General Liability

  • June 06, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Revive State Farm Auto Policy Coverage Fight

    The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Thursday the dismissal of a State Farm auto policyholder's proposed class action alleging the insurer breaches its own policies by routinely denying medical expense coverage based on an ambiguous "reasonableness" standard, finding that the policyholder's interpretation of the policy would render parts of it "meaningless."

  • June 06, 2024

    Justices' Standing Ruling May Embolden Carriers In Ch. 11

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday that an insurer with a responsibility for its policyholder's Chapter 11 bankruptcy claims can intervene in those bankruptcy proceedings, potentially giving insurers greater leverage in reorganization negotiations and likely causing an influx of insurer objections in bankruptcy court, experts tell Law360.

  • June 06, 2024

    Insurers' Climate Exposure Poses Risk To US Housing Market

    Climate risks to already strained insurance markets could significantly disrupt the U.S. housing market and the broader financial system, according to insurance, banking and housing experts, as well as a growing body of academic research leveraging new risk data.

  • June 06, 2024

    State Farm Escapes Policyholder's Life Insurance GIPA Suit

    An Illinois state court has permanently tossed a State Farm policyholder's privacy claims targeting family medical history questions the insurer asked as part of its life insurance underwriting process, agreeing with its argument that the state's Genetic Information Privacy Act doesn't apply to life insurance.

  • June 06, 2024

    8th Circ. To Mull If Geico Auto Policy Covers HPV Claim

    The Eighth Circuit will hear oral arguments Wednesday over whether Geico should cover $5.2 million awarded to a woman claiming she contracted HPV during sexual encounters in a policyholder's car, with the case turning on whether her bodily injury claim must arise from the normal use of an automobile.

  • June 06, 2024

    Liquor Liability Costs Shake And Stir SC's Hospitality Industry

    As the South Carolina General Assembly returned to session Wednesday, grassroots organizations advocating for small businesses gathered at the State House for a press conference urging elected officials to reform legislation burdening restaurants, bars and music venues with increasingly high costs of liability insurance.

  • June 06, 2024

    Dollar Tree Mint's Injury To Toddler Not Covered, Insurer Says

    The insurer of a breath mint manufacturer told a Missouri federal court that due to a pollution exclusion in its policy, it shouldn't have to defend against a suit alleging a toddler suffered severe esophageal injuries after swallowing freshening drops sold by Dollar Tree.

  • June 06, 2024

    Insurance Broker Expert Says AI 'Top Risk' For Policyholders

    Companies are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence technologies into their work, raising concerns in the insurance sector about the potential for growing risks and what coverage options are available for that exposure.

  • June 06, 2024

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court allowed an insurer to intervene in policyholder bankruptcy proceedings, Liberty Mutual requested that a policyholder-judge be removed from a construction accident coverage dispute, and a Markel unit is attempting to skirt a $77.7 million auto accident judgment. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • June 06, 2024

    In Reversal, Justices Say Insurer Has Standing In Ch. 11 Case

    Truck Insurance Exchange can intervene in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of two manufacturing companies facing numerous asbestos injury claims, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday in a reversal of the Fourth Circuit, finding Truck qualifies as a "party in interest" under the Bankruptcy Code.

  • June 06, 2024

    Justices Affirm Taxing Of Estate On Insurance Payout

    The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed on Thursday a decision denying a tax refund to the estate of an owner of a building materials company that used a payout from his $3.5 million life insurance policy to purchase his shares in the business.

  • June 05, 2024

    Chubb Needn't Cover $14.5M Mold Deal, 11th Circ. Says

    A $14.5 million consent judgment that a Florida woman secured against her condominium's property manager over what she alleged was mold exposure cannot be enforced against a pair of Chubb insurers, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed, saying the manager's carriers did not breach their duty to defend.

  • June 05, 2024

    Fire Co. Shuts Down Insurer's $3.7M Subrogation Bid

    A hotel's insurer cannot seek reimbursement from a fire protection company for its roughly $3.7 million coverage payment following a pipe rupture in the hotel's fire sprinkler system, an Ohio federal court ruled, finding the hotel and fire protection company waived their respective insurers' subrogation rights. 

  • June 04, 2024

    Wildfire Attys Descend On Colo. As Xcel Litigation Ramps Up

    Hundreds of lawsuits seeking to hold Xcel Energy responsible for a devastating 2021 Colorado wildfire are just the latest battleground for a relatively small community of lawyers who have been involved in some of the biggest catastrophic fire suits in the western U.S. 

  • June 04, 2024

    Liberty Mutual Wants NJ Judge Removed From Accident Case

    Liberty Mutual urged a New Jersey federal judge to recuse himself from a construction accident coverage case Monday arguing that he failed to disclose at the beginning of litigation that he holds multiple policies with the insurer dating back to 1980 and was previously investigated over a missing jewelry claim.

  • June 04, 2024

    No Coverage For $77.7M Auto Crash Judgment, Insurer Says

    A company facing a nearly $77.7 million judgment over a car accident involving one of its employees shouldn't get coverage under its commercial general liability policy, the company's insurer told a California federal court, pointing to an auto exclusion.

  • June 03, 2024

    PacifiCorp To Pay $178M To 400 Oregonians Over Fires

    PacifiCorp has agreed to pay $178 million to more than 400 Oregon residents affected by a cluster of wildfires that burned more than a million acres of land on Labor Day 2020 amid dangerously dry and windy weather conditions, the utility announced Monday.

  • June 03, 2024

    Surgeons Denied Early Exit From GEICO's Bogus Injury Suit

    A pair of orthopedic surgeons can't escape GEICO's lawsuit claiming they conspired with a personal injury attorney to file inflated insurance claims for car accident victims based on bogus medical documents, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Monday.

  • June 03, 2024

    Real Estate Co., Nationwide Settle CFO Theft Dispute

    A New York federal judge agreed to dismiss a coverage dispute between a property management company and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. over nearly $1 million that the company's former chief financial officer was accused of stealing, following the parties' notice that they reached an agreement.

  • May 31, 2024

    Contractor, Insurers Settle NYC Four Seasons Coverage Row

    A New York federal judge dismissed a general contractor's suit seeking coverage from two insurers for an underlying $1 million action over damage to a Four Seasons hotel in midtown Manhattan, saying the parties have reached a proposed settlement.

  • May 31, 2024

    GRSM50 Brings On Clausen Miller Insurance Pro In SF

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, which now goes by the name GRSM50, is expanding its team, announcing Thursday it is bringing on a Clausen Miller PC insurance specialist as a partner in its San Francisco office.

  • May 30, 2024

    NRA Wins Free Speech High Court Battle But May Lose Its War

    The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the National Rifle Association to proceed with its lawsuit alleging a former New York state official unlawfully pressured financial institutions to cut ties, but the group may now face greater hurdles to final victory.

  • May 30, 2024

    Travelers Loses Dismissal Bid In BIPA Coverage Dispute

    A New York federal judge declined to trim a software company's lawsuit seeking coverage from a Travelers unit for underlying claims that the company violated the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act, finding the company's declaratory relief and bad faith claims were not duplicative of a breach of contract claim.

  • May 30, 2024

    Only $100K Owed For NJ Theater's Virus Losses, Judge Says

    A Zurich unit owed a theater only $100,000 for its COVID-19-related losses under its policy's communicable disease coverage provision, a New Jersey federal court ruled, rejecting the theater's arguments that each public health order constituted a separate occurrence and that a "blanket" $1.9 million limit was applicable.

  • May 30, 2024

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court revived the National Rifle Association's free speech claims against a former New York state official, a Washington state appeals court ended Quest Diagnostics' bid for COVID-related coverage, and market analyst AM Best reported record investment income for U.S. property and casualty insurers in 2023.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices Must Apply Law Evenly In Shadow Docket Rulings

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    In recent shadow docket decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court has inconsistently applied the requirement that parties demonstrate irreparable harm to obtain injunctive relief, which is problematic for two separate but related reasons, says David Hopkins at Benesch.

  • Where NY Regulator's Insurance Investigation Is Headed

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    The New York Department of Financial Services' recent inquiry into property and casualty insurers' usage of credit information in underwriting could precede a number of actions addressing the practice, say Matthew Gaul and Maxfield Fey at Willkie.

  • What Cos. Can Glean From Early Cyber Policy Cases

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    Insurance claims for cyberattacks under cyber-specific policies have thus far been less contested than claims brought under commercial, crime and professional liability policies, however that may be changing, as cyber losses and liabilities continue to escalate and the market hardens, says Daniel Healy at Anderson Kill.

  • A Guide To Extrinsic Evidence In Determining Duty To Defend

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    As the eight-corners rule for the duty to defend is increasingly riddled with exceptions to its strict formulation of confining the analysis to only the language of the insurance policy and the underlying complaint, Richard Mason at MasonADR discusses the newest notable decisions and offers strategies for attorneys litigating the duty to defend.

  • What Insureds Should Look For In Excess Policies

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    A recent California appellate court decision, Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Cement, demonstrates how courts will protect policyholder expectations against primary insurance carriers' actions that might restrict available excess coverage, and highlights how insureds should be diligent in reviewing excess policies on primary erosion, say Courtney Horrigan and Elizabeth Taylor at Reed Smith.

  • New 'Bad Faith' Claim Law Holds NJ Insurers Accountable

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    New Jersey’s recently enacted Insurance Fair Conduct Act, giving policyholders a bad faith cause of action for claims involving uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, is an important step toward countering unfair insurer advantage and expanding consumer protections, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Insurance Implications Of Texas '8 Corners' Rulings

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    Two recent Texas Supreme Court opinions resolve a long-pending question by reaffirming the so-called eight-corners rule as the primary means for determining an insurer's duty to defend, which should provide greater consistency between future state and federal decisions, says Susan Kidwell at Locke Lord.

  • Why I'll Miss Arguing Before Justice Breyer

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    Carter Phillips at Sidley shares some of his fondest memories of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer both inside and out of the courtroom, and explains why he thinks the justice’s multipronged questions during U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments were everything an advocate could ask for.

  • Defense Counsel Must Alter Tactics To Fight Outsize Verdicts

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    If defense counsel continue to use the same strategies they’ve always relied on without recognizing plaintiffs attorneys’ new playbook, so-called nuclear verdicts, such as the recent $730 million jury verdict in a wrongful death case in Texas, will continue to proliferate, says Robert Tyson at Tyson & Mendes.

  • Policyholder Wins Push Boundaries Of Insurer Duty To Defend

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    A recent string of federal and state appellate court decisions, expanding insurers' broad duty of defense to cover inferences, implications and reasonable interpretations raised by the underlying suit, should encourage policyholders seeking coverage, says Tae Andrews at Miller Friel.

  • Examining Event Cancellation Coverage As COVID Lingers

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    Recent pandemic-related postponements from the NBA, NFL and Grammys, coupled with COVID-19 being excluded from new event cancellation policies, highlight the need for event organizers to explore cancellation risks and how specialty coverage can serve as a tool for mitigation, say Jorge Aviles and Andrea DeField at Hunton.

  • Using Insurance Coverage To Fund Early Settlement

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    A recent settlement between health care company Vision Path and the Federal Trade Commission shows that settling early is a prudent consideration to avoid defense costs and preserve the bulk of the insurer budget for a settlement or judgment, say Jason Callen and Beau Creson at K&L Gates.

  • Fla.'s New Appeal Rule Will Cause More Harm Than It Cures

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    Florida's new procedural rule, permitting interlocutory appeals of orders that allow complaint amendment to add punitive damages, champions an unnecessary and often overly broad solution at the expense of the timely administration of justice, say Hugh Lumpkin and Wesley Butensky at Reed Smith.