Property
-
July 05, 2024
The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court
This U.S. Supreme Court term featured high-stakes oral arguments on issues including gerrymandering, abortion and federal agency authority, and a hot bench ever more willing to engage in a lengthy back-and-forth with advocates. Here's a look at the law firms that argued the most cases and how they fared.
-
July 03, 2024
Coffey Modica Promotes 2 Partners, 1 Counsel In NY
New York litigation boutique Coffey Modica LLP announced the promotion of two attorneys to partner, including the firm's first hire in 2021, as well as the elevation of another lawyer to counsel.
-
July 03, 2024
Curtains Fall Rapidly For COVID-19 Loss Coverage
Just as Metallica's bid for COVID-19 cancellation coverage failed, the bell has tolled for policyholder coverage suits across the nation, as businesses seeking payback from insurers for the havoc wreaked by the global pandemic have run out of options for coverage in many states. Here, Law360 takes a look at what the future holds for pandemic-related coverage.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
July 01, 2024
Aldi Unit, Warehouse Settle Suit Over Rodent-Ravaged Sweets
A New Jersey federal court has permanently tossed a suit brought by an Aldi branch and its insurer seeking payback from a warehouse operator after rodents feasted on hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of chocolate stored there, signing off on a settlement.
-
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.
-
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.
-
June 28, 2024
Insurer Says Auto Co.'s COVID Coverage Suit Is Time-Barred
An auto parts manufacturer's lawsuit seeking $50 million in coverage for COVID-19-related losses is time-barred, an insurer told a North Carolina federal court Friday, arguing that the manufacturer filed suit a year after the policy's three-year limitation period.
-
June 28, 2024
Insurer Says Kennel Expansion Complaints Not Covered
A Hanover unit told a California federal court that it has no obligation to defend a dog kennel in an underlying lawsuit alleging that the kennel's expansion, which increased capacity from about 20 dogs to 200 dogs, interfered with the community's rights of possession.
-
June 28, 2024
5th Circ. Tosses Texas Health System's COVID-19 Suit
The largest nonprofit health system in Texas cannot get coverage for COVID-19-related business interruption losses it said totaled over $192 million, the Fifth Circuit affirmed, highlighting previous circuit precedent establishing that COVID-19 does not cause "physical loss or damage."
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
June 26, 2024
Insurers Look To Tech Solutions To Reduce Water Damage
Two insurers have announced new emphasis on property technology solutions in recent days as a strategy for reducing the risk from water damage, a major source of claims for property owners and operators that leads to billions of dollars in payouts each year.
-
June 26, 2024
Conn. Firm Settles Suit Against Insurer Over Office Damage
A Connecticut law firm and a real estate company on Wednesday agreed to drop a federal lawsuit accusing their insurer of failing to fully cover damage from a leak at their New Haven offices, less than two weeks after the insurer notified the court of a pending settlement, court records show.
-
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.
-
June 25, 2024
Wash. HOA Drops Water Damage Coverage Claims
A homeowners association agreed to drop its Washington federal case seeking up to $8.7 million in coverage for "hidden" water damage to its condos.
-
June 25, 2024
Ga. Mom Calls Insurer's Escape Bid From Rape Suit 'Illusory'
The mother of a minor who was allegedly kidnapped and raped after a shooting at an Atlanta-area skating rink said Monday that a bid by the rink's insurance company to escape liability cannot stand.
Expert Analysis
-
Policyholders Should Also Want To Fight Social Inflation
Effectively combating the ills of social inflation — the upward creep in insurance litigation and expected payouts — requires all stakeholders, not just insurers, to recognize the mutual interests between insurers and the risk pool of insureds, says Bryant Green at Zelle.
-
Property Claim Ruling Rightly Backs Texas Removal Policy
The Fifth Circuit’s recent decision in Advanced Indicator v. Acadia Insurance, allowing the insurer to remove a property damage suit to federal court, ensures that abusive practices related to weather claims will continue to be thwarted per an important chapter of the Texas Insurance Code, says Karl Schulz at Cozen.
-
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.
-
4 Themes From Policyholder Wins In COVID Coverage Cases
As COVID-19 business interruption coverage lawsuits wind their way through state and federal courts, the broader trends emerging from the policyholder victories can assist insureds and their counsel with strategic litigation decisions, says Nicholas Insua at Reed Smith.
-
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.
-
After Climate Rulings, Insurers May Go On Coverage Offense
As climate change lawsuits progress, coverage litigation quickly follows — as evidenced by two recently filed suits, Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance and Everest Premier Insurance v. Gulf Oil — and insurers will likely become more proactive in seeking to limit their exposure, say Jose Umbert and Hernan Cipriotti at Zelle.
-
Indirect Hurricane Ian Losses Could Be Covered By Insurance
Even companies indirectly affected by Hurricane Ian — for instance, by losses in their supply chain — should review their commercial property policies as they might benefit from specific insurance clauses covering these types of losses, says William Wagner at Taft.
-
Lessons From 1st COVID Biz Interruption Policyholder Verdict
Robyn Anderson at Lathrop examines what made Baylor College of Medicine's recent COVID-19 business interruption case a success in Texas state court, and considers whether this first win on behalf of an insured is an outlier or a sign of more to come.
-
State COVID Insurance Rulings Highlight Errors In Dismissals
Recent California and Vermont decisions in favor of policyholders, along with a $48 million jury verdict in Texas, underscore the error that courts are making by dismissing COVID-19 business interruption lawsuits at the pleading stage without consideration of the facts and evidence in each case, say Joseph Niczky and Michael Levine at Hunton.
-
Fla. Evidence Code Update Lowers Burden For Image Use
Florida's recent evidence code change permits judicial notice of images and certain other graphics, a hugely meaningful development for litigants across a wide range of practice areas, though the effect will likely be immediately felt in property insurance cases, say Eve Cann and David Levin at Baker Donelson.
-
Courts Are Not Shifting On COVID Biz Interruption Stance
Although a recent Law360 guest article suggested that the pendulum is about to swing in favor of policyholders seeking business interruption coverage for pandemic-related losses, the larger body of appellate case law — applying the laws of 25 states — continues to find no coverage, say attorneys at Dentons.
-
What Snap Removal Debate Means For Insurance Disputes
A potential circuit split regarding the permissibility of snap removal to federal court, which allows defendants to circumvent the forum defendant rule, is particularly a concern in insurance cases due to the difficulty of removing such cases, and the perception that some state courts are more favorable to policyholders, says Greg Mann at Rivkin Radler.
-
Questions Remain On Computer Fraud Coverage For Phishing
There are questions regarding the applicability of computer fraud coverage to phishing scheme losses in the wake of the Ninth Circuit's decision in Ernst & Haas v. Hiscox earlier this year, with a backdrop of differing case results and evolving fact patterns over the past few years, say Robert Callahan and Melissa D’Alelio at Robins Kaplan.