General Liability
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July 03, 2024
Geico To Pay Policyholders $2M To Settle Underpayment Suit
Geico policyholders asked a New Jersey federal judge for preliminary approval of a $1.9 million settlement resolving claims the insurer breached their policies by failing to pay title or registration transfer fees upon the total loss of an insured vehicle.
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July 03, 2024
Top General Liability Rulings From The First Half of 2024
The first six months of 2024 brought big wins for carriers involved in an opioid-related coverage dispute at the federal level, while state justices offered clarity for policyholders in claims-made commercial general liability policy interpretation and for a claimant's ability to pursue action against insurers. Here, Law360 breaks down the top commercial general liability rulings from the first half of the year.
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July 03, 2024
High Court's Regulatory Rulings Unsettle Coverage Risks
The U.S. Supreme Court's decisions that empower the courts at the expense of federal regulators' enforcement powers have unsettled the regulatory risks companies are used to, raising uncertainty for how professional and specialty line insurance coverage will adapt.
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July 03, 2024
After Chevron Deference: What Lawyers Need To Know
This term, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference, a precedent established 40 years ago that said when judges could defer to federal agencies' interpretations of law in rulemaking. Here, catch up with Law360's coverage of what is likely to happen next.
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July 03, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
An insurer won a coverage dispute over a $3.2 million injury verdict stemming from a bar fight, Texas' largest nonprofit health system failed to differentiate its pandemic business loss claims from other cases, and a petroleum company was denied coverage for multidistrict litigation over gas additives.
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July 02, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Rethink Hospitality Co.'s Virus Coverage Suit
The Ninth Circuit said Tuesday it would not rehear an international restaurant and nightclub operator's COVID-19 property insurance coverage appeal against a Liberty Mutual unit.
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July 02, 2024
Travelers Says No Coverage For Energy Co.'s Enviro Dispute
A Travelers unit said it has no coverage obligations to an energy company in a now-settled Louisiana state court suit over environmental damage, telling a Texas federal court that the company's failure to notify the insurer of the suit for more than eight years violated the policies.
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July 02, 2024
Calif. School District Says Chubb Must Cover Sex Abuse Suits
The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the country, accused several Chubb units of wrongfully denying coverage for 61 underlying sexual abuse claims, telling a state court that the underlying allegations create at least a potential for coverage under its policies.
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July 01, 2024
W.Va. Homeowner's Depreciation Suit Survives Dismissal
A West Virginia federal court declined to toss a homeowner's lawsuit accusing an insurer, broker and loss adjuster of unlawfully depreciating the value of his home after a flood, determining that the homeowner met the pleading standards to defeat dismissal.
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July 01, 2024
Gas Co. Not Covered For Pollution MDL, NY Court Rules
A petroleum company is not owed coverage for an underlying multidistrict litigation over remediation for groundwater contamination that the suit alleges was caused by a gasoline additive, a New York state appeals court said, holding that pollution exclusions in multiple of its policies applied to the contamination.
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July 01, 2024
Colo. Restaurant Says Insurer Must Cover Plumbing Damage
A Denver restaurant said it is owed coverage for its property losses and a neighbor's demand for reimbursement after a sewage leak allegedly caused by defective plumbing work damaged a commercial condominium complex, telling a Colorado state court its insurer unreasonably denied or delayed coverage.
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June 28, 2024
Chevron's End Is Just The Start For Energized Agency Foes
By knocking down a powerful precedent that has towered over administrative law for 40 years, the U.S. Supreme Court's right wing Friday gave a crowning achievement to anti-agency attorneys. But for those attorneys, the achievement is merely a means to an end, and experts expect a litigation blitzkrieg to materialize quickly in the aftermath.
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June 28, 2024
In Chevron Case, Justices Trade One Unknown For Another
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overrule a decades-old judicial deference doctrine may cause the "eternal fog of uncertainty" surrounding federal agency actions to dissipate and level the playing field in challenges of government policies, but lawyers warn it raises new questions over what rules courts must follow and how judges will implement them.
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June 28, 2024
Uber Driver Axes Coverage Claims Against Co.'s Insurer
An Uber driver agreed to dismiss his claims against an insurer for Uber after he filed a suit in Massachusetts federal court accusing it and the ride-hailing company of wrongly refusing to offer him underinsured motorist coverage after he said he was severely injured in an accident.
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June 27, 2024
Proposed Calif. Insurance Tradeoff Draws Mixed Reactions
Insurance industry representatives and consumer advocates in California are pitching opposing visions for a proposed regulatory tradeoff at the heart of state officials’ efforts to increase homeowners insurance availability at a time of heightening wildfire risks.
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June 27, 2024
Auto Software Outage Turns Policyholders To Cyber Coverage
A ransomware attack against auto software company CDK Global that caused an ongoing disruption in the operations of car dealerships has sent policyholder experts pointing to cyber insurance policies for immediate relief.
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June 27, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The D.C. Circuit ordered coverage for water damage stemming from an excluded peril, a Nevada state court let a COVID-19 coverage suit remain despite a pro-insurer pandemic ruling from the state's justices, Travelers avoided defending asbestos suits and Nautilus Insurance prevailed in a $3 million logging injury coverage row.
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June 27, 2024
4th Circ. Revives Wood Treatment Injury Coverage Row
An insurer must cover the maker of a wood treatment product in a suit over a man's cancer diagnosis following decades of exposure to the chemical, the Fourth Circuit said Thursday in a published opinion reversing a lower court's finding.
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June 27, 2024
2024 'Super Election Year' Shows Value In Risk Management
Insurance experts are warning of potentially heightened risks as the 2024 presidential race ramps up in the U.S. and elections take place abroad, advising policyholders and insurers to maintain a strong understanding of their policies ahead of potential political unrest.
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June 27, 2024
Insurer Climate Risk Report Drawing Regulatory Attention
A recent report finding that insurers are making mixed progress on climate risk disclosures will draw regulators' attention as they continue to shape how carriers detail information about their emissions and climate policies, experts say.
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June 27, 2024
Insurer Gets Early Win In $2.2M Texas Assault Coverage Suit
A bar's insurer has no duty to cover a $3.2 million personal injury judgment beyond the insurer's $1 million policy limit, a Texas federal court ruled, rejecting arguments from the bar, its owner and underlying plaintiffs that the insurer unreasonably denied the plaintiffs' presuit settlement demand.
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June 26, 2024
Travelers Nabs Partial Win In Asbestos Coverage Dispute
A Travelers unit only has a duty to indemnify but not defend a drywall and paint company that faces several underlying asbestos injury lawsuits, a Texas federal court ruled, rejecting the company's reading of "not covered" in its umbrella policy providing excess coverage.
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June 25, 2024
1 Of 2 Carriers Off Hook For $8M Garage Damage Verdict
An insurer for a now-defunct maintenance company has no duty to cover an $8 million jury verdict it faces over parking garage damage, an Indiana federal court ruled, adding that whether a separate insurer for the company must foot the bill can not yet be determined.
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June 24, 2024
Lloyd's Seeks To Avoid Coverage For Beach Umbrella Death
Certain underwriters at Lloyd's, London told a South Carolina federal court Monday they should have no coverage obligations to a vacation rental owner over a wrongful death suit alleging that a woman was impaled by a "wind-driven" beach umbrella.
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June 24, 2024
Nev. Restaurant Co.'s COVID Suit Is Kept Alive
A group of insurers can't avoid a restaurant holding company's bid for coverage of COVID-19-related losses, a Nevada state court ruled, finding that the state supreme court's ruling on the subject didn't control the action because of an infectious disease endorsement in the company's policies.
Expert Analysis
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Trial Lawyers Rejoice: Justices May Clarify Issue Preservation
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent grant of certiorari in Dupree v. Younger should be a boon to trial and appellate lawyers as the decision will likely standardize a rule for appellate issue preservation, bringing much-needed clarity to an area critical to general litigation success, says Jeremy Christiansen at Gibson Dunn.
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Policyholder Lessons From 1st Circ. Duty To Defend Ruling
In Lionbridge Technologies v. Valley Forge Insurance, the First Circuit recently held that the obligation to defend an insured is not limited to the specific causes of action expressly stated in a complaint, providing policyholders with persuasive arguments in support of the duty to defend, say Catherine Doyle and Caroline Meneau at Jenner & Block.
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The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2022
Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2022, and explain how they may affect issues related to antitrust, the False Claims Act, federal jurisdiction and more.
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Cultivating Good Relationships With Insurance Regulators
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Insurers can develop mutually beneficial working relationships with insurance regulators by following some simple tips for streamlining communication, knowing how and when to ask for help, and treating regulatory staff with professional courtesy, says Layna Rush at Baker Donelson.
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More Stringent Calif. Claim Law Could Benefit Policyholders
Although a new California statute that imposes additional requirements for policyholder presuit demands — effective Jan. 1 — was ostensibly passed as a bad faith liability shield for insurers, used correctly it may provide a more specific road map for plaintiff recovery, says Shanti Eagle at Farella Braun.
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Yahoo TCPA Coverage Case Protects 'Sophisticated Insureds'
The California Supreme Court's recent decision in Yahoo v. National Union, finding coverage for Telephone Consumer Protection Act claims despite Yahoo's status as a so-called sophisticated insured, highlights why policyholder-friendly rules of construction are not just logical, but necessary, say David Kroeger and Steven Tinetti at Jenner & Block.
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NY Panel's COVID Nursing Home Case Order Spurs Questions
The New York Litigation Coordinating Panel's recent final order to coordinate the resolution of COVID-19 nursing home cases leaves critical parameters for the cases coming under the order undefined, such as time frame and injury, say Christopher Potenza and Elizabeth Adymy at Hurwitz Fine.
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Check This List Twice: 4 Steps To Abate Coverage Concerns
This holiday season give your company the gift of following easy administrative steps to avoid the far-too-common clerical errors that could lead to forfeited insurance coverage, say Vivek Chopra and Mattison Kim at Perkins Coie.
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Lessons On Notice From 7th Circ. Claims-Made Policy Ruling
The Seventh Circuit's recent decision in Hanover Insurance v. R.W. Dunteman contains broad lessons for policyholders — as many claims-made policies include similar aggregation and claims notice provisions as the one at issue — on how to preserve coverage, say Brian Scarbrough and Maura Smyles at Jenner & Block.
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Trends And Opportunities In Canada's Insurance M&A Market
Laurie LaPalme and Derek Levinsky at Dentons discuss the results of a survey regarding Canada's insurance mergers and acquisitions market, and their expectations for the next year in this space — including an increased focus on accident and sickness insurance, and technology-focused assets.
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Breach Cases Hint At Liability Coverage For Mobile Losses
Although federal courts haven't ruled on whether commercial general liability insurance covers companies' revenue losses when customers cannot use their mobile devices, recent cases involving Target and Home Depot payment card data breaches suggest that coverage may be available, says Morgan Churma at Farella Braun.
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Coverage Ruling Confirms Policy Ambiguities Favor Insureds
A recent Georgia federal court decision, Penn-America Insurance v. VE Shadowood, finding for the insured on a policy containing conflicting endorsements, underscores that coverage cannot be defeated by contradictory terms when policies include coverage extensions, say Shaun Crosner and Tae Andrews at Pasich.
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Capturing Insurance Coverage For Climate Change Suits
As municipalities increasingly file suits seeking damages from oil companies in connection with climate change, the companies should consider filing actions to forestall insurer denials of commercial general liability coverage based on theories of novelty or inapplicable pollution exclusions, say attorneys at Haynes and Boone.