Property

  • 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

    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

    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

    Aluminum Co. Seeks Reversal Of $10M Coverage Cap

    An aluminum supplier is urging the Fourth Circuit to reverse a lower court's ruling capping its damages at $10 million because of a molten material endorsement, arguing that the fire and water damage it sustained is separate and not subject to any sublimit or exclusion.

  • 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

    4th Circ. Affirms Insurer's Win In Couple's Home Damage Suit

    A West Virginia couple wasn't entitled to a new trial in a property damage coverage dispute, the Fourth Circuit ruled Wednesday, saying a lower court did not abuse its discretion or err in excluding the couple's expert witness and allowing the insurer's expert to testify.

  • June 04, 2024

    Simpson Reps Frontdoor On $585M Home Warranty Co. Buy

    Simpson Thacher is representing Frontdoor Inc. on a newly inked deal to buy fellow home warranties provider 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty, guided by Ropes & Gray, for $585 million in cash, according to a statement Tuesday.

  • June 03, 2024

    Title Insurer Says Ga. Firm Must Repay $158K For Deed Error

    A title insurance company said a Georgia law firm must reimburse it $158,000 for negligently issuing a title insurance policy on a real estate closing, telling a Georgia federal court that it is entitled to contractual and common law indemnity for its losses.

  • May 31, 2024

    Texas Justices Won't Take On City Insurance Coverage Fight

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday declined to review a trial court's decision rejecting a municipal insurance risk pool's attempt to evade the city of Hidalgo's lawsuit seeking to recover millions of dollars for damage sustained in Hurricane Hanna in July 2020. 

  • May 31, 2024

    Boat Owner's $1.85M Policy Void In Fire Dispute, Judge Says

    A Florida federal court declared a yacht owner's marine insurance policy void from inception, saying the owner, who was seeking coverage for a 2023 boat fire, materially misrepresented the price of the vessel.

  • 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

    4th Circ. Won't Revive NC Homeowners' Storm Coverage Suit

    The Fourth Circuit refused on Friday to revive a suit brought by the owners of a North Carolina beach house accusing certain underwriters at Lloyd's London of stalling a $1 million payout over hurricane damage.

  • May 31, 2024

    Child Care Center Says Insurer Duped It Into Less Coverage

    A Texas child care center says that Century Surety Co. made false claims when it came time to renew an insurance policy, telling a federal court Thursday that the insurance company duped it into signing a policy that had coverage well below what the center thought it was getting.

  • 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.

  • May 30, 2024

    Active Hurricane Season Looms Over Insurance Industry

    The Atlantic hurricane season could continue to stress fragile insurance markets, according to forecasts of a particularly active 2024 season, but experts say there are some positive developments for Florida insurers despite years of elevated losses.

  • May 30, 2024

    Consumer Advocate Unpacks Big Issues Facing Insureds

    The use of socioeconomic factors in auto insurance, climate change's impact on the rising cost of homeowners insurance and the hollowing out of insurance policies are some of the most pressing issues consumers face today, says an advocate from the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America.

  • May 30, 2024

    Insurer Rebukes Bad Faith Claims In $25M Child Abuse Row

    An insurer urged a Washington federal court to dismiss bad faith counterclaims brought against it by families who say the insurer failed to provide coverage toward a daycare center's $24.5 million settlement of claims that its former employee sexually molested children.

Expert Analysis

  • What's In NY's Draft Guidance On AI Use In Insurance

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    Last week, the New York State Department of Financial Services released proposed guidance for insurers on the use of artificial intelligence systems and external consumer data and information sources for underwriting and pricing purposes, and these standards will likely help form the basis of an eventual nationwide insurance regulatory framework on AI, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Insured Takeaways From 10th Circ. Interrelated Claims Ruling

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    The Tenth Circuit's recent ruling in American Southwest Mortgage v. Continental Casualty that multiple claims arising from consecutive audit years were interrelated — and thus subject to a per claim limit — creates a concerning precedent for policyholders, so companies should negotiate relevant policy language, says Michael Stockalper at Saxe Doernberger.

  • 3 Significant Ohio Insurance Updates From 2023

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    The past year saw some significant changes and developments in Ohio's insurance coverage landscape, from new bad faith discovery mechanisms relating to out-of-state property to the Ohio Supreme Court's interpretation of what constitutes an assault or battery for coverage purposes, say Jenna Pletcher and William Peseski at Brouse McDowell. 

  • Policyholders Must Object To Insurer Reorganizations

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    When insurance companies reorganize, policies often take years to ultimately pay out a fraction of what is owed, so policyholders should organize and urge insurance commissioners to take action when retroactive reinsurance deals are announced, says Jonathan Terrell at KCIC.

  • SEC, NY Cybersecurity Rules Create Complexity For Insurers

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    Two separate cybersecurity rules recently adopted by the New York Department of Financial Services and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pose distinct challenges for insurance industry participants, with important interactions, and potential tensions, for those required to comply with both frameworks, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 5 Trends To Watch In Property And Casualty Class Actions

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    In 2023, class action decisions have altered the landscape for five major types of claims affecting property and casualty insurers — total loss vehicle valuation, labor depreciation, other structural loss estimating theories, total loss vehicle tax and regulatory fees, and New Mexico's uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage sale requirements, say Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.

  • Insurance Considerations For Cos. Assessing New AI Risks

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    Because no two businesses will have the same artificial intelligence risk profile, they should consider four broad risk categories as a baseline for taking a proactive approach to guarding against AI-related exposures, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • AI Brings New Insurance Concerns For Healthcare Providers

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    As the healthcare industry increasingly invests in medical artificial intelligence tools, it confronts a variety of liability risks that necessitate careful consideration and potential recalibration of providers' insurance programs, say Marialuisa Gallozzi and Megan Mumford Myers at Covington.

  • Superfund Site Reopenings Carry Insured Risk, Opportunity

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's reported plans to reopen certain Superfund sites citing the presence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances raise notable liability concerns, but may also present unique opportunities for policyholders under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, say attorneys at Haynes and Boone.

  • 3 AI Regulation Developments Insurers Must Follow

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    Insurance regulators continue to actively develop regulations and guidance on the use of artificial intelligence, so insurers should be aware of recent developments from the Colorado Division of Insurance, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the New York Department of Financial Services, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • DC Ruling Provides Support For Builders Risk Claim Recovery

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    To deny coverage for builders risk claims, insurers have been increasingly relying on two arguments, both of which have been invalidated in the recent U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decision, South Capitol Bridgebuilders v. Lexington, say Greg Podolak and Cheryl Kozdrey at Saxe Doernberger.

  • Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint

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    In the face of a pending "mega-trial" over leased airplanes held in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, a settlement between leading aviation lessor AerCap Holdings NV and NSK, the Russian state-controlled insurance company, could pave the way for similar deals, say Samantha Zaozirny and Timeyin Pinnick at Browne Jacobson.

  • Illinois Trump Tower Ruling Illuminates Insurance 'Occurrence'

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    In Continental Casualty v. 401 North Wabash Venture, an Illinois appellate court found that Trump Tower was not entitled to insurance coverage for operating its HVAC system without a permit, helping to further define a widely litigated general liability insurance issue — what constitutes an "occurrence," say Robert Tugander and Greg Mann at Rivkin Radler.

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