providing representations and warranties insurance should reconsider providing PFAS coverage on a case-by-case basis, say Dave Bartoletti and Ina Avalon at Taft Stettinius.

  • Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert

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    As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: April Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses three notable circuit court decisions on topics from the Class Action Fairness Act to consumer fraud — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including CAFA’s local controversy exception and Article III standing to seek injunctive relief.

  • Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Âé¶¹´«Ã½yer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

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