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August 27, 2024
Insurer Off The Hook For $1.8M Praying Coach Settlement
A Washington state school district's insurer doesn't have to cover a nearly $1.8 million legal fee settlement the district reached with a high school football coach whom the U.S. Supreme Court found was wrongly suspended for praying on the 50-yard line after games, a state appeals court ruled.
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August 27, 2024
Clark Hill Adds Atty In NYC From Schoeman Updike
Clark Hill PLC said Tuesday that it is bringing a litigator to its New York City office as a member, one with a focus on financial services and business disputes as well as experience ranging from intellectual property to real estate issues.
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August 27, 2024
No Coverage For Tire Co.'s Unpaid Invoices, Judge Rules
A tire manufacturer cannot get insurance coverage for millions in unpaid invoices it is owed, a Florida federal court has ruled, finding that the manufacturer made a material misrepresentation in its insurance application concerning the creditworthiness of one of its largest customers.
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August 27, 2024
Tobacco Co-Op's $10M Insurance Suit Headed To Mediation
Tobacco grower cooperative U.S. Tobacco Cooperative Inc. will go into mediation with Axis Specialty Insurance Co. as part of a lawsuit brought by the grower alleging the insurer has refused to pay $10 million in excess coverage.
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August 27, 2024
New Cigna CLO Vows To Help Co. Navigate 'Dynamic' Industry
Cigna has promoted one of its in-house lawyers, who has spent her in-house and private practice career in the healthcare space, to chief legal officer, according to a LinkedIn post.
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August 27, 2024
Georgia Court Says Ride-Hailing Cos. Are 'Motor Carriers'
The Georgia Court of Appeals said a trial court erred when it held that the ride-hailing service Lyft is not considered a motor carrier under Peach State law, and that its insurer could not be directly named in a lawsuit a woman filed after a crash involving one of its drivers.
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August 27, 2024
SXSW, Chubb Unit Settle Ticket Coverage Dispute
The organizers of the South by Southwest festival and a Chubb insurer told a Texas federal court they settled their dispute over coverage for costs stemming from a class action by ticket holders seeking refunds after the 2020 festival was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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August 27, 2024
6th Circ. Reverses Geico's Win In Agents' Benefits Suit
The Sixth Circuit upended Geico's win in a lawsuit from insurance agents accusing it of misclassifying them as independent contractors and forcing them to lose out on benefits, saying more evidence is needed to determine if the insurer relied on unauthentic documents to get the suit tossed.
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August 26, 2024
Store Seeks Coverage For Murdaugh Boat Crash-Related Suit
A convenience store accused of negligently selling alcohol to disgraced former lawyer Alex Murdaugh's underage son, who later crashed a boat that led to a girl's death, sought coverage from its insurers for a related civil conspiracy lawsuit, maintaining that the suit falls within its policies' scope of coverage.
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August 26, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Renew Seattle Homeowners' Insurance Row
A group of Seattle homeowners cannot force Security National Insurance Co. to help cover a nearly $617,000 default judgment in an underlying construction defect dispute against its insured, the Ninth Circuit ruled, finding exclusions barring coverage for new construction applicable.
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August 26, 2024
Insurer Says Others Owe Payment In Asbestos Injury Rows
An insurer that said it exceeded its coverage obligations for underlying asbestos injury litigation by millions of dollars has asked a Michigan federal court to determine how much other entities must pay in connection with the underlying suits.
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August 26, 2024
Bank Co. Disputes AIG's Reading Of Covered Defense Costs
A bank owner defended its amended claims that an AIG unit violated the Texas Insurance Code, telling a Texas federal court that AIG unlawfully issued it late defense payments and refused to cover defense costs that "incidentally" benefited its affirmative underlying claims.
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August 26, 2024
4th Circ. Won't Free Insurance Mogul From $524M Judgment
Convicted insurance mogul Greg Lindberg was dealt a blow by the Fourth Circuit on Monday when the court found that he was liable for a $524 million arbitration award stemming from a fight over a reinsurance agreement with an insurer.
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August 26, 2024
Insurer Wants Out Of Pa. Wig Widow's $4.5M Benefit Dispute
Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. asked a Pennsylvania state court to let it bow out of a dispute between a Pittsburgh wig and healthcare magnate's widow and his family partnership, arguing Monday that the court, not the insurer, had to choose between competing claims for a $4.5 million policy payout.
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August 26, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Last week in Delaware's Court of Chancery, Boeing accused shareholders of using a new pressure tactic, Cantor Fitzgerald struck a $12 million deal, and a vice chancellor dealt with zombie companies. New cases involved displaced Pacific Islanders and an insurance customer acquisition platform. In case you missed it, here's a roundup of news from the Chancery Court.
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August 23, 2024
TriZetto Says Infosys Swiped Healthcare Software Secrets
Cognizant TriZetto Software Group Inc. on Friday lodged trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract claims against competitor Infosys Ltd., alleging that Infosys improperly used information about TriZetto's "closely guarded, proprietary software offerings" to develop its own competing products and services.
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August 23, 2024
Allstate Can't Get Injunction To Stop 'Smear Campaign'
A Colorado federal judge said she could not issue an injunction to force a former insurance agent whom Allstate alleges is conducting a "smear campaign" against it to immediately remove web content accusing the insurer of selling its customers' personal information to child rapists and sex traffickers.
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August 23, 2024
Insurer Must Cover Flooded Basements, Mich. Panel Says
An insurer must pay a property owner over $150,000 in damages stemming from drain backups and water damage, a Michigan state appeals court ruled, finding that the property owner inquired about increased coverage before the discovery of the loss.
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August 23, 2024
Split 6th Circ. Refuses To Undo Amway's $37M Coverage Win
The Sixth Circuit affirmed Friday that an AIG unit must pay $37 million for failing to defend and indemnify Amway and parent company Alticor in a dustup with major record companies over the use of copyrighted music in ads.
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August 23, 2024
Insurance Software Co. Probe, Insider Sales Prompt Del. Suit
A MediaAlpha Inc. stockholder sued in Delaware's Court of Chancery on Thursday for access to the insurance marketing platform developer's books and records, pointing to stock sales by the company's two controlling investors that allegedly allowed them to avoid $66 million in stock drop losses.
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August 23, 2024
Everest Re Unit Escapes Data Breach Class Action
A New Jersey federal judge has tossed a proposed class action claiming that an Everest Re unit failed to protect customers' personal information during a data breach, ruling that the suit fails to show that the company had a duty to protect their information.
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August 23, 2024
The Biggest Texas Trial Rulings Of 2024: Midyear Report
Trial courts in Texas saw a series of high-dollar verdicts for plaintiffs in suits over patent infringement and personal injuries, but appellate courts tempered some plaintiffs' successes, backing a large retail employer in a harassment suit and tossing a verdict based on a lawyer's remarks. Here's a look at some of the biggest trial decisions in Texas in the first half of 2024.
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August 23, 2024
Patent Case Against USPTO Mimics Failed Suit, Feds Say
The federal government has moved to toss a suit alleging that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's website infringes patents covering the idea of two-factor authorization, arguing that a patent in the same "family" was thrown out in 2016 by a different court that said it contained "nothing inventive."
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August 23, 2024
Insurer Scores Coverage Win Over Retaining Wall Failure
A contractor's insurer has no duty to help cover a $2.66 million settlement over the contractor's faulty construction of retaining walls, a Washington federal court ruled, finding an "impaired property" exclusion applicable.
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August 23, 2024
Utah Plumbing Supply Co.'s Microcaptive Suit Tossed
A Utah federal judge dismissed Friday a plumbing supply company and its owners' bid to set aside the IRS' 2016 notice that imposed additional reporting requirements for certain microcaptive insurance arrangements under the threat of penalty, saying the court lacks jurisdiction to do so.
Expert Analysis
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RealPage Suit Shows Growing Algorithm, AI Pricing Scrutiny
The U.S. Department of Justice's suit against RealPage for helping fix rental rates, filed last week, demonstrates how the use of algorithmic and artificial intelligence tools to assist with pricing decisions is drawing increasing scrutiny and action across government agencies, and specifically at the Federal Trade Commission and the DOJ, say Andre Geverola and Leah Harrell at Arnold & Porter.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
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Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.
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Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Insuring Lender's Baseball Bet Leads To Major League Dispute
In RockFence v. Lloyd's, a California federal court seeks to define who qualifies as a professional baseball player for purposes of an insurance coverage payout, providing an illuminating case study of potential legal issues arising from baseball service loans, say Marshall Gilinsky and Seán McCabe at Anderson Kill.
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Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss the muted nature of the property and casualty insurance class action space in the second quarter of the year, with no large waves made in labor depreciation and total-loss vehicle class actions, but a new offensive theory emerging for insurance companies.
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Series
Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Opinion
The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address
A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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Opinion
It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union
As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act
In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.
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Opinion
DOL's Impending Mental Health Act Regs Should Be Simplified
The U.S. Department of Labor should consider revising these six issues in its forthcoming Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act regulations to ease the significant compliance hurdles for group health plan sponsors, says Alden Bianchi at McDermott.
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Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?
A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.
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Insurance Lessons From 11th Circ. Ruling On Policy Grammar
The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision in ECB v. Chubb Insurance, holding that missing punctuation didn't change the clear meaning of a professional services policy, offers policyholder takeaways about the uncertainty that can arise when courts interpret insurance policy language based on obscure grammatical canons, say Hugh Lumpkin and Garrett Nemeroff at Reed Smith.
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6 Factors That Can Make For A 'Nuclear' Juror
Drawing from recent research that examines the rise in nuclear verdicts, Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies identifies a few juror characteristics most likely to matter in assessing case risk and preparing for jury selection — some of which are long-known, and others that are emerging post-pandemic.