Specialty Lines

  • October 02, 2025

    NFIP Lapse Threatens Home Sales, Hurricane Protections

    Thousands of home sales could be delayed or canceled as a result of the National Flood Insurance Program lapsing under the government shutdown, and homeowners could potentially be left without coverage during hurricane season, experts say.

  • October 02, 2025

    McCarter & English Won't Face Pretrial Win Bid In $22M Suit

    A Connecticut Superior Court judge has denied requests by Phoenix Life Insurance Co. and PHL Variable Insurance Co. to file late partial summary judgment motions in a $22.3 million professional negligence lawsuit against McCarter & English LLP over the law firm's work on a Long Island loan deal.

  • October 02, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    A Colorado court found that an insurer does not have to cover a $13.4 million construction settlement because it was reached through collusion, an Illinois judge partly reversed a ruling granting biometric privacy claim coverage, and a Liberty Mutual unit escaped a dispute over the valuation of life settlement contracts. Here, Law360 reviews the past week's top developments in insurance litigation.

  • October 01, 2025

    Court OKs Policy Rescission In $2.5M Tax Coverage Row

    An insurer for a telecommunications company owes no coverage for its $2.5 million settlement with the Illinois government over claims that it failed to collect and remit certain taxes and fees owed by customers, an Illinois federal court ruled, finding the insurer was entitled to rescind its policy.

  • October 01, 2025

    Software Co. Not Covered For $3M Privacy Fight, Court Says

    Various Travelers units owe no coverage to a software provider that reached a nearly $3 million class action settlement over claims that it violated Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, a federal court ruled, finding that an exclusion relating to the "access or disclosure" of personal information is applicable.

  • September 30, 2025

    No Duty To Cover Over $20M Shooting Verdict, Court Rules

    An auto insurer for a security business has no duty to indemnify a jury verdict exceeding $20 million over a fatal shooting involving one of the company's guards, an Oregon federal court ruled, finding the guard's acts were "wholly independent" of his use of a company patrol car.

  • September 30, 2025

    Nationwide Insurers Must Defend Auto Co. In BIPA Dispute

    Two Nationwide units must defend an automotive accessory company accused of violating Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, an Illinois federal court held Tuesday, following a ruling in a separate case that found no coverage for the company under its Hanover Insurance policies.

  • September 29, 2025

    McCarter & English Slams Pre-Trial Win Bid In $22M Suit

    McCarter & English LLP has asked a Connecticut state judge to block two insurers' summary judgment bids on breach of contract claims connected to a $22.3 million professional negligence lawsuit, saying both sides agreed to a 2026 bench trial and conducted discovery assuming neither side would seek a quick win.

  • September 26, 2025

    Insurers Must Defend Tech Co. Against Rival's Patent Suit

    Insurers for a logistics technology company must defend the company against claims that it stole a rival's technology and marketing strategy, a Delaware state court ruled, finding that the policies' "prior and pending litigation" exclusion does not bar coverage.

  • September 26, 2025

    Insurer Owes No Defense To HR Co. In Embezzlement Suit

    An insurer for a human resources company had no duty to defend it in a client's lawsuit alleging that a recently hired employee the company had screened embezzled more than $1 million, a California federal court ruled, finding a misappropriation of funds exclusion applied to bar coverage.

  • September 26, 2025

    Scholastic Gets $19.5M In Legal Fee Insurance Fight

    A New York federal court has awarded Scholastic Inc. $19.5 million as a money judgment with interest against a unit of Travelers Insurance, following years of litigation over whether the insurer had to cover Scholastic's expenses in a separate trademark and copyright infringement case.

  • September 25, 2025

    NAIC's AI Leader Focuses On External Data, Third Parties

    The use of artificial intelligence use in the insurance industry has grown in prevalence and scope in recent years, and regulators are coordinating their efforts to keep pace. Doug Ommen, vice chair of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Big Data and Artificial Intelligence working group, spoke to Law360 about the committee's focus on consumer privacy, third-party data and an Al systems evaluation tool.

  • September 25, 2025

    Roundup: Insurance Highlights At Climate Week NYC 2025

    Politicians and business leaders at this year’s Climate Week in New York City are emphasizing that climate change is posing huge challenges for people struggling with high insurance premiums, but opportunity still exists for the industry in a green transition. Here, Law360 looks at just a few of the happenings this year at the weeklong conference.

  • September 25, 2025

    Growing Underwriting Losses No Surprise To Insurance Pros

    Commercial auto insurance continues to struggle, generating an underwriting loss for the 14th consecutive year, according to a recent report by credit rating agency AM Best, an outcome that was unsurprising to insurance experts as the line grapples with long-standing open claims, social inflation and why physical damage losses remain profitable.

  • September 25, 2025

    AmTrust Investor Suits Fall Outside Excess Policy, Court Says

    A Liberty Mutual unit that provided excess directors and officers coverage to AmTrust Financial Services Inc. owed no coverage for shareholder actions over the company's valuation of life settlement contracts and other accounting matters, a Delaware federal court ruled, finding the claims fell within an earlier coverage tower.

  • September 25, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    A New York federal court issued a no-coverage decision over a $3.3 million fraud scheme, a judge said much of a seafood wholesaler's hurricane coverage claims should go to a jury and Connecticut's justices considered whether an unjust enrichment claim could lead to double recovery of auto insurance benefits. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • September 24, 2025

    UnitedHealth Fights Investor Suit Over DOJ's Merger Probe

    UnitedHealth and its executives have asked a Minnesota federal judge to toss a proposed securities class action accusing it of, among many things, not disclosing that the U.S. Department of Justice had reopened an antitrust investigation into the health insurer, saying the complaint consists of unsupported "scattershot allegations."

  • September 24, 2025

    Ill. Judge Sends $7.6M DOJ Deal Coverage Dispute To Virginia

    A consulting firm must litigate its suit seeking coverage for a $7.6 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in Virginia, where it is based, an Illinois federal court ruled, finding that Virginia is the more convenient forum and the better place to apply state law.

  • September 23, 2025

    Insurer Needn't Cover $3.3M Securities Scam Settlements

    An insurer for a securities broker-dealer does not owe coverage for $3.3 million the company paid to settle claims that an employee defrauded clients, a New York federal court ruled Tuesday, finding that the settlements are not a direct loss covered under the company's policy.

  • September 22, 2025

    Credit Union, Insurers End Embezzlement Coverage Dispute

    A credit union seeking coverage for $5.5 million in embezzled funds agreed to end a suit accusing its fidelity bond insurers of secretly amending policy language to avoid coverage for "virtually any catastrophic loss," according to a notice filed Monday in Georgia federal court.

  • September 22, 2025

    Porsche Crash Suit Isn't Double Recovery, Conn. Justices Told

    A Porsche driver who suffered property damage losses after another man struck him wouldn't score a double recovery if allowed to challenge Nationwide, his own insurer, for separately pursuing the driver allegedly at fault, the Connecticut Supreme Court heard Monday.

  • September 18, 2025

    Fire Risk Modelers See Promise In Advancing Calif. Bill

    A recently approved California bill supporting the development of a public fire risk model could help boost transparency around methods insurers use to make coverage decisions, while advancing a complicated field of study full of uncertainties, experts say.

  • September 18, 2025

    Homeowner Policies At Center Of Ga. Insurance Changes

    As the Georgia House of Representatives continues to study the state's insurance rate-setting practices, profit margins and claims processing, insurance attorneys in the state evaluate the areas in which homeowners should be watching closely, including cosmetic exclusion triggers, third-party adjusters and the changes to come under April's tort reform legislation.

  • September 18, 2025

    Petrol Co. Seeks Early Win In Benzene Injury Coverage Suit

    Three insurers have continued to renege on their duty to defend an underlying lawsuit seeking to hold a New York-based petroleum company liable for a man's multiple myeloma diagnosis, the company told a state court, saying they've already acknowledged that such a duty exists.

  • September 18, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    A Delaware state court found that Frontier Communications was entitled to a defense against copyright infringement claims, a split Ninth Circuit panel backed certification denial for a proposed class of Progressive policyholders, and the Second Circuit heard arguments in a firearms retailer's bid for coverage of ghost gun suits. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: Nov. And Dec. Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five federal court decisions and identifies practice tips from cases involving takings clause violations, breach of contract with banks, life insurance policies, employment and automobile defects.

  • 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.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

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    Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

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    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • 6 Predictions For Cyber Risk And Insurance In 2025

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    This year is likely to bring with it some thorny and expensive cyber challenges, including increased ransomware activity, more data breach class actions and continued efforts to define business interruption loss calculations, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • How Trial Attys Can Wield Amended Federal Evidence Rules

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    Trial lawyers should assess recent amendments to four Federal Rules of Evidence and a newly enacted rule on illustrative aids to determine how to best use the rules to enhance pretrial discovery and trial strategy, says Stewart Edelstein, former litigation chair at Cohen & Wolf.

  • Identifying Deepfakes During Evidence Collection, Discovery

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys must familiarize themselves with the tools used to create and detect deepfakes — media manipulated by artificial intelligence to convincingly mimic real people and events — as well as best practices for keeping this fabricated evidence out of court, says Bijan Ghom at Saxton & Stump.

  • 1 Year After Rule 702 Changes, Courts Have Made Progress

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    In the year since amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence went into effect, many federal judges have applied the new expert witness standard correctly, excluding unreliable testimony from their courts — but now state courts need to update their own rules accordingly, says Lee Mickus at Evans Fears.

  • An Underutilized Tool To Dismiss Meritless Claims In Texas

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    In Texas, special appearances provide a useful but often overlooked tool for out-of-state defendants to escape meritless claims early in litigation, thus limiting discovery and creating a pathway for immediate appellate review, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • How Texas Bill Would Transform Noneconomic Damages

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    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

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    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.