Specialty Lines

  • August 21, 2025

    Why Del. Policyholders Should Heed CVS Opioid Claim Loss

    The Delaware Supreme Court's refusal to reverse a lower court's ruling that CVS Corp. isn't owed coverage for government, hospital and third-party payer claims for economic losses related to the company's opioid dispensing practices marks a concerning turn for policyholders incorporated in the state, a policyholder attorney told Law360.

  • August 21, 2025

    Pa. Firm Lacked Standing To Sue Legal Malpractice Insurer

    A Philadelphia law firm that dropped its bad faith lawsuit against its insurer was not a true legal entity and never had standing to sue for coverage of a legal malpractice case that ended in a $600,000 judgment, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Thursday.

  • August 21, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    Units of Chubb and AIG don't owe coverage to CVS in suits over the opioid epidemic, BP and Chevron needn't reimburse a surety $11 million, a reinsurer must face investors' misrepresentation claims, and an Allianz insurer must pay $23 million in damages and interest in an asbestos coverage suit.

  • August 20, 2025

    Reinsurer Must Face Investors' Omission Suit, 3rd Circ. Says

    The Third Circuit Wednesday wiped out Maiden Holdings' summary judgment win over investors accusing the reinsurance company of misrepresenting its underwriting and risk management practices, saying the district court misapplied U.S. Supreme Court precedent regarding the materiality of withheld information.

  • August 20, 2025

    Yacht Brokerage Fights Judge's Exclusion Reading

    A yacht brokerage trade group urged a Florida federal court to reject a magistrate judge's recommendation freeing a professional liability insurer from covering the group in an antitrust class action, arguing that the magistrate judge misinterpreted a "standard setting" exclusion.

  • August 19, 2025

    Manufacturing Cos. Score $23M Win In Lengthy Asbestos Suit

    Two manufacturing companies involved in a long-running dispute over coverage for asbestos bodily injury claims have won $23 million from an Allianz unit for damages and interest, with a New York trial court finding the manufacturers properly determined claim liabilities. 

  • August 19, 2025

    Credit Union Seeks Coverage For ITM Hack, Fraud Schemes

    An insurer owes nearly $715,000 for two separate losses a credit union incurred after a crime ring hacked a number of its interactive teller machines and a counterfeit check fraud scheme affected multiple account holders, the credit union said in a lawsuit removed to Delaware federal court.

  • August 18, 2025

    NJ Law Firm Not Covered In Malpractice Suit, Court Says

    An insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify a Princeton law firm against a malpractice suit alleging that one of its attorneys assisted a client in misappropriating her husband's assets, a New Jersey federal court ruled Monday, finding that a prior knowledge exclusion bars coverage.

  • August 18, 2025

    Insurer, Kennel Settle Coverage Dispute Over Nuisance Claims

    A Hanover unit and a dog kennel have resolved a dispute over coverage for an underlying suit alleging that the kennel's expansion interfered with a Golden State community's rights of possession, according to a California federal court filing.

  • August 18, 2025

    Goldberg Segalla Adds Employment, Insurance Attys In NYC

    Goldberg Segalla LLP announced Monday that it has grown its employment and insurance services in New York with the recent addition of two attorneys who moved their practices from Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP and Clyde & Co. LLP.

  • August 18, 2025

    Progressive Must Cover $6M Title Insurer Judgment, Mall Says

    Progressive must cover a more than $6 million judgment against a title insurance agency that Progressive insured, the owner of a New Jersey shopping center told a Pennsylvania state court, arguing that Progressive-appointed counsel rejected prior settlement opportunities in bad faith.

  • August 15, 2025

    Excess Insurer Blames Primary For Costly Auto Collision Deal

    An excess insurer told a California federal court that the primary insurer of a construction company failed to reach a lesser settlement amount in a suit alleging the company's owner was responsible for a car collision.

  • August 14, 2025

    Ruling May Increase Reinsurers' Caution In Insureds' Dealings​​​​​​​

    A Texas federal judge's ruling that a chemical manufacturer can continue to pursue litigation against a reinsurer in connection with the manufacturer's roughly $100 million business interruption claim offered a well-reasoned analysis as to when a policyholder has standing to bring a direct action against a reinsurer, experts said.

  • August 14, 2025

    Fla. Citizens Ruling Highlights Late Property Claim Risks

    A recent Florida appellate court ruling affirming that the state's last-resort insurer properly denied a late-filed claim for hurricane damage wasn't surprising given legislative changes in recent years, but highlighted the import of filing timely claims, experts say.

  • August 14, 2025

    Travel Disruptions Expose Gaps In Insurance Coverage

    Individuals traveling in the United States this summer that have had to endure flight delays and cancellations, extreme weather events, and increased immigration enforcement and security procedures may find themselves further frustrated when turning to travel insurance policies for support. Carrier-side attorney Heidi Lawson spoke to Law360 about where the expectations of travel insurance customers fail to align with the actual coverage their policies afford, and where policies can improve in both coverage and transparency.

  • August 14, 2025

    Insurance Key To Mitigating Mortgage Risks From Flooding

    The increase of flooding in areas outside mandatory flood insurance purchase zones is contributing to mortgage risks for underinsured homeowners following disasters, underscoring a need to find ways to ensure more people have flood coverage, experts say.

  • August 14, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    Defense cost payments by 3M can't satisfy the self-insured retention of its subsidiary's insurance policies, a subcontractor's insurer must indemnify a property owner in a pending injury suit, an excess insurer owes $2 million for a car crash, and a gym chain may have coverage for losses stemming from COVID-19 shutdown orders. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • August 14, 2025

    Poetry In Motions: Wallace Stevens Wedded Art, Insurance

    Wallace Stevens was an acclaimed modernist poet, but his parallel career as an insurance attorney isn't as widely discussed, according to attorney Daniel J. Kornstein, who has studied Stevens' life. To mark the 70th anniversary of Stevens' death, Law360 spoke with Kornstein about what insurance law may have meant to the poet.

  • August 13, 2025

    No Coverage For Senior Center In Sex Abuse Suit, Court Told

    A senior care facility isn't owed coverage for an underlying lawsuit accusing a facility chaplain of sexually assaulting a patient, the facility's insurer said, arguing coverage is precluded due to a molestation exclusion and because the allegations don't pertain to a medical incident.

  • August 12, 2025

    Pizza Chain's Cyber Claim Capped At $250K, Insurer Says

    A cyber insurer urged a Texas federal court to reject Cicis Pizza's attempt to recast a ransomware attack as a cyber extortion event in order to open the door to more coverage, saying it has fulfilled its contractual obligations by paying $250,000 under the policy's ransomware endorsement.

  • August 12, 2025

    Insurer Obstructed $116M In Funding Claims, Court Told

    A company that invested in a personal injury law firm's docket of cases alleges in a lawsuit removed to North Carolina federal court that its insurer "intentionally obstructed" its recovery of more than $116 million in coverage under policies insuring that investment.

  • August 08, 2025

    Wash. Firm's $1M Cyber Insurance Suit Survives Dismissal

    A Washington federal court rejected a cyber insurer's bid to dismiss a law firm's coverage action alleging it lost more than $1 million in a data breach that also involved spoofed emails, finding the insurer's interpretation of the word "for" was unreasonable, given the structure of the policy.

  • August 07, 2025

    Fire Victims See Positive Step In Calif.'s FAIR Plan Action 

    California regulators gave fire victims a boost last week when the state's insurance department launched a legal action seeking penalties against the state's last-resort insurer for its handling of smoke damage claims, but the market effects of the move are still not fully clear. 

  • August 07, 2025

    10th Circ. Water Loss Ruling Spotlights Competing Exclusions

    The Tenth Circuit recently affirmed that a water damage exclusion applied to a Kansas office building's $1.75 million repair claim from a broken water pipe, providing insurance experts an unusual case for weighing two seemingly related exclusions against one another.

  • August 07, 2025

     Ill. Auto Rate Initiative Puts Pricing Accuracy In Spotlight

    Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias launched a new campaign aimed at reducing auto insurers' use of nondriving factors when setting rates on the grounds that these elements contribute to discriminatory rate-setting, but insurer and consumer advocates are split over the initiative's efficacy and potential cost increases. 

Expert Analysis

  • A Look At Insurance Coverage For Government Investigations

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    Attorneys at Jenner & Block discuss the quirks and potential pitfalls of insurance coverage for government claims and investigations, including those likely to arise from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently announced whistleblower program.

  • Why Diversity Jurisdiction Poses Investment Fund Hurdles

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    Federal courts' continued application of the exacting rules of diversity jurisdiction presents particular challenges for investment funds, and in the absence of any near-term reform, those who manage such funds should take action to avoid diversity jurisdiction pitfalls, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • 7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight

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    Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Insurance Considerations For Cos. That May Face Strikes

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    The recent surge in major work stoppages in the U.S. highlights the growing importance of strike preparedness for businesses, which includes understanding strike insurance coverage options, say Chris D’Amour and Brooke Duncan at Adams and Reese.

  • Challenges Of Insuring An NIL Collective

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    Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty examines the emergence of name, image and likeness collectives for student-athletes, the current litigation landscape that has created a favorable environment for these organizations, and considerations for director and officer insurers looking to underwrite NIL collectives.

  • An Update On Legal Issues In The Drone Market

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    Marialuisa Gallozzi and Alex Slawson at Covington examine recent developments in the legal issues surrounding the growing drone market, including possible First Amendment protections, Fourth Amendment surveillance, and litigation involving criminal and civil penalties, evidentiary pursuits, and insurance.

  • Key Insurance Implications Of Hawaii's Historic GHG Ruling

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    In Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance, the Hawaii Supreme Court became the first state court to classify greenhouse gasses as pollutants barred from insurance coverage, a ruling likely to be afforded great weight by courts across the country, say Scott Seaman and Gar Lauerman at Hinshaw & Culbertson.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • Insurance Likely Kept Swift Out Of The Woods After Vienna

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    Financial losses Taylor Swift incurred from the cancellation of three concerts in Vienna in August will likely be covered by insurance policies, considering how the facts of the situation differ from those of the Foo Fighters' 2015 insurance dispute over event cancellation and terrorism coverage, say attorneys at Anderson Kill.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: September Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy identifies practice tips from four recent class certification rulings involving denial of Medicare reimbursements, automobile insurance disputes, veterans' rights and automobile defects.

  • 3 Coverage Tips As 2nd Circ. 'Swipes Left' On Tinder Claim

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    The Second Circuit's recent opinion in Match Group v. Beazley Underwriting, overturning Tinder's victory on its insurer's motion to dismiss a coverage action, reinforces three best practices policyholders purchasing claims-made coverage should adhere to in order to avoid late-notice defenses, say Lynda Bennett and Alexander Corson at Lowenstein Sandler.