General Liability
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July 25, 2024
Retailer Urges NC Justices To Revive COVID Coverage Row
A clothing company told North Carolina's highest court that the state's appeals court erred in dismissing its lawsuit attempting to recover COVID-19-related losses from its insurer, arguing that the lower court disregarded the omission of a virus exclusion from the policy, which "concede[d] that a virus can cause 'damage.'"
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July 25, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
Massachusetts’ top court sided with a hospital owner in a storm damage coverage dispute, the California Supreme Court revived a suit over State Farm’s claims-handling practices and the Ninth Circuit affirmed an insurer’s COVID-19 coverage win. Here, Law360 takes a look at this week's top insurance news.
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July 25, 2024
Climate Risks Heighten Inequities In Insurance Crisis
Climate risks are contributing to higher homeowners insurance prices and a crisis of uninsured households, particularly among low-income homeowners and people of color, experts say, with some saying "transformative" change is needed to solve the problem.
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July 25, 2024
Policyholder Attys Cheer Justices' Ruling On 'Surface Waters'
Like a bridge over troubled water, Massachusetts' highest court laid down a rejection of the term "surface waters," finding insurers couldn't rely on the phrase to limit coverage to a storm-damaged hospital in an opinion celebrated by policyholder attorneys as providing far-reaching clarity on a contested issue.
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July 24, 2024
6th Circ. Floats Remand Of Geico Agent Misclassification Suit
The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday pressed Geico about plan documents reviewed by a lower court when it tossed agents' claims they were misclassified as independent contractors, floating the possibility of sending the case back for limited discovery.
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July 24, 2024
Liberty Mutual Gets $2.4M Oil Contamination Row Trimmed
A New York federal judge trimmed a $2.4 million coverage dispute between Liberty Mutual and an oil and gas trader over losses related to a contaminated oil shipment, finding that although the trader met its burden to make a case for recovery, certain contaminated product was excluded from coverage.
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July 24, 2024
Nationwide Urges Mich. Court To Stand By Unitary Biz Ruling
The Michigan Court of Appeals properly ruled that insurance companies that are part of Nationwide should file their taxes as a unitary group, the company told the appeals court, saying the state Treasury Department's request for reconsideration should be denied.
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July 23, 2024
Insurers Must Defend Well Driller In Lead Contamination Suit
Insurers must defend a drilling company accused of contaminating a rental property's water supply with dangerous levels of lead, a Montana federal court ruled, saying they haven't shown the underlying claims fall outside the policies' insuring agreements or are otherwise excluded from coverage.
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July 22, 2024
Zurich Unit Needn't Cover Motorcyclist's Crash Dispute
The Third Circuit affirmed a Zurich unit's win Monday in a dispute over coverage for a boiler company sued by a motorcyclist injured in a crash with a company employee, saying not only are the motorcyclist's claims untimely, but the company's policy excludes coverage for the accident.
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July 22, 2024
Nationwide Seeks Travelers' Aid In Hot Tub Illness Row
Nationwide told a California federal court a Travelers unit must help defend a condominium association in an underlying lawsuit brought by a resident alleging he needed a double lung transplant because of hot tub contaminants, arguing Travelers' pollution exclusion and fungi or bacteria exclusion didn't apply.
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July 19, 2024
Hanover Tries To Delay $13.4M Award Over Home-Care Death
Massachusetts-based Hanover Insurance Group says it should not be forced to pay a $13.4 million judgment awarded by a jury in March to the family of a man who died in a Connecticut group home until the home operator's appeal is decided, in a motion filed in New Haven Superior Court.
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July 19, 2024
Mich. Panel OKs Nonresidents To Seek No-Fault Tort Damages
Nonresidents of Michigan or individuals whose vehicles aren't registered in Michigan can still recover tort damages for their in-state auto injuries under Michigan's no-fault insurance law, a state appeals court ruled, even if they violate a statute requiring proper no-fault insurance if they stay in Michigan for over 30 days.
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July 19, 2024
Regeneron Rips DOJ's FCA Suit As 'Divorced From Reality'
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. has told a Massachusetts federal judge that a False Claims Act suit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice claiming the company withheld information about a drug's average sales price was "divorced from reality" and the practice the government was complaining about was commonplace.
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July 18, 2024
Insurer Settles Coverage Row Over Wash. Day Care Sex Abuse
Following a contested nearly $25 million settlement agreement, an insurance coverage dispute arising from the molestation of children at an Olympia, Washington, day care center has been resolved, a Washington federal court announced Thursday.
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July 18, 2024
Towers Watson's Bump-Up Appeal Lifts Policyholder Hopes
Towers Watson's request that the Fourth Circuit reject a lower court decision freeing its insurers from paying out $54 million in directors and officers coverage has raised policyholders' hopes that a favorable ruling will clarify the reach of so-called bump-up exclusions.
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July 18, 2024
Tobacco Cooperative's $10M Coverage Suit Trimmed
A North Carolina federal court pared down a tobacco cooperative's suit accusing its excess insurer of wrongfully refusing to pay up to the full $10 million policy limit for defense and settlement costs associated with underlying suits brought by member growers.
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July 18, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Panel Backs Restoring DHS Bond Rule
A Ninth Circuit panel upheld a Department of Homeland Security rule barring some immigration surety firms from posting bonds for detained border-crossers Thursday, saying the rule's 2021 ratification by current Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas cured any defects with its original introduction in 2020.
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July 18, 2024
9th Circ. Weighs Nevada High Court Cert. In Subrogation Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Thursday suggested it might certify a question to the Nevada Supreme Court over whether an insurer can subrogate against another carrier if an underlying, covered settlement doesn't exceed their combined limits, questioning the extent they should be persuaded by two unpublished Nevada Supreme Court decisions.
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July 18, 2024
Vineyard Says Insurer Owes Coverage For $50M Of Bad Wine
A vineyard is blaming its excess insurer for refusing to contribute to a settlement after an underlying lawsuit asserted more than $50 million in claims against it for allegedly damaging over 300,000 cases of wine, according to a case moved to Washington federal court.
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July 18, 2024
FEMA Flood Standard A Step In Right Direction, Experts Say
The Biden Administration's decision last week to continue implementing a stronger flood protection standard is being welcomed by experts as a way to improve resiliency, even though the rule likely won't have a significant direct effect on flood insurance.
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July 18, 2024
General Liability Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2024
Insurance experts are keeping their eyes peeled on a number of pending commercial general liability cases, including a potential ruling from the Third Circuit on the duty to defend a hotel accused of participating in sex trafficking and a Tenth Circuit decision on the application of an absolute pollution exclusion. Here, Law360 looks at the general liability cases to watch in the second half of 2024.
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July 18, 2024
Former Md. Insurance Head Reflects On Return To DLA Piper
Kathleen Birrane returned to DLA Piper to lead the firm's U.S. insurance regulatory practice after four years as Maryland's insurance commissioner, resuming her role in private practice with years of experience working across state and international lines on emerging issues. Law360 spoke with Birrane by email about her career.
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July 18, 2024
Colo. Injury Firm, Insurer End Bad Faith Suit
Two months after a Colorado personal injury firm and insurer settled a dispute over coverage of litigation costs, the two sides have agreed to dismiss the firm's lawsuit against a former firm attorney accused of trying to steal its entire class action department.
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July 18, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
An Amazon insurer was given the green light to pursue its subrogation claims, a former Georgia insurance commissioner was sentenced to 3½ years for his kickback scheme, 3M couldn't get a quick win in its combat earplugs multidistrict litigation coverage dispute, and an electronics components maker lost its $100 million COVID-19 coverage appeal. Here, Law360 takes a look at this week's top insurance news.
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July 18, 2024
Ga. Mineral Co. Can't Nab Win In Row Over Talc Suit Coverage
A Georgia federal judge declined to grant a win to a mineral products company trying to compel a Travelers unit to defend it against an underlying suit claiming that it supplied asbestos-containing talc products.
Expert Analysis
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Illinois Trump Tower Ruling Illuminates Insurance 'Occurrence'
In Continental Casualty v. 401 North Wabash Venture, an Illinois appellate court found that Trump Tower was not entitled to insurance coverage for operating its HVAC system without a permit, helping to further define a widely litigated general liability insurance issue — what constitutes an "occurrence," say Robert Tugander and Greg Mann at Rivkin Radler.
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How Shareholder Activists Are Targeting Insurers
As shareholder activists take a closer look at the insurance industry, they are pushing insurers to take value-enhancing and climate-related measures — but insurers can prepare by anticipating activist concerns, maintaining robust shareholder engagement, and considering changes in response to the universal proxy rules, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Breaking Down Insurers' Improper Recoupment Efforts
In a recent trend, insurance companies have sought to recoup defense costs from their policyholders, but there are four counterarguments that policyholders can deploy to fend off these concerning recoupment efforts, say William Passannante and Nicholas Bradley at Anderson Kill.
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Insurers Should Prepare For 'Black Swan' Climate Disasters
As rapid climate change results in increased risk of casualties and property loss from rare, severe weather events, the insurance industry should take five crucial steps toward evolving and continuing operations, including advanced analytic techniques and investments in alternative energy sources, say Stephen Brown and Irena Maier at Wilson Elser.
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How Ill. Supreme Court Could Shape Statutory Violation Cases
In Fausett v. Walgreens, the Illinois Supreme Court will take up the question of whether a violation of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act satisfies the injury-in-fact requirement, and any outcome could significantly change the litigation landscape in Illinois, say Donald Patrick Eckler and Joshua Zhao at Freeman Mathis.
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3 Quirks Of New Jersey Insurance Coverage Law
There are a multitude of state-specific requirements and nuances that make New Jersey insurance law unique, including in the areas of duty to defend, reservation of rights and bad faith, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.
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Conn. Insurers Should Note Stricter Market Exit Oversight
The Connecticut Insurance Department recently issued a bulletin that reflects a unique and stricter approach to insurers' market withdrawals and reductions in property and casualty business, making clear that it will not assess compliance based on an insurer's intent, but on the effect of the insurer's actions, says Elizabeth Retersdorf at Day Pitney.
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Extreme Weather And Renewable Project Insurance Coverage
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
The regularity and severity of extreme weather events driven by climate change are putting renewable energy projects increasingly at risk — so project owners, contractors and investors should understand the issues that can arise in these situations when seeking recovery under a builder's risk insurance policy, say Paul Ferland and Joshua Tumen at Cozen O'Connor.
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Potential Relief For Nevada Insureds Is On The Horizon
A proposed regulation recently issued by the Nevada Division of Insurance would severely restrict the state's new law prohibiting burning-limits policies, enacting welcome changes to address businesses' concerns that the law will make it harder to obtain cost-effective liability insurance, says Sheri Thome at Wilson Elser.
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Suits Likely Over Nevada Law Limiting Claimant Injury Exams
A new Nevada law placing barriers on the mental or physical examinations that defendants use to evaluate claimants' injuries will likely spur waves of litigation to reconcile it with existing rules and practice, says Michael Lowry at Wilson Elser.
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Mass. Ruling Shows Value Of Additional Insured Specifics
A Massachusetts court’s recent D.F. Pray v. Wesco Insurance decision demonstrates that blanket additional insured endorsements can create issues with personal jurisdiction, so those named as additional insureds should require their lower-tier contractors to use specific endorsements, say Thomas Dunn and Sheya Rivard at Pierce Atwood.
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Insurance Cos. Are Stretching Construction Standard Limits
In the construction sector, the importance of closely vetting downstream parties' insurance policies has never been more critical — owners and general contractors need to be on the lookout for ever broader carrier-specific expansions of standard insurance provisions that are perilous for risk transfer, says Eric Clarkson at Saxe Doernberger.
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7 Ways Telco Operators Can Approach Lead Cable Claims
A recent spotlight on the telecommunication industry shows that companies in the field have known for decades that lead-wrapped cables proliferate in their vast networks, which is likely to provoke prolonged and costly legal battles — but seven best practices can efficiently resolve claims and minimize damage, say consultants at AlixPartners.