General Liability
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September 19, 2024
11th Circ. Asked To Revisit Coverage Ruling Over Comma
Food company owner ECB USA Inc. is asking the Eleventh Circuit to reconsider a decision clearing a Chubb insurance unit from covering a $4.2 million settlement agreement over the lack of a comma in a professional services policy, arguing the ruling misapplied New Jersey law.
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September 18, 2024
Fla. Jury Awards $5M To Teacher Injured In Car Crash
A Florida state court jury has awarded more than $5 million to a teacher involved in a 2022 vehicle collision, resulting in serious injuries to her back and neck following a trial in Jacksonville.
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September 16, 2024
TIAA Faces Class Claims Over 2023 Cyberattack
The Teachers Insurance Annuity Association of America and its life insurance subsidiary were sued in New York federal court by a proposed class alleging the company failed to protect the personal data of current and former clients and allowed a 2023 data breach.
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September 16, 2024
Insurers Bring Curtain Down On 'Cats' Tour Injury Dispute
Two insurers agreed to settle a dispute in Massachusetts federal court over coverage for a touring production of "Cats" at a Rhode Island theater where an employee was severely injured by set equipment.
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September 13, 2024
The 2024 Regional Powerhouses
The law firms on Law360's list of 2024 Regional Powerhouses reflected the local peculiarities of their states while often representing clients in deals and cases that captured national attention.
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September 13, 2024
Insurer Says Ga. Club's Coverage Ends When Guns Come Out
Trisura Specialty Insurance Co. has asked a Georgia federal court to rule that it should not be held liable for claims arising from a January 2022 shooting at a bar that injured several patrons.
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September 13, 2024
USC Sex Abuse Coverage Dispute Dropped After Doc's Death
The University of Southern California and several of its insurers dropped a dispute over coverage for sexual assault allegations against disgraced gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall, which comes after the death of the doctor in October 2023.
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September 12, 2024
Towers Watson Can't Duck Bump-Up Exclusion, 4th Circ. Told
Towers Watson's latest effort to get its directors and officers insurers to fund a $75 million settlement in a shareholder suit over its merger with Willis should be tossed, the insurers told the Fourth Circuit, saying the bump-up exclusion unambiguously applies to bar coverage.
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September 10, 2024
Cybersecurity Co. Beats Suit Over Med Tech Data Breach
A Massachusetts federal judge declined to hold information security technology company Barracuda Networks Inc. liable over a 2018 data breach that exposed the confidential information of more than 277,000 patients of medical device maker Zoll Medical Corp.
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September 10, 2024
London Reinsurance Sector Grew To £11B In 2023
The value of reinsurance transactions written in the London company insurance market grew by 33% in 2023 on the back of a harder pricing environment, according to figures published Tuesday by a trade body.
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September 09, 2024
No Coverage For BNSF In Flood Suit, Travelers Says
Two Travelers units told a California federal court that they owe no additional insured coverage to railway giant BNSF over claims that a track relocation project it undertook caused significant flooding on a property owner's land.
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September 05, 2024
3rd Circ. Relieves Insurer Of Additional UIM Coverage
The Third Circuit reversed an early win a lower court handed to a couple whose son suffered serious injuries in a motorized dirt bike accident, finding that the couple's insurer needn't pay an additional $250,000 under another household policy because of the policy's household vehicle exclusion.
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September 05, 2024
Notable D&O Rulings Of 2024 So Far
The U.S. Supreme Court’s corporate disclosure ruling, a California federal court’s take on advancement of subpoena-related defense costs and conflicting Delaware state court decisions on the enforcement of no-action clauses have set up 2024 as a big year for director and officer coverage rulings. Here, Law360 looks at five notable D&O rulings from the year so far.
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September 05, 2024
Insurers Face Divided Regulator Response To AI Use Risks
Insurers are increasingly exploring methods for implementing artificial intelligence systems, and regulators across the United States are taking a variety of approaches to address concerns that such systems may exploit personal information or unfairly discriminate against consumers. Here, Law360 consults state insurance agencies to map out the insurer AI guidance landscape.
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September 05, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Fifth Circuit declined to revive a proposed global settlement related to the 2010 BP oil spill, a Hawaii federal judge determined a coverage dispute stemming from the 2023 Maui wildfires belonged in state court, and an Aon unit sought at least $140 million in damages from a Chinese bank.
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September 05, 2024
Mound Cotton Brings On Litigation Duo In Fort Lauderdale
Mound Cotton Wollan & Greengrass LLP, which represents insurance companies, secured a pair of new partners for its Fort Lauderdale, Florida, office, one from Zelle LLP and another from Kelley Kronenberg.
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September 04, 2024
AIG Avoids Defending Retailer Against Ghost Gun Lawsuits
Two AIG units have no duty to defend a Texas-based firearms retailer against three lawsuits alleging that it knowingly sold unfinished firearm components that would later be assembled into untraceable "ghost guns," a New York federal court ruled, finding the underlying claims do not allege a covered occurrence.
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September 03, 2024
Pharma Co., State Street Hit With Pension Annuity Suit
Bristol-Myers Squibb retirees hit the pharmaceutical giant and its investment adviser, State Street, with a class action Tuesday in New York, alleging they breached their fiduciary duty to pensioners by converting pension benefits into annuity insurance contracts using a provider that wasn't the safest available.
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September 03, 2024
Landlord's Insurer Says Other Carrier Must Cover Death Suit
The insurer of a New Jersey restaurant must provide additional insured coverage to the restaurant's landlord in an underlying wrongful death suit, a Travelers unit told a federal court, saying Travelers shouldn't be the one to foot the bill for the landlord's defense costs.
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August 30, 2024
Condo Board Coverage Suit Over Maui Wildfire Gets Tossed
A Hawaii federal judge tossed an insurer's suit seeking to avoid representing a condo association and property manager after owners sent a letter blaming the association for illegally having insufficient insurance before the 2023 Maui wildfires decimated Lahaina, concluding matters were best left to Hawaii state court.
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August 29, 2024
Insurer's $20M Tribal Loan Claim Goes To Fed. Claims Court
An Ohio federal judge has transferred a challenge to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland over the agency's cancellation of a $20 million tribal loan guarantee to Federal Claims Court, arguing this week that the sole alternative of an outright dismissal would be detrimental to the interests of justice and judicial economy.
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August 29, 2024
Panel Tosses Insurer Dispute Over Drowning Death Coverage
It's too early to determine whether Farmers Insurance Exchange and Cincinnati Insurance Co. must both provide excess coverage to a property manager facing potential liability for a drowning, a Texas state appeals court ruled Thursday, finding the court lacks subject matter jurisdiction.
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August 29, 2024
DOJ Whistleblower Program Could Prompt D&O Policy Review
The U.S. Department of Justice's rollout of its new corporate whistleblower program should spur policyholders to examine their directors and officers insurance policies for potential gaps and consider alternative options to supplement coverage for the company, experts said.
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August 29, 2024
Building Codes Key Part Of Mitigating Insurance Risks
Property and casualty insurers have highlighted resilient building as a way to address burgeoning property risk, but experts told Law360 the government alone cannot be expected to improve insurance outcomes without engagement from state and local jurisdictions and private organizations on issues like building codes and federal grants.
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August 29, 2024
Aon Unit Accuses Chinese Bank Of $2.8B Reinsurance Fraud
An Aon PLC subsidiary has accused one of China's largest banks in New York state court of helping a now-bankrupt insurtech company engage in a multibillion-dollar scheme to defraud the subsidiary and cedent insurers in reinsurance transactions, seeking to recover at least $140 million in lost premiums from the bank.
Expert Analysis
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: May Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from automobile insurance to securities — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including circuit-specific ascertainability requirements and how to conduct a Daubert analysis prior to class certification.
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Key Insurance Considerations After $725M Benzene Verdict
The recent massive benzene verdict in Gill v. Exxon Mobil will certainly trigger insurance questions — and likely a new wave of benzene suits — so potential defendants should study Radiator Specialty v. Arrowood Indemnity, the only state high court decision regarding benzene claim coverage, says Jonathan Hardin at Perkins Coie.
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Key Lessons From Recent Insurance Policy Reform Litigation
A review of recent case law reveals the wide range of misunderstandings that may arise between insurers and policyholders in the purchase and renewal of insurance policies, as well as the utility — and the limits — of reformation and related remedies for these misunderstandings, say Jad Khazem and Seth Tucker at Covington.
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Corporate Insurance Considerations For Trafficking Claims
With the surge in litigation over liability under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, corporate risk managers and in-house counsel need to ensure that appropriate insurance coverage is in place to provide for defense and indemnity against this liability, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes Boone.
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Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance
A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.
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Leveraging Insurance Amid Microplastics Concerns
A pending microplastics lawsuit — New York v. PepsiCo Inc. — may be a harbinger of what is to come for companies whose products are exposed to the environment, so any company considering how to address microplastics liability should include a careful assessment of the potential for insurance coverage in its due diligence, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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Examining Illinois Genetic Privacy Law Amid Deluge Of Claims
After a federal court certified an Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act class action in August, claims under the law have skyrocketed, so employers, insurers and others that collect health and genetic information should ensure compliance with the act to limit litigation risk, say attorneys at Squire Patton.
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An American Policyholder's Guide To UK Insurance Arbitration
No matter how experienced U.S. policyholders are in stateside disputes, the procedural quirks of U.K. insurance arbitration mean Americans should learn a few key differences between U.S. litigation and London arbitration before heading across the pond, says Robert Jacobs at Blank Rome.
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5 Climate Change Regulatory Issues Insurers Should Follow
The climate change landscape for insurers has changed dramatically recently — and not just because of the controversy over the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related risk disclosure rules, says Thomas Dawson at McDermott.
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Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss notable insurance class action decisions from the first quarter of the year ranging from salvage vehicle titling to rate discrimination based on premium-setting software.
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Why RWI Insurers Should Consider Excluding PFAS
As regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances escalates, carriers providing representations and warranties insurance should reconsider providing PFAS coverage on a case-by-case basis, say Dave Bartoletti and Ina Avalon at Taft Stettinius.
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Parsing Insurance Issues After Mass Shooting 'Occurrences'
A Florida district court’s recent decision in Tony v. Evanston Insurance, which held that the 2018 Parkland High School mass shooting was a single "occurrence" under the town's commercial general liability policy, sheds light on how other courts may make this determination following other mass shooting events, says Elan Kandel at Bailey Cavalieri.
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Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.