General Liability

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • March 25, 2025

    Insurers Claim 4th Circ. Must Revisit Ruling For Aluminum Co.

    Insurers in a coverage cap dispute with an aluminum company have asked the Fourth Circuit to reconsider an opinion holding that an ambiguous policy provision must be construed in the company's favor, calling it contrary to South Carolina law.

  • March 25, 2025

    Insurers Must Face Heating Oil Buyers' $35M Coverage Suit

    Customers who allege they suffered $35 million in damage after purchasing substandard heating oil can continue to seek coverage of underlying litigation, with a Massachusetts federal judge saying Tuesday their case contained enough controversy to deny insurers summary judgment.

  • March 25, 2025

    5th Circ. Urged To Publish Assault Coverage Ruling

    A Houston-based bar asked the Fifth Circuit to make precedential a recent ruling that found a lower court wrongfully limited an insurer's coverage obligations on an assault judgment rather than dismissing the case, saying the decision brought attention to existing case law that has been overlooked.

  • March 25, 2025

    Contractor Drops $1.1M Bond Dispute Against Liberty Mutual

    A Delaware-based plumbing and HVAC company has withdrawn its federal suit claiming that a general contractor and Liberty Mutual improperly withheld $1.1 million in payments for work the company completed on a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers elementary school project.

  • March 24, 2025

    Skechers Says Insurer Shirked Defense Of Nonslip Shoe Suit

    Skechers' insurer wrongfully refused to defend the shoe giant in a putative class action over slip-resistance problems with some of its shoes, Skechers told a California state court in seeking at least $750,000.

  • March 24, 2025

    Justices Won't Review Missing Comma Coverage Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court won't review an Eleventh Circuit decision that a missing comma in a Chubb unit's professional services policy did not alter its clear and unambiguous meaning excluding coverage for a food service company's audit, according to an order list Monday.

  • March 21, 2025

    Insurer Tells 8th Circ. No Coverage For Co. In Fatal Crash Suit

    An insurer does not need to defend or indemnify a logistics company against underlying wrongful death claims, the carrier told the Eighth Circuit, saying the company does not qualify as an insured under a trucking company's policy.

  • March 21, 2025

    No Coverage Owed For Fatal Nail Salon Shooting, Court Told

    A Progressive insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify a nail salon for any potential claims stemming from a fatal shooting, the carrier told a Louisiana federal court, saying coverage is barred by the policy's assault or battery exclusion and other provisions.

  • March 20, 2025

    State Farm's Calif. Rate Request Exemplifies Long Negotiation

    California regulators' provisional approval of State Farm's premium increase request following the Los Angeles fires is another step forward in an insurance reform process that insurance pros view as a negotiation that has been protracted to the detriment of consumers.

  • March 20, 2025

    Opioid Orders Weigh Insurers' Role In Fighting Societal Harm

    Rulings barring supermarket chain Publix and drugmaker Mallinckrodt from obtaining coverage for underlying opioid claims have contributed to insurers' continued success in defining their obligations to these claims while raising the question of whether insurance is intended to help protect against widespread societal harm.

  • March 20, 2025

    Meet The Attys In Meta's Fight For Social Media MDL Coverage

    Meta has assembled a team of seasoned insurance recovery and technology lawyers led by Covington & Burling LLP to fight its insurers' bid to deny coverage for thousands of suits alleging harm from social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. Here, Law360 takes a look at the attorneys helping Meta in its coverage disputes.

  • March 20, 2025

    Mich. Judge Warns No-Fault Rulings Rely On 'Slick' Ground

    A Michigan appellate judge on Wednesday flagged potentially flawed reasoning behind recent appellate decisions regarding minimum bodily injury no-fault coverage under state law, but joined a majority panel in finding an insurer must pay the statutory minimums for a fatal crash because the policyholder did not select a lower option.  

  • March 20, 2025

    Progressive Wins $25M Appeal In Fla. Vehicle Injury Suit

    A Florida state appellate panel reversed a $25 million judgment against Progressive American Insurance Co. in a lawsuit brought by a pedestrian who was struck by a car, finding that the insurer wasn't given the required 60-day notice to address any bad faith dispute before a complaint was filed.

  • March 20, 2025

    Liberty Mutual Needn't Defend Texas Pileup Suits, Court Says

    A Liberty Mutual unit has no duty to defend contractors for a Texas interstate construction project in lawsuits over a fatal 130-vehicle pileup caused by a historic winter storm, a federal court ruled, saying the underlying claims relate to road maintenance rather than covered project-related work.

  • March 20, 2025

    Bottler's Wine Contamination Coverage Bid Tossed For Good

    A Nationwide unit prevailed again in getting a wine bottling company's coverage action thrown out, successfully arguing to a California federal court that a faulty work exclusion barred coverage for a since-settled lawsuit seeking $1.2 million in damages for wine contamination.

  • March 20, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The California Department of Insurance provisionally approved State Farm's request for an emergency rate hike, a North Carolina federal court found a convicted insurance mogul's company liable for $57 million in misappropriated client funds, and the Fifth Circuit reversed an insurer's win in a bar assault coverage dispute. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • March 19, 2025

    Insurers End Dispute Over Pizza Chain Salmonella Coverage

    Two insurers for a "take 'n' bake" pizza chain have settled a dispute over their contributions to a deal reached by their mutual insured in an underlying case over salmonella-tainted cookie dough, with a Washington federal court tossing the suit.

  • March 19, 2025

    NC Captive Insurer's Owner Can't Shirk Self-Dealing Claims

    North Carolina's business court has largely rejected a majority shareholder's efforts to curtail claims he seized control of a captive insurance company only to run it into the ground, finding the suit sufficiently ties him to unpaid premiums that dried up the insurer's sole source of revenue.

  • March 19, 2025

    Law360 Announces The Members Of Its 2025 Editorial Boards

    Law360 is pleased to announce the formation of its 2025 Editorial Advisory Boards.

  • March 18, 2025

    BetterHelp Demands Insurer Assist In $7.8M FTC Payment

    Online counseling company BetterHelp told a California federal court that its insurer must cover a $7.8 million Federal Trade Commission payment and must defend it in underlying litigation brought by consumers who claim the company violated laws via its collection, use and disclosure of private health information.

  • March 17, 2025

    Insurer Stands Alone Before $8.5M Condo Defect Judgment

    The insurer for a contractor can't get help from third-party insurers to pay an $8.5 million judgment for alleged shoddy workmanship on a 2005 condo project because a settlement agreement released them from all claims, a Florida federal judge said Monday.

  • March 14, 2025

    Williams Kastner Accused Of Malpractice After $128M Payout

    An insurer wouldn't have been forced to pay 64 times its policy limit after a deadly crane collapse in Seattle were it not for its attorneys at Williams Kastner, the carrier told a Washington state court, accusing its counsel of malpractice that caused it to pay $128 million.

  • March 14, 2025

    Calif. Insurance Chief OKs State Farm Rates Pending Hearing

    The California Department of Insurance on Friday provisionally approved State Farm's request for an emergency rate hike following the Los Angeles fires, including a nearly 22% increase for homeowners, saying final approval will be contingent on the insurer justifying its request at a hearing.

Expert Analysis

  • Tools For Witness Control That Go Beyond Leading Questions

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    Though leading questions can be efficient and effective for constraining a witness’s testimony, this strategy isn’t appropriate for every trial and pretrial scenario, so techniques like headlining and looping can be deployed during direct examination, depositions and even witness interviews, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • 4 Do's And Don'ts For Trial Lawyers Using Generative AI

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    Trial attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools should review a few key reminders, from the likelihood that prompts are discoverable to the rapid evolution of court rules, to safeguard against embarrassing missteps, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • NC COVID Ruling May Have Greater Coverage Implications

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    While the North Carolina Supreme Court's recent finding in favor of policyholders in a suit for business interruption coverage due to COVID-19 comes too late for most insureds to benefit, it should nonetheless have coverage implications far beyond COVID-19 claims, say attorneys at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • 5 Argument Techniques For Policyholder Advocates

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    Winning insurance coverage disputes often comes down to who has articulated the more compelling interpretation of the relevant policy language, which is why the best policyholder advocates come back to certain tried and true argument approaches, says Greg Van Houten at Haynes Boone.

  • Improving Comms Between Trial Attys And Tech Witnesses

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    In major litigation involving complex technology, attorneys should employ certain strategies to collaborate with companies' technical personnel more effectively to enhance both the attorney's understanding of the subject matter and the expert's ability to provide effective testimony in court, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • Ch. 11 Ruling Confirms Insurer Standing Requirements

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    A New York bankruptcy court's recent decision in the Syracuse Diocese's Chapter 11 case indicates that insurers have misread the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum and that federal standing requirements remain unaltered, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape

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    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape.

  • Courts Should Nix Conferencing Rule In 1 Discovery Scenario

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    Parties are generally required to meet and confer to resolve a discovery dispute before bringing a related motion, but courts should dispense with this conferencing requirement when a party fails to specify a time by which it will complete its production, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law.

  • Top Considerations For Insurance Companies In 2025

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    As insurance industry participants look to plan for the year, regulatory changes, climate-related challenges, the ongoing effects of social inflation and the potential for significant mergers and acquisitions will be among the key items for insurer boards and management to have on their radar, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • What Public View Of CEO's Killing Means For Corporate Trials

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    Given the proliferation of anti-corporate sentiments following recent charges against Luigi Mangione in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, attorneys who represent corporate clients and executives will need to adapt their trial strategy to account for juror anger, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation Consulting.

  • The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024

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    Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.

  • Insurance Considerations For LA Wildfire Recovery

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    Businesses and homeowners affected by the destructive Southern California wildfires must act swiftly and strategically to navigate the complexities of the insurance recovery process, including by identifying all applicable policies, documenting damage thoroughly and keeping abreast of relevant state law, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Artfully Conceding Liability Can Offer Defendants 3 Benefits

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    In the rare case that a company makes the strategic decision to admit liability, it’s important to do so clearly and consistently in order to benefit from the various forms of armor that come from an honest acknowledgment, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.