Property
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March 28, 2024
Insurer's $1.37M Suit Over Stolen Walmart Flare Gun Misfires
An Oregon federal judge has thrown out a $1.37 million suit from Ascot Specialty Insurance Co. against Walmart Inc. seeking to hold the retailer liable for a fire started by a stolen flare gun, saying the insurer has failed to show how Walmart is responsible for a third party's criminal acts.
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March 28, 2024
NC Justices' Split Leaves Willful Violation Question Unsolved
A dispute over coverage for a law firm accused of violating the Driver's Privacy Protection Act provided an opportunity for the North Carolina Supreme Court to interpret a policy exclusion for the willful violation of a statute, but experts say a deadlocked decision will leave the issue for another day.
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March 28, 2024
Insurer Ordered To Defend Legionnaires' Suits
The insurer of a nonprofit providing housing to at-risk individuals in New York City must defend it in three underlying lawsuits alleging that numerous residents contracted Legionnaires' disease at two properties in the Bronx, a New York federal court ruled, finding a communicable disease exclusion inapplicable.
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March 27, 2024
NC Commissioner Says Insurance Mogul's Argument 'Mistaken'
The North Carolina insurance commissioner asked the state's Supreme Court on Tuesday to allow him to give his take on a group of insurers' lawsuit against embattled mogul Greg Lindberg that alleges he pilfered the insurance companies as owner, saying if the court lets him submit an amicus brief he'll explain how Lindberg's main argument is "mistaken."
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March 27, 2024
2nd Circ. Weighs Broadening 'Claim' In Shareholder Dispute
The Second Circuit questioned Wednesday whether it should use a New York state appeals court ruling to broaden the meaning of "claim" in a propane company's directors and officers policy with a Liberty Mutual unit, including not just an entire underlying lawsuit but the individual causes of action within.
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March 26, 2024
Insurer's Intervention In Sex-Trafficking Coverage Suit Limited
Starr Indemnity & Liability Co. can intervene in another insurer's suit against a hospitality company over coverage for sex trafficking allegations, but only if the other carrier's policy isn't rescinded and the case proceeds to a second phase of litigation, a Texas federal court has ruled.
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March 26, 2024
UK Marine Insurer Investigating Baltimore Bridge Crash
Britannia, a British marine insurer, confirmed Tuesday that it is working with authorities in Baltimore after a container ship destroyed the city's landmark Francis Scott Key Bridge in a collision that experts say is likely to cost the insurance sector billions of dollars in claims.
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March 25, 2024
No Coverage for Pa. ATV Accident, Insurer Says
Truck Insurance Exchange has told a Pennsylvania state court it should owe no coverage to a policyholder facing a personal injury suit over an all-terrain vehicle accident, saying the policyholder's insurance agent "intentionally" failed to disclose the accident before Truck issued the policy.
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March 22, 2024
Insurer Urges 9th Circ. To Reverse LA Port Co.'s Defense Win
United National Insurance Co. urged the Ninth Circuit on Friday to reverse a ruling that the insurer was obligated to defend a Los Angeles port company against pollution claims brought by the city, saying the lower court erroneously failed to enforce the policy's qualified pollution exclusion.
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March 21, 2024
AI Presents Risk To Insurers And Policyholders, Panelists Say
The growing use of artificial intelligence presents a risk to both insurers and insureds, experts said during a webinar Thursday, advising policyholders and their attorneys on how to navigate novel issues arising from the use of AI in the insurance industry.
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March 21, 2024
Calif. Panel Revives Diner's COVID Sanitization Coverage Bid
A California state appeals court revived a diner's bid for property insurance coverage of COVID-19 losses after it determined the restaurant credibly alleged direct physical losses and that the policy's language covering losses attributable to a virus applied to COVID-19 sanitization efforts.
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March 21, 2024
2nd Circ. To Weigh 'Claim' Meaning In Family Share Dispute
The Second Circuit on Wednesday will hear arguments over whether a New York federal court erred in finding that a contract exclusion barred any duty a Liberty Mutual unit had to defend a propane company and two of its executives in a family shareholder dispute.
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March 21, 2024
6 Questions For ZestyAI CEO Attila Toth
As California regulators push proposals aimed at luring back insurance companies to the state's challenged market, advanced modeling techniques have taken a prominent place in the debate over how to best price risk as traditional methods lose relevance. Here, Law360 talks to Attila Toth, chief executive officer of ZestyAI, a risk modeling company that sells artificial intelligence-based risk models to insurers seeking to refine their risk assessment capabilities.
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March 21, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The U.S. Supreme Court considered the NRA's free speech rights and whether an insurer had standing in bankruptcy court, Geico was slammed with a $164 million payout, the Sixth Circuit seemed hesitant to force Amway to pay its own defense costs and Metallica's COVID-19 coverage case faded to black.
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March 21, 2024
Calif. Regulators' Pitch On Insurance Reform Draws Scrutiny
Two regulations proposed to help lure insurers back to California's market by speeding up the state's rate approvals and allowing insurers to use catastrophe models to set rates are drawing scrutiny as industry and consumer groups weigh their potential effects.
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March 21, 2024
Sanitizer Co. Faces Tough Ad Injury Coverage Bid In 2nd Circ.
A company accused of falsely advertising that its sanitizing products were effective in disinfecting surfaces faces an uphill battle, experts say, as the Second Circuit is poised to hear oral arguments Monday over whether the company is owed coverage under its commercial general liability policy for an underlying class action.
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March 19, 2024
8th Circ. Won't Rethink Mo. City's COVID-19 Coverage Loss
The Eighth Circuit shot down a Missouri city's request to reconsider a panel ruling denying its request for coverage of sales tax revenue losses stemming from pandemic-related shutdowns, rejecting the city's argument that the panel misinterpreted policy terms and skewed its review in favor of the insurer.
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March 18, 2024
Justices Tilt Toward NRA In Free Speech Row With Regulator
A cautious U.S. Supreme Court seemed poised Monday to rule in favor of the National Rifle Association in a case over allegations that a former New York state official pressured financial institutions to cut ties to the National Rifle Association in violation of its free speech rights.
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March 18, 2024
Colo. HOA Not Covered In Travelers Repair Payment Row
A Colorado federal judge ruled a Travelers unit doesn't have a duty to defend or indemnify a Denver homeowners association seeking coverage for a dispute with a different Travelers unit that alleged it overpaid for a hailstorm property damage claim.
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March 18, 2024
Chicago Can Keep $26M Willis Tower Suit In Federal Court
A federal judge in Illinois has declined to send a $26 million lawsuit against the City of Chicago over rain damage at Willis Tower back to state court, finding the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago acts under federal authority in maintaining the minimum water levels dictated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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March 15, 2024
U. Of Wash. Opposes Question Cert. In COVID Coverage Suit
The University of Washington's board of regents urged a state court to reject a Liberty Mutual unit's motion to certify COVID-19 coverage questions to a state appeals court, pointing to the Washington Supreme Court's previous rejection of such a move in a separate case that similarly involved pleadings-stage coverage claims.
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March 15, 2024
Wash. Justices Affirm Condo's Roof Damage Coverage Win
A resulting loss exception in a condominium complex's policy with Farmers Insurance Exchange preserves coverage for damage caused by potentially covered perils, such as condensation and water vapor, even though the loss resulted from excluded faulty workmanship, the Washington Supreme Court unanimously ruled.
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March 15, 2024
'Needless Circuit Split' In Tribal COVID Row, 9th Circ. Told
An AIG unit and other insurers are urging the Ninth Circuit to rethink its decision ordering them to litigate the Suquamish Tribe's COVID-19 business interruption claims in tribal court, arguing that a three-judge appeals panel's unanimous affirmation "creates a needless circuit split on the scope of tribal-court jurisdiction."
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March 14, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
A divided Colorado Supreme Court expanded application of the state's notice-prejudice rule, the Fourth Circuit tossed a COVID-19 coverage class action and the Eighth Circuit considered whether insurers' billing agreements with healthcare providers violated Minnesota's No-Fault Act. Here, Law360 takes a look at this week's top insurance news.
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March 14, 2024
8th Circ. Weighs If No-Bill Agreements Break Minn. Law
The Eighth Circuit carefully considered arguments Thursday between six Farmers units and a policyholder class as to whether the carriers' agreements with healthcare providers restricted the class's medical expense coverage in violation of Minnesota law, giving little indication of which way it leaned.
Expert Analysis
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The Most-Read Legal Industry Guest Articles Of 2021
Popular legal industry guest articles this year included commentary on the admissibility of video depositions, an unusual U.S. Supreme Court citation, the perils of lawyer perfectionism, and more.
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How Firms Can Adapt Amid COVID's Shifting Legal Needs
Avi Stadler at Esquire Deposition Solutions discusses the practice areas that are expanding most aggressively during the COVID-19 era of increased litigation and technology needs, and offers recommendations for how law firms can attract and retain the expertise they need to thrive in today's competitive market for legal services.
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How 11th Circ. Ruling Dominated 2021 COVID Insurance Cases
Despite being a case about construction dust and debris, the Eleventh Circuit’s 2020 opinion in Mama Jo’s v. Sparta Insurance had a pervasive and unwarranted effect this year on coverage for business interruption losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, say Hugh Lumpkin and Garrett Nemeroff at Reed Smith.
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When And How To Depose Fact Witnesses Remotely In 2022
Tim Tryniecki and Thomas Mudd at MG+M offer a series of practice tips for successfully conducting remote depositions of often-inexperienced fact witnesses, as the virtual court proceedings sparked by COVID-19 look set to become a part of the legal landscape next year.
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JP Morgan Ruling May Have Broad Insurance Implications
The New York Court of Appeals' recent decision in J.P. Morgan Securities v. Vigilant Insurance — that settlement funds paid to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission did not constitute a penalty for insurance purposes — could have far-reaching application in other types of insurance litigation where plaintiffs could be characterized as seeking equitable relief, say Robert Shulman and Cristen Rose at Paley Rothman.
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Embracing ESG: PayPal CLO Talks Gauging Impact And Intent
For legal teams, the corporate evolution toward more intentional post-COVID-19 environmental, social and governance strategies means deeper integration across business functions, seeking counsel on emerging issues affecting stakeholders, adapting initiatives around changing policies and regulations, and advancing ESG reports to better measure impact, says Louise Pentland at PayPal.
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2 Insurance Rulings Showcase Trend Favoring Appraisal
Two recent decisions from a Florida state court and the Tenth Circuit are consistent with the purpose of, and overwhelming judicial preference toward, appraisal as a means of property claim resolution, ensuring that policyholders have further support in employing this tool against a reluctant insurer, say Matthew Weaver and Jessica Gopiao at Reed Smith.
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COVID Insurance Cases Highlight Federal-State Court Tension
COVID-19 insurance coverage litigation has resulted in an unprecedented number of federal courts preemptively ruling on an area of law in which state courts have final say — a problematic trend with likely undesirable results for litigants unless federal courts consider certain proactive solutions, says John Koch at Flaster Greenberg.
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Strike And Riot Insurance Considerations For Policyholders
As civil unrest risks evolve, outpacing the insurance products designed to cover them, businesses relying on strike, riot and civil commotion coverage or commercial property coverage should review key aspects of their policies, say Jillian Raines and Shafkat Rakib at Cohen Ziffer.
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Texas Insurers' Paths To Post-Appraisal Summary Judgment
Despite Texas insurance law changes that have altered the interaction between appraisal awards and certain extracontractual claims, recent state and federal court decisions show insurers still have options for summary judgment on policyholders' claims after the entry of an appraisal award, say Michael O'Brien and Claire Fialcowitz at Zelle.
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What To Include In Orders Governing Remote Arbitration
When conducting remote arbitration, attorneys should negotiate written orders that spell out clear rules on technology accommodations, document handling, witness readiness and other key considerations to ensure parties' rights are protected and the neutral's time is not wasted, say Matthew Williams and Christina Sarchio at Dechert.
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Insurers Should Honor Astroworld Coverage Obligations
While insurers may be eager to shift blame on Astroworld showrunner Travis Scott for conditions that resulted in 10 deaths and dozens of injuries, arguments suggesting the tragedy shouldn't be covered appear baseless in light of the facts and the law, says Benjamin Massarsky at Miller Friel.
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Revisiting Loss Calculations For Business Interruption Claims
As business interruption insurance claims from COVID-19 and other recent catastrophes flood the courts, David Yohai and Heather Weaver at Weil examine two common judicial approaches to calculating losses, survey their outsize effect on an insured's recovery, and discuss how the influx of new decisions will change the landscape.