Specialty Lines
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April 03, 2025
Insurance Pros Size Up Major Industry Risks At NYC Forum
The influence of litigation financing, artificial intelligence and climate change on insurance law were among key topics this week as insurance experts discussed the biggest risks in the property and casualty space. Here, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 breaks down highlights of remarks by attorneys and industry experts at the Practising Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Institute in New York.
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April 02, 2025
Insurer Says $9M OpenText Merger Settlement Not Covered
An insurer said it is not obligated to contribute to a $9 million settlement in a shareholder class action stemming from Covisint's 2017 merger with software company OpenText, telling a Michigan federal court that the settlement does not constitute a covered loss.
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April 02, 2025
Potbelly Says Insurer Must Cover Wage Transparency Suit
Sandwich chain owner Potbelly Inc. told a Washington state court that its insurer wrongly refused to cover it in a proposed underlying class action alleging the business violated Washington's wage transparency law by failing to disclose pay and benefit information to job applicants.
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April 02, 2025
Insurer Gets Education Co.'s $2.2M Theft Coverage Bid Tossed
A Maryland federal court tossed an education management company's suit seeking excess coverage for over $2.2 million in employee embezzlement losses, saying the company failed to show its loss occurred during the relevant policy period.
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April 01, 2025
Insurer Can't Escape Aerospace Co.'s $3.3M Claim Denial Suit
An insurer for an aerospace products manufacturer can't escape claims that it wrongfully denied coverage of an approximately $3.3 million loss from fund mismanagement after years of delay, an Oregon federal court ruled.
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April 01, 2025
Hartford Unit Freed From Ill. Agency's $4M Wire Fraud Suit
An Illinois agency that administers the estates of financially distressed insurers can't get coverage from a Hartford unit for a computer system breach that the agency said caused roughly $4 million in outstanding losses, a federal court ruled, finding its claims fall outside an "electronic mail initiated fraud" coverage provision.
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April 01, 2025
Chamber, Trade Groups Back Insurer's Class Cert. Review Bid
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and major insurance industry groups urged the U.S. Supreme Court to undo a Ninth Circuit decision allowing a class action to proceed against State Farm over its use of "negotiation adjustments" to calculate payouts for totaled vehicles.
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April 01, 2025
Homeowners Premiums Rose 24% In 3 Years, Report Says
Average homeowners insurance premiums in the United States rose by 24% from 2021 to 2024, a national crisis that is putting pressure on Americans with mortgage burdens, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Consumer Federation of America.
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March 31, 2025
Trucking Co. Says Insurers Owe Coverage For BIPA Suit
A trucking company's insurers owe coverage for underlying litigation brought by a former employee who said the company violated his biometric privacy rights by using a hand-scanning timekeeping system that stored his protected personal data, the company told an Illinois federal court.
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March 31, 2025
Insurer Can Limit Rates But Not Counsel In Utility Litigation
A Swiss Re unit can limit the rates it pays to defend utility company Aqua's successor entity in litigation over alleged lead contamination in a Chicago suburb's water supply, a Pennsylvania federal judge has ruled, adding that the insurer cannot make Aqua change its counsel.
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March 31, 2025
Progressive Says Motorcycles Aren't 'Autos' For Crash Claims
Progressive asked a North Carolina federal court to declare it does not owe bodily injury coverage to a woman who was hurt while riding as a passenger on a motorcycle that went off the road, arguing in its new complaint that the motorcycle is not an "auto" for "auto accident" coverage.
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March 28, 2025
AIG Unit Wins No-Defense Ruling For NY Ghost Gun Suits
An AIG unit has no duty to defend a Washington-state-based firearms retailer in three underlying lawsuits accusing the retailer of knowingly selling unfinished components that could be used to assemble what are commonly known as ghost guns, a New York federal court ruled, finding the complaints do not allege accidental conduct.
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March 28, 2025
LA Zoo Org. Not Covered In City Contract Row, Insurer Says
An insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify the Los Angeles Zoo's nonprofit arm in a contractual dispute brought by the city, the carrier told a California federal court, saying claims arising out of a breach of contract or related to the association's professional services are excluded.
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March 28, 2025
Insurer Denied Early Win In $6.1M Cargo Loss Coverage Suit
A New York federal judge said there was too much controversy to hand an early win to a stone company in its case seeking coverage of a more than $6.1 million loss over marble destroyed by a snail infestation.Â
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March 27, 2025
P&C Insurers Return To Profits Amid Economic Uncertainty
Property and casualty insurers collected record-setting profits in 2024, but macroeconomic conditions and other factors threaten to stymie their growth, says a broker and author of a recent report. Here, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 speaks to Vince Gaffigan about what drove growth, the looming risks ranging from inflation to catastrophic weather events, and what brokers and insureds should do to ready themselves against an array of uncertainties.
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March 27, 2025
PNC's $106M Coverage Loss Cautionary Tale For Acquisitions
A recent Third Circuit ruling rejecting PNC Bank's more than $100 million coverage bid for an underlying judgment against a subsidiary highlights a small but potentially impactful provision precluding coverage for wrongful acts that occur prior to an acquisition.
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March 27, 2025
Amid New Political Reality, NAIC Says No Fed Insurance Office
State insurance regulators made a significant push to limit perceived federal intrusion into their authority last week when their primary deliberative body called for the abolition of a U.S. Treasury office tasked with identifying and reporting on risks to the industry.
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March 27, 2025
Insurer Can't Escape Auto Co.'s $50M COVID Coverage Suit
An insurer can't escape an auto parts manufacturer's suit seeking $50 million in coverage for COVID-19-related losses, a North Carolina federal court ruled, saying the manufacturer sufficiently alleged that its losses are covered under the policy's communicable disease endorsement.
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March 27, 2025
Coverage Row Over OpenText Merger Now Moot, Judge Says
A Michigan federal court tossed on Thursday an insurer's lawsuit seeking a declaration that it had no duty to indemnify a shareholder class action stemming from Covisint's 2017 merger with software company OpenText, finding the dispute is now moot because the insurer's coverage limit has already been exhausted.
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March 27, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
An insurer will pay nearly $1 million to resolve claims it failed to protect drivers' data, Michigan's top court will take up two car insurance appeals, the Fifth Circuit was asked to set precedent with an assault coverage ruling and PNC Bank NA can't get coverage for a more than $106 million judgment. Here, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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March 27, 2025
NC Biz Court Limits Testimony In Smithfield Coverage Trial
A North Carolina business court judge refused to exclude expert witnesses from either side of an insurance coverage dispute between Smithfield Foods Inc. and a Chubb subsidiary, but did limit their testimony for the firms' upcoming April trial on how much the insurer owes for breaching its duty to defend.
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March 27, 2025
$6.3M Default Against Cannabis Co. Not Covered, Insurer Says
An insurer said it doesn't owe coverage for a $6.3 million default judgment entered against a medical cannabis testing company related to its fraudulent operations, telling a Mississippi federal court that the company failed to provide notice of various developments in an underlying government investigation and the subsequent lawsuit.
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March 26, 2025
Sotomayor Urges Caution On Nondelegation Doctrine Revamp
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor cautioned her colleagues during oral arguments Wednesday against using a challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's administration of a broadband subsidy program as a way to resurrect the long-dormant nondelegation doctrine. Several conservative justices, however, seemed willing to disregard that admonition.
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March 26, 2025
Illinois Supreme Court Denies Co.'s BIPA Coverage Appeal
The Illinois Supreme Court left intact an intermediate appellate panel's decision relieving two Liberty Mutual units of covering a home decor company in its underlying dispute with employees who said its timekeeping practices are in violation of the state's biometric data privacy law.
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March 25, 2025
Baltimore Bridge Collapse: One Year Later
Federal accident investigators' recent determination that Maryland could've done more to protect Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge from a devastating collapse may complicate the sprawling legal battle over liability and damages in the year since a cargo ship struck the bridge and crippled a major East Coast transportation hub.
Expert Analysis
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NC Ruling Takes Practical Approach To Duty-To-Defend Costs
In Murphy-Brown v. Ace American Insurance, a case of first impression, the North Carolina Business Court adopted the commonsense rationale of many state courts in holding that policyholders' defense costs should be deemed presumtively reasonable when a insurer breaches its duty to defend, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
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A Look At Insurance Coverage For Government Investigations
Attorneys at Jenner & Block discuss the quirks and potential pitfalls of insurance coverage for government claims and investigations, including those likely to arise from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently announced whistleblower program.
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Why Diversity Jurisdiction Poses Investment Fund Hurdles
Federal courts' continued application of the exacting rules of diversity jurisdiction presents particular challenges for investment funds, and in the absence of any near-term reform, those who manage such funds should take action to avoid diversity jurisdiction pitfalls, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.
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7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight
Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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Insurance Considerations For Cos. That May Face Strikes
The recent surge in major work stoppages in the U.S. highlights the growing importance of strike preparedness for businesses, which includes understanding strike insurance coverage options, say Chris D’Amour and Brooke Duncan at Adams and Reese.
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Challenges Of Insuring An NIL Collective
Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty examines the emergence of name, image and likeness collectives for student-athletes, the current litigation landscape that has created a favorable environment for these organizations, and considerations for director and officer insurers looking to underwrite NIL collectives.
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An Update On Legal Issues In The Drone Market
Marialuisa Gallozzi and Alex Slawson at Covington examine recent developments in the legal issues surrounding the growing drone market, including possible First Amendment protections, Fourth Amendment surveillance, and litigation involving criminal and civil penalties, evidentiary pursuits, and insurance.
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Key Insurance Implications Of Hawaii's Historic GHG Ruling
In Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance, the Hawaii Supreme Court became the first state court to classify greenhouse gasses as pollutants barred from insurance coverage, a ruling likely to be afforded great weight by courts across the country, say Scott Seaman and Gar Lauerman at Hinshaw & Culbertson.
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Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.
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Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code
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.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
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.
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Insurance Likely Kept Swift Out Of The Woods After Vienna
Financial losses Taylor Swift incurred from the cancellation of three concerts in Vienna in August will likely be covered by insurance policies, considering how the facts of the situation differ from those of the Foo Fighters' 2015 insurance dispute over event cancellation and terrorism coverage, say attorneys at Anderson Kill.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: September Lessons
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.