Specialty Lines
-
January 21, 2025
Cornell Case May Be Bellwether For ERISA Transaction Claims
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday from Cornell University and workers looking to reinstate a class action alleging their retirement plan paid excessive fees, in a case that could change the strategy for Employee Retirement Income Security Act plaintiffs in the future.
-
January 17, 2025
Law360 Names Practice Groups Of The Year
Law360 would like to congratulate the winners of its Practice Groups of the Year awards for 2024, which honor the attorney teams behind litigation wins and significant transaction work that resonated throughout the legal industry this past year.
-
January 17, 2025
Law360 Names Firms Of The Year
Eight law firms have earned spots as Law360's Firms of the Year, with 54 Practice Group of the Year awards among them, steering some of the largest deals of 2024 and securing high-profile litigation wins, including at the U.S. Supreme Court.
-
January 17, 2025
Insurer Tried To 'Embarrass' Cadwalader, NC Court Told
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP has accused a Lloyd's of London syndicate of attempting to "embarrass" the firm by publicly revealing the firm's data breach recoveries amid the insurer's bid to toss a coverage suit stemming from a 2022 hack.
-
January 16, 2025
Fire-Safe Rebuilding Key To Reducing LA Insurance Issues
Reducing the potential of fires like those in Los Angeles to disrupt insurance and housing markets will require a significant and sustained effort to lower physical risks in fire-prone communities, and a commitment to rebuilding to stronger standards.
-
January 16, 2025
Insured Atty Says Strike Trade Issues Need Special Coverage
Union leaders and management for ports and shipping companies reached a tentative deal to avoid a major strike, a close call that highlighted how losses from trade disruptions can fall through the cracks of standard insurance coverage. Stephen Raptis, a partner at Reed Smith LLP's insurance recovery practice, spoke to Law360 about the kinds of losses that can result from a strike-induced supply chain disruption, where the usual coverage options fall short and what policyholders in the maritime trade can do to minimize their risks.
-
January 16, 2025
Home Depot's 6th Circ. Loss Reveals Cyber Coverage Gaps
The Sixth Circuit's finding that an electronic data exclusion in Home Depot's insurance policies barred coverage for a $50 million claim stemming from a 2014 data breach marks an important distinction in litigation over whether multiple types of policies can cover the same loss, experts say.
-
January 16, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Sixth Circuit backed Home Depot’s loss in its $50 million data breach coverage fight, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a California farming partnership’s crop coverage dispute, and the Fourth Circuit ruled that an insurer must reimburse Liberty Mutual for a $1 million appeal bond. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
-
January 16, 2025
Meet The Attys Guiding New Zealand Software Co.'s Ch. 15
Montoux, a New Zealand-based provider of actuarial software, has hired lawyers from Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP to help secure U.S. recognition of a liquidation process the company launched in its home country.
-
January 15, 2025
Symetra Life Policyholders Seek $32.5M Settlement Approval
A proposed class of Symetra policyholders asked a Washington federal court to preliminarily approve a $32.5 million deal to resolve a suit alleging that the insurer overcharged them for life insurance, saying the 11-state settlement would cover the owners of 43,000 policies.
-
January 15, 2025
Chubb Unit Seeks Exit From Bar's $105M Drunken Driving Suit
A Chubb unit said it no longer owes coverage to a bar appealing a $105 million judgment related to a drunken patron's car crash, telling a Texas federal court the bar violated the terms of the policy by refusing to cooperate with the insurer's defense.
-
January 13, 2025
6th Circ. OKs Home Depot's $50M Data Breach Coverage Loss
The Sixth Circuit affirmed Monday a finding that an electronic-data exclusion provision in Home Depot Inc.'s commercial general liability excess policies with Steadfast Insurance Co. and Great American Assurance Co. unambiguously barred coverage for the retail giant's $50 million claim for defense and settlement costs over a 2014 data breach.
-
January 13, 2025
Insurer Drops Dispute Over Private Equity Firm's Deals
An excess insurer agreed Monday to drop its Massachusetts federal suit seeking to avoid coverage of two settlements made by its insured, the private equity firm Advent International, over supposed wrongful acts the company committed related to the sale of two portfolio companies to two different buyers.
-
January 13, 2025
Investment Firm Seeks Coverage For Hertz Buyback Suits
An investment adviser said its insurers must provide coverage for underlying actions related to the adviser's involvement in car rental company Hertz Global Holdings Inc.'s stock buybacks, telling a Delaware state court that its primary carrier improperly denied coverage.
-
January 13, 2025
Justices Won't Hear Farming Partnership's Crop Policy Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to review a Ninth Circuit decision backing the Federal Crop Insurance Corp.'s conclusion that a farming partnership seeking to recover its $1.9 million policy limit didn't qualify for coverage.
-
January 10, 2025
Contractor Seeks Coverage For $2.5M Grass Damage Row
An air services company told a New York federal court Friday that an AIG unit cited a raft of inapplicable exclusions to deny commercial general liability coverage over claims that it caused nearly $2.5 million in damages by aerially applying herbicides on the wrong areas.
-
January 10, 2025
LA Fire Insured Damages Could Top $20B, JP Morgan Says
Insured losses from wildfires still blazing through Los Angeles could exceed $20 billion, J.P. Morgan analysts said in client notes, a steep increase from the more than $12 billion California insurers incurred from the next costliest spate of wildfires in 2018.
-
January 09, 2025
Policyholders' Bump-Up Win Reshapes Nat'l Coverage Fight
A Delaware Superior Court reshaped a national insurance coverage fight when it ruled last week that Harman International Industries' settlement of suits tied to a transaction with Samsung was not an excluded form of consideration for the deal itself.
-
January 09, 2025
Towers Watson Says Del. Ruling Should Guide Bump-Up Win
Towers Watson & Co. told the Fourth Circuit that a recent Delaware Superior Court decision favoring an insured showed that a bump-up exclusion in policies couldn't prevent coverage of the company's $75 million settlement traced to its merger with Willis Group Holdings PLC.
-
January 09, 2025
Calif. Reinsurance Plan Spurs Mixed Feelings As Fires Spread
One week before the Los Angeles wildfires began, California's insurance regulator said insurers would soon be required to increase coverage in areas deemed high-risk for wildfires, leaving experts split over whether the regulation is an overdue update or an opportunity to pass costs onto policyholders.
-
January 09, 2025
Top Climate Stories For Insurance Attys To Watch In 2025
Climate change is fueling a national insurance crisis that is threatening housing markets, municipal tax revenues and the ability to adapt to extreme weather events. Here, Law360 examines the top climate stories attorneys should watch in 2025.
-
January 09, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
A Delaware court sided with a policyholder in a dispute over a bump-up exclusion, an Ohio federal court permitted an interlocutory appeal on the number of occurrences at issue over recalled batches of peanut butter, and a Pennsylvania appeals court clarified when stacking of underinsured motorist benefits is permitted. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
-
January 09, 2025
Calif. Insurance Chief Blocks Policy Cancellation In Fire Zones
Insurance companies can't cancel or refuse to renew homeowners coverage for policyholders in the immediate vicinity of the Los Angeles wildfires for one year, the California Department of Insurance announced as fires continue to ravage Southern California.
-
January 08, 2025
Captive Insurer Says Reinsurer Must Cover Legionnaires' Row
The captive insurer of a Michigan healthcare system asked a federal court Wednesday to find that its reinsurer couldn't sell off coverage responsibilities and owes payment for underlying suits alleging various patients contracted Legionnaires' disease.
-
January 07, 2025
Insurer Seeks Exit From Engineering Co.'s $1M Settlement
An engineering company's insurer told a Texas federal court it needn't cover the company's $1 million payment to settle a man's personal injury claims, arguing the company failed to give proper notice after the underlying court had already entered an over $7.2 million default judgment that was ultimately vacated.
Expert Analysis
-
How Texas Bill Would Transform Noneconomic Damages
Large noneconomic damage awards in personal injury cases have grown exponentially in Texas in recent years, but newly introduced legislation would cap such damages, likely requiring both the plaintiff and defense bars to recalibrate their litigation strategies, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
-
4 Holiday Movies Full Of Cheer And Subrogation Scenarios
While holiday movies are known for spreading cheer and inspiring nostalgia, for insurance professionals they may also offer an unlikely, yet fascinating, look at subrogation recovery potential, says Dana Meyers at Cozen O'Connor.
-
How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of Eye Contact At Trial
As a growing body of research confirms that eye contact facilitates communication and influences others, attorneys should follow a few pointers to maximize the power of eye contact during voir dire, witness preparation, direct examination and cross-examination, says trial consultant Noelle Nelson.
-
Best Practices For AI Disclosures In Insurance Applications
As businesses integrate AI into their operations, insurers are starting to develop targeted questions to assess the associated risks, but ambiguities in the application forms can create challenges for businesses applying for insurance, say attorneys at Hunton.
-
Teaching Your Witness To Beat The Freeze/Appease Response
In addition to fight-or-flight, witnesses may experience the freeze/appease response at trial or deposition — where they become a deer in headlights, agreeing with opposing counsel’s questions and damaging their credibility in the process — but certain strategies can help, says Bill Kanasky at Courtroom Sciences.
-
What Insurers Need To Know About OFAC's Expanded FAQs
The Office of Foreign Assets Control's recently expanded insurance FAQs clarify how OFAC views insurance policies in a number of specific circumstances involving sanctioned parties, and make plain that sanctions compliance is the responsibility of all participants in the insurance ecosystem, including underwriters, brokers and agents, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
-
Nevada Justices Could Expand Scope Of Subrogation Claims
The Nevada Supreme Court's recent decision to hear North River Insurance v. James River Insurance could expand the scope of equitable subrogation claims in the state by aligning with the California standard, which doesn't require excess insurers to demonstrate damages, says Daniel Heidtke at Duane Morris.
-
How D&O Coverage Can Aid Against Increased AI Scrutiny
The recent increase in regulatory enforcement and securities class actions stemming from corporate use of artificial intelligence should prompt companies to ensure that their directors and officers liability insurance coverage is appropriately tailored to AI-related risks, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
-
8 Tech Tips For Stress-Free Remote Depositions
Court reporter Kelly D’Amico shares practical strategies for attorneys to conduct remote depositions with ease and troubleshoot any issues that arise, as it seems deposition-by-Zoom is here to stay after the pandemic.
-
4 Ways Attorneys Can Emotionally Prepare For Trial
In the course of litigation, trial lawyers face a number of scenarios that can incite an emotional response, but formulating a mental game plan in advance of trial can help attorneys stay cool, calm and collected in the moment, says Rachel Lary at Lightfoot Franklin.
-
Presidential Campaign Errors Provide Lessons For Trial Attys
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign employed numerous strategies that evidently didn’t land, and trial attorneys should take note, because voters and jurors are both decision-makers who are listening for how one’s case presentation would affect them personally, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
-
Putting NYDFS AI Cybersecurity Guidance Into Practice
New guidance from the New York Department of Financial Services explains how financial institutions should assess and mitigate cybersecurity risks associated with artificial intelligence, focusing on four main threats and highlighting how varying environments require specific mitigation measures, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.
-
Recent Developments In Insurance Coverage For FCA Claims
As the U.S. Department of Justice continues its vigorous False Claims Act enforcement, companies looking to their insurers to help defray the costs of an investigation or settlement should note recent decisions on which types of policies cover FCA claims, which policy periods apply and which portions of FCA-related losses are covered, say attorneys at Covington.