General Liability

  • March 07, 2024

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The California Supreme Court heard COVID-19 coverage arguments, the Fifth Circuit ordered arbitration between a property owner and its domestic insurers, and a New Hampshire federal court said Liberty Mutual owes no defense for class action claims over a sleep machine cleaner.

  • March 07, 2024

    Insurer, Biz To Face Trial Over $11.8M Wrongful Death Verdict

    A Florida federal judge is sending to trial a coverage dispute between a construction and landscaping company and its insurer over an $11.8 million jury verdict for the wrongful deaths of four women after finding that there are questions of fact regarding whether the insurer acted in bad faith.

  • March 07, 2024

    Mixed Feelings On AI At Cyberinsurance Symposium

    Panelists at the Professional Liability Underwriting Society's cyber symposium in New York City on Tuesday and Wednesday were both excited and scared about generative artificial intelligence, acknowledging that it may be used in more complicated cyberattacks yet curious about the possibility the new market could bring. 

  • March 07, 2024

    Anti-Fraud Tool At Risk In 8th Circ. Billing Row, Carriers Say

    Insurers' ability to enter agreements that limit billings with healthcare providers, which they contend help combat insurance fraud, is up in the air in Minnesota as the Eighth Circuit gears up to hear arguments Thursday over whether such agreements violate a state law guaranteeing prompt automobile accident insurance payouts.

  • March 07, 2024

    Towers Watson Insurers Off Hook For $90M Merger Coverage

    Towers Watson's insurers do not need to cover settlements totaling $90 million in two shareholder suits stemming from the company's merger with Willis, a Virginia federal judge ruled, saying the transaction was barred by a so-called bump-up exclusion.

  • March 07, 2024

    Women In Insurance Law On Breaking Down Barriers

    Building a better environment for women in the legal industry starts from the top, women in insurance law told Law360. To mark International Women's Day, both junior and senior women attorneys share their experiences in the industry and offer words of advice.

  • March 06, 2024

    6th Circ. Orders Do-Over For Insurer's $3.3M Recoupment Row

    A Sixth Circuit panel on Tuesday revived a Chubb unit's bid to recoup costs from two other insurers after it helped windshield repair company Safelite pay for its defense against a competitor's suit, saying the lower court must conduct an analysis to determine whether the other carriers were prejudiced by late notice.

  • March 06, 2024

    Fla. Judge Relieves Insurer Of $1M Construction Defect Row

    An insurer has no obligation to defend or indemnify a general contractor or subcontractor in an over $1 million faulty construction dispute, a Florida federal judge ruled, finding that the subcontractor's policies contained an unambiguous "residential construction" exclusion that clearly barred coverage.

  • March 06, 2024

    Power Co. Can't Escape Explosion Fraud Claim

    An infrastructure supply company can't toss a fraud claim brought by an industrial company's insurers in a suit seeking to recoup $18.7 million in damages for a manufacturing facility explosion, an Ohio federal court ruled, finding that the carriers can bring both a breach of contract claim and a fraud claim.

  • March 05, 2024

    Tank Car Cos. Can Inspect Derailed Train Parts, Judge Says

    An Ohio federal magistrate judge said Tuesday that the National Transportation Safety Board must allow rail tank car owners facing claims in sprawling consolidated litigation to inspect crucial components from the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine last year.

  • March 05, 2024

    Calif. Justice Asks Why COVID Triggers Insurance But Not Flu

    A California Supreme Court justice appeared skeptical during a hearing Tuesday that COVID-19's presence fulfills the "physical loss or damage" requirement in commercial property insurance policies under Golden State law, questioning whether COVID-19 is different from the flu with respect to property coverage and calling asbestos litigation "far afield."

  • March 05, 2024

    Liberty Unit Off Hook For Sleep Machine Cleaner Class Action

    A Liberty Mutual unit needn't defend a manufacturer of cleaning devices for sleep machines in a multidistrict class action alleging that the company falsely advertised its products as safe and healthy, a New Hampshire federal judge ruled, finding the underlying action lacks any claim for damages covered under the policies.

  • March 05, 2024

    Ohio Pot Facility Explosion Sparks Suit Against Lighting Co.

    An Ohio cannabis grower and its insurer accused a lighting products company of failing to warn them about the dangers of its merchandise after one of its lamps allegedly exploded in a growth facility, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage.

  • March 04, 2024

    Insurer Secures Win In $3.7M Pool Damage Row

    A construction company's insurer does not have to cover a $3.7 million judgment awarded to homeowners for the faulty construction of a pool, a Montana federal court ruled, finding that business risk and professional liability exclusions barred coverage under the company's general liability policy.

  • March 04, 2024

    No Coverage For Amazon Warehouse Collapse, 8th Circ. Rules

    An insurer for an Amazon warehouse developer does not owe coverage for multiple personal injury and wrongful death suits filed in the wake of a tornado, the Eighth Circuit affirmed Monday, upholding that the warehouse was not included in a policy's "schedule of locations."

  • March 01, 2024

    11th Circ. Revives Alabama Life Insurance Class Action

    An Eleventh Circuit panel on Friday revived a South Carolina man's Alabama class action alleging his life insurer's costs on his $100,000 policy weren't linked to life expectancy, though the policy said they would be.

  • March 01, 2024

    Clyde & Co Adds Former Hinkhouse Atty To Chicago Office

    Global law firm Clyde & Co added a former Hinkhouse Williams Walsh LLP attorney as a partner in its North American insurance practice in Chicago who said she is "thrilled" to continue building client relationships in her new role.

  • February 29, 2024

    9th Circ. Sends COVID-19 Coverage Row Back To Tribal Court

    A Ninth Circuit panel unanimously affirmed the Suquamish Tribal Court's jurisdiction over a COVID-19 coverage dispute, finding in a published opinion Thursday that although the tribe's insurers weren't present on its land, a consensual business relationship means tribal law applies.

  • February 29, 2024

    State Farm Must Face Bad Faith Claims In $3M Crash Row

    A Florida appeals court on Wednesday clarified a prior ruling reviving bad faith claims against State Farm for rejecting an offer to settle a car crash injury suit that led to a $3 million verdict, saying the insurer could still have acted in bad faith in handling the settlement offer even if it had no obligation to accept it.

  • February 29, 2024

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The Texas Supreme Court found that a handful of insurers may be on the hook for a $220 million bankruptcy settlement, while another state Supreme Court said it will take on underpayment claims against Geico, as insurance experts heed emerging privacy risks and prepare for more PFAS litigation. Here, Law360 takes a look at this week's top insurance news.

  • February 29, 2024

    Valencia Fire Renews Concerns Over Materials, Insurance

    A deadly apartment fire in Valencia, Spain, is drawing renewed attention to the use of flammable materials on building exteriors, a global problem that insurance experts say implicates complicated webs of liability and a need for strong government oversight.

  • February 29, 2024

    Texas Justices' Unusual Remedy Presents A Win For Insurers

    The Texas Supreme Court handed several carriers a victory in its ruling that a $220 million settlement between now-bankrupt Cobalt International Energy Inc. and its investors is not binding on the energy company's insurers to establish coverage, a decision notable for the unusual relief granted by the state justices, experts say.

  • February 29, 2024

    New AI Risks Pressure Policyholders To Fill Coverage Gaps

    Growing scrutiny from the public and regulators in the U.S. over artificial intelligence use and rising threats of AI-enabled schemes are sending insurance experts scrambling to evaluate their coverage options in a rapidly changing risk environment.

  • February 29, 2024

    SVB Parent's Counsel Booted From Fraud Coverage Row

    The bankrupt parent company of Silicon Valley Bank cannot use Farella Braun & Martel LLP as counsel in litigation over the parent company's claims that it alone must be covered for a fraud scheme that caused over $73 million in losses, a North Carolina federal court ruled.

  • February 28, 2024

    Travelers, Fridge Co. To Settle $950K Dispute Over Ship Fire

    Travelers and a refrigerator manufacturer told a Texas federal court that they have agreed to dismiss litigation over the insurer's bid to recoup $950,000 it paid to its insured to cover a ship fire, which Travelers said was caused by a defective refrigerator unit in the ship's galley.

Expert Analysis

  • Examining Event Cancellation Coverage As COVID Lingers

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    Recent pandemic-related postponements from the NBA, NFL and Grammys, coupled with COVID-19 being excluded from new event cancellation policies, highlight the need for event organizers to explore cancellation risks and how specialty coverage can serve as a tool for mitigation, say Jorge Aviles and Andrea DeField at Hunton.

  • Using Insurance Coverage To Fund Early Settlement

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    A recent settlement between health care company Vision Path and the Federal Trade Commission shows that settling early is a prudent consideration to avoid defense costs and preserve the bulk of the insurer budget for a settlement or judgment, say Jason Callen and Beau Creson at K&L Gates.

  • Fla.'s New Appeal Rule Will Cause More Harm Than It Cures

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    Florida's new procedural rule, permitting interlocutory appeals of orders that allow complaint amendment to add punitive damages, champions an unnecessary and often overly broad solution at the expense of the timely administration of justice, say Hugh Lumpkin and Wesley Butensky at Reed Smith.

  • Federal Courts Are Right Venue For COVID Insurance Cases

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    Two recent Law360 guest articles positing that state, not federal, courts should be deciding COVID-19 insurance coverage disputes incorrectly assume that these cases contain novel insurance law issues, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • What Pa. Procedure Rule Change Means For 'Snap Removals'

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    In light of Pennsylvania's recent civil procedure rule amendment significantly decreasing defendants' time to remove cases from state to federal court, Shari Milewski and Donald Kinsley at Maron Marvel offer some practical tips for maintaining snap removal as a viable defense tool.

  • How NJ Bad Faith Auto Insurance Bill Compares To Pa.'s

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    The recently enacted New Jersey Insurance Fair Conduct Act, is in some ways narrower and in other ways broader than Pennsylvania's notoriously strict bad faith statute and leaves open many fundamental questions, which took Pennsylvania decades of litigation to resolve, say Kristin Jones and Brian Callaway at Troutman Pepper.

  • Del. High Court Gets It Right With Opioid Nuisance Ruling

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    In ACE v. Rite Aid, the Delaware Supreme Court has issued a groundbreaking insurance ruling that helps define the fundamental bargain at the heart of commercial insurance coverage and demonstrates why such coverage does not extend to public nuisance claims, says Adam Fleischer at BatesCarey.

  • Flawed NY Insurance Law Needs Amendments

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    The New York Comprehensive Insurance Disclosure Act, recently signed by the governor, imposes a multitude of problematic disclosure obligations on defendant-insureds, which the Legislature should — and likely will — seriously consider modifying or eliminating, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.

  • Justices May Hesitate To Review Calif. Fraud Coverage Case

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    In Adir International v. Starr Indemnity, the policyholders are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review their challenge of a California law prohibiting insurers from defending insureds in certain consumer protection claims, but the court may not be ready to decide the issue at this time, says Greg Mann at Rivkin Radler.

  • Court Split On Amazon's Seller Liability Could Be Moot

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    Courts across the country have split on Amazon's liability for products sold on its marketplace, but if more e-commerce platforms follow its lead on insurance coverage requirements for vendors, it may not matter how courts resolve the seller liability issue, says Thomas Kurland at Patterson Belknap.

  • JP Morgan Ruling May Have Broad Insurance Implications

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    The New York Court of Appeals' recent decision in J.P. Morgan Securities v. Vigilant Insurance — that settlement funds paid to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission did not constitute a penalty for insurance purposes — could have far-reaching application in other types of insurance litigation where plaintiffs could be characterized as seeking equitable relief, say Robert Shulman and Cristen Rose at Paley Rothman.

  • Insurers Should Honor Astroworld Coverage Obligations

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    While insurers may be eager to shift blame on Astroworld showrunner Travis Scott for conditions that resulted in 10 deaths and dozens of injuries, arguments suggesting the tragedy shouldn't be covered appear baseless in light of the facts and the law, says Benjamin Massarsky at Miller Friel.

  • Resolving Asbestos Suits Faster In The Pandemic And Beyond

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    Trial delays due to COVID-19 are an incentive for asbestos plaintiffs and defendants to adopt litigation reforms that can help bring cases to verdicts or settlements faster — changes that will be valuable even after the pandemic ends, says Lisa Oberg at Husch Blackwell.