Insurance

  • November 13, 2024

    Mich. Justice Jokes He's To Blame For PIP Assignment Fights

    A Michigan Supreme Court justice joked Wednesday that his 2017 footnote about patients assigning medical claims to healthcare providers was to blame for complicated recent insurance litigation surrounding plaintiffs who sign over their rights but nevertheless sue insurers. 

  • November 13, 2024

    6th Circ. Partially Vacates Insurer's ERISA Disability Suit Win

    The Sixth Circuit partially invalidated on Wednesday an insurance company's win in an ex-worker's suit seeking additional disability benefits, directing a lower court to reconsider arguments regarding when to apply a 24-month policy limitation on benefits for total disability caused by a mental health condition.

  • November 13, 2024

    Insurer Says Condo That Prevented Hunting Has No Coverage

    The insurer for a homeowners association asked a South Carolina federal court Wednesday to determine that a dispute over the organization's attempt to ban residents from hunting deer on their property was not owed coverage under its policy's provisions.

  • November 13, 2024

    Insurers Say Hyundai, Kia Should Pay For Combusting Cars

    A slew of insurers for owners of certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles are suing the companies in a case removed to California federal court Wednesday, seeking to recoup costs associated with almost a decade of claims for cars that allegedly spontaneously combust and have not been fixed by the manufacturers.

  • November 13, 2024

    $1.2M Excessive Hammering Spat Not Covered, Insurer Says

    An insurer for a Nashville subcontractor told a Tennessee federal court that it doesn't owe coverage for an underlying $2.5 million lawsuit brought by residents surrounding a project site where the subcontractor was doing demolition work, arguing that the underlying suit falls under several exclusions.

  • November 13, 2024

    Insurer Says No Coverage For House Fire Caused By Owner

    A property insurer said it doesn't owe coverage to a woman whose Biloxi, Mississippi, home was destroyed in a fire, telling a federal court that its investigation into the loss suggested that the owner started the blaze.

  • November 13, 2024

    Blue Cross Workers Get Final OK On $667K Unpaid OT Deal

    A Pennsylvania federal judge greenlighted a $667,000 deal that resolves two customer service representatives' proposed class action accusing a Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee of failing to compensate them for their preshift tasks, which they said led them to lose out on overtime pay.

  • November 13, 2024

    Perkins Coie Insurance Litigator Returns From Pillsbury

    Perkins Coie LLP is rehiring an insurance litigator from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, as the firm's insurance recovery work has more than doubled in the past three years, that group's practice chair told Law360 Pulse on Wednesday.

  • November 12, 2024

    Trump Taps Elon Musk To Head New 'Gov't Efficiency' Dept.

    President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a newly created "Department in Government Efficiency" for his administration come January.

  • November 12, 2024

    Mich. High Court Snapshot: 3M's PFAS Fight, Detroit Fire Fees

    The Michigan Supreme Court returns to the bench Wednesday in a packed oral argument sitting, including a major case on the viability of state PFAS regulations in a challenge brought by 3M Co.

  • November 12, 2024

    After Bribery Conviction, Insurance Mogul Cops To $2B Fraud

    An insurance mogul convicted on bribery and wire fraud charges turned himself into the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday in North Carolina after pleading guilty to separate charges stemming from a $2 billion scheme to defraud insurance companies, regulators and policyholders.

  • November 12, 2024

    9th Circ. Affirms Insurer's Win In Invalid Exclusion Dispute

    Injured third-party claimants seeking coverage for an auto collision under an auto repair company's commercial auto policy are entitled only to minimum limits required under Oregon's Financial Responsibility Laws, the Ninth Circuit has affirmed, rejecting the claimants' argument that the company's $2-million-per-occurrence limit applies instead.

  • November 12, 2024

    Progressive Accused Of Giving Crash Victims' Info To Law Firm

    Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Kanner & Pintaluga PA are facing a proposed class action in Houston, where former clients accuse the two of conspiracy and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act violations because the insurer allegedly shared crash victims' private information with the law firm in violation of state and federal statutes.

  • November 12, 2024

    Freddie Mac Gets Partial Win In SEC Probe Coverage Dispute

    Government-backed mortgage buyer Freddie Mac cannot obtain coverage solely because its employees received subpoenas from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a D.C. federal court ruled while also holding that the lender's excess insurers cannot challenge a lower-layer insurer's coverage determination.

  • November 12, 2024

    Broker Calls 78-Month Sentence For Tax Scheme Unfair

    An insurance agent convicted of conspiracy and tax crimes in a multimillion-dollar tax avoidance scheme told a North Carolina federal court ahead of his sentencing, scheduled for Wednesday, that the 78-month prison sentence recommended by prosecutors is harsher than punishments for similar offenders.

  • November 08, 2024

    BCBS Hit With $12.7M Verdict In Worker's Vax Mandate Suit

    A Michigan federal jury on Friday awarded $12.69 million to a former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employee who said she was fired after her employer failed to accommodate her religious beliefs, which she said prevented her from getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

  • November 08, 2024

    Insurer Ignored Sex Harassment And Rampant Fraud, Suit Says

    Executives and directors of life insurance company Globe Life Inc. have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit in Texas federal court alleging they had been ignoring a culture of sexual harassment among its employees and participating in fraudulent underwriting practices.

  • November 08, 2024

    1st Circ. Agrees No Coverage For Contractor In Defect Row

    A First Circuit panel affirmed an insurer's win Friday, concluding that the carrier and excess insurers owed no coverage to a general contractor embroiled in underlying litigation regarding damage caused by a subcontractor's allegedly faulty work on a New Jersey project.

  • November 08, 2024

    J&J Talc Unit Must Revise Ch. 11 Plan, Insurers Say

    A group of Johnson & Johnson insurance carriers urged a Texas judge to reject the Chapter 11 plan disclosure statement for the company's Red River Talc unit as unconfirmable, saying J&J "made it clear that it intends to saddle its insurers with responsibility to pay" for the bankruptcy-related claims.

  • November 08, 2024

    5 Ways Trump's Election Could Change Employee Benefits

    Donald Trump's election to a second term as president has attorneys preparing for potentially significant changes to tax, investment and health policy that could directly affect the administration of employee benefit plans. 

  • November 08, 2024

    Cigna Agrees To End Behavioral Health Underpayment Suit

    Cigna and a billing contractor have agreed to resolve claims that they violated federal benefits law by colluding to underpay out-of-network claims for substance use disorder treatments, according to a filing in California federal court.

  • November 08, 2024

    Dance School's $30M Abuse Deal Not Covered, Insurer Says

    The insurer for a New Jersey ballet school told a federal court it didn't owe coverage for a $30 million consent judgment reached in a consolidated underlying action brought by former students of the school, citing abuse and molestation exclusions in commercial general liability and umbrella policies.

  • November 08, 2024

    9th Circ. Doubts Weight Loss Doc's Fraud Conviction Appeal

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Friday of a former Hollywood doctor's bid to undo his conviction for conning insurance companies into covering his famous 1-800-GET-THIN lap-band weight loss surgeries, with one appellate judge saying there was "overwhelming" evidence that the physician directed subordinates to falsify sleep studies.

  • November 08, 2024

    NC Furniture-Maker Demands Hurricane Helene Coverage

    A North Carolina furniture manufacturing facility is blaming its insurer for wrongfully using a flood damage exclusion to avoid covering more than $75,000 of damage to its premises following 2024's Hurricane Helene.

  • November 08, 2024

    3rd Circ. Unsure Progressive Can Undo Car Value Suit Cert.

    A Third Circuit panel on Friday grappled with whether an adjustment that Progressive Specialty Insurance Co. did every time it calculated the value of a totaled vehicle was enough to warrant class certification for a lawsuit claiming the adjustment was unfair, or if classwide treatment was inappropriate when each class member could have a different outcome of that assessment.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Critical Factors Driving Settlement Values In Cyber Litigation

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    Recent ransomware incidents and their legal repercussions offer five valuable insights into the determinants of settlement values in cyberattack-related litigation, and understanding these trends and their implications can better prepare organizations for the potential legal fallout from future breaches, says Peter Kamminga at JAMS.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Insurers Have A Ch. 11 Voice Following High Court Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum — which reaffirmed a broad definition of "party in interest" — will give insurers, particularly in mass tort Chapter 11 bankruptcies, more opportunity to protect their interests and identify problems with reorganization plans, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Cyber Takeaways For Cos. From Verizon Data Breach Report

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    Camilo Artiga-Purcell at Kiteworks analyzes the key findings of the 2024 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report from a legal perspective, examining the implications for organizations' cybersecurity strategies and compliance efforts.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Reps And Warranties Insurance Considerations As M&A Slows

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    The first six months of the year have seen increasingly favorable rates and policy terms for the representations and warranties insurance market, and policy purchasers are right to pay close attention to pricing, coverage, exclusions, structures and claims as the M&A market cools, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • 8th Circ. Insurance Ruling Spotlights Related-Claims Defenses

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    The Eighth Circuit’s recent Dexon v. Travelers ruling — that the insurer must provide a defense despite the policy’s related-acts provision — provides guidance for how policyholders can overcome related-acts defenses, say Geoffrey Fehling and Jae Lynn Huckaba at Hunton.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Unpacking NY's Revised Hospital Cybersecurity Rule Proposal

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    The New York State Department of Health's recently revised hospital cybersecurity rule proposal highlights increased expectations and scrutiny around cybersecurity in the healthcare sector, while adapting to both recent industry developments and public comments, say Christine Moundas and Gideon Zvi Palte at Ropes & Gray.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • The Uncertain Scope Of The First Financial Fair Access Laws

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    With Florida and Tennessee soon to roll out laws banning financial institutions from making decisions based on customer traits like political affiliation, national financial services providers should consider how broadly worded “fair access” laws from these and other conservative-leaning states may place new obligations on their business operations, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • An Insurance Coverage Checklist For PFAS Defendants

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    With PFAS liability exposures attracting increased media attention, now is a good time for companies that could be exposed to liability related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to review existing and past insurance policies, and consider taking proactive steps to maximize their likelihood of coverage, say attorneys at Nossaman.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

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