General Liability

  • April 26, 2024

    Insurers Say BASF Can't Seek Same PFAS Coverage In 3 Suits

    BASF Corp.'s insurers have said a South Carolina federal court lacked jurisdiction and should toss the chemical manufacturer's case in favor of similar New Jersey state litigation seeking coverage for thousands of underlying allegations that a substance made for firefighting foam caused pollution and injury.

  • April 26, 2024

    The Week In Trump: Tabloid Testimony, High Court Drama

    Donald Trump and his attorneys have been fighting high-stakes legal battles on several fronts as they grappled with a criminal hush money trial in Manhattan, argued at the U.S. Supreme Court for presidential immunity and tried to quash criminal election interference-related charges in Georgia.

  • April 25, 2024

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    A New York state panel partially revived Chubb's coverage dispute with an archdiocese over underlying sexual abuse claims, Ralph Lauren got the green light to pursue its appeal for coverage of damages stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and former President Donald Trump solidified a $175 million bond.

  • April 25, 2024

    Driving Data Suits Highlight Auto Privacy, Insurance Risks

    A spate of suits charging General Motors with harvesting driver data without permission and sharing it with data broker LexisNexis Risk Solutions highlights policyholder privacy risks and erosion of trust over extensive auto data collection, experts told Law360.

  • April 25, 2024

    5th Circ. May Ponder If Threats Are Claims In Healthcare Suit

    The Fifth Circuit will review Monday if a healthcare company is covered for a more than $200,000 settlement over mistakenly approving out-of-state treatment for a Florida Medicaid patient, with the case potentially hinging on whether a letter threatening litigation against another party constitutes a claim. Here, Law360 breaks down the case in advance of oral arguments.

  • April 25, 2024

    Fla. High Court Says PIP Law Doesn't Mandate 100% Payment

    The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Allstate Insurance Co. is not required to pay 100% of a chiropractic provider's charges under a personal injury protection policy, saying to enact such a requirement would misread both Florida's PIP law and Allstate's policy.

  • April 25, 2024

    New PFAS Rules Portend More Insurance, Superfund Suits

    New rules from the Environmental Protection Agency designating as hazardous so-called forever chemicals, and limiting those toxic chemicals in water supplies, are likely to contribute to a wave of insurance litigation over liabilities, while potentially posing new coverage implications for companies involved in Superfund sites.

  • April 25, 2024

    Emotional Damages Not Covered In OD Suit, Pa. Justices Rule

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has reversed a lower court's ruling that a Nationwide unit had a duty to defend two homeowners in a suit over a man's fatal overdose under their roof, holding Thursday that underlying emotional distress damages don't fall within the policy's definition of bodily injury.

  • April 25, 2024

    Insurance Backs Up College Athletes About To Turn Pro

    As the NFL draft begins, experts tell Law360 how changing circumstances make it ever more important for athletes transitioning from the college to professional level to secure insurance coverage, should an injury derail a pro career.

  • April 24, 2024

    Insurer Wants Other Carrier's Third-Party Coverage Suit Axed

    An insurer asked a Colorado federal court to toss Acuity's third-party suit alleging breach of contract in a coverage dispute over a construction defect arbitration proceeding, saying the claim failed because there is no privity of contract between the two carriers.

  • April 24, 2024

    Insurer Can't Raise Neglect Row To High Court, Patient Says

    An Arizona patient who won $1.5 million on negligence claims against a skilled nursing facility urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a petition from the facility's insurer seeking to arbitrate the patient's garnishment action, arguing the Ninth Circuit already decided the issue.

  • April 23, 2024

    NY Panel Partially Revives Chubb, Archdiocese Abuse Row

    A New York state appeals court partially revived Chubb's coverage dispute stemming from sexual abuse claims brought against the Archdiocese of New York, finding Tuesday that a trial court incorrectly based its dismissal on underlying allegations rather than the present action.

  • April 22, 2024

    Colo. Justices Clarify Med Mal Damages Cap Calculation

    The Colorado Supreme Court held Monday that a trial court can't consider a victorious medical malpractice plaintiff's insurance liabilities to statutorily cap his award at $1 million, saying an exception to the state's "collateral source" statute bars application.

  • April 22, 2024

    Ill. Panel Relieves Insurer Of $8.3M Cracker Caper Judgment

    An insurer was relieved of covering a dispute between cracker manufacturers, an Illinois state appeals panel affirmed, finding allegations of equipment theft that led to an $8.3 million judgment against Distinctive Foods LLC constituted non-covered intentional interference with RyKrisp LLC.

  • April 19, 2024

    CORRECTED: Fla. Jury Says AIG Mishandled Claim For Irma Damage

    A Florida federal jury on Friday found that AIG mishandled part of the claims process for damage from Hurricane Irma to a $95 million oceanfront mansion near Miami but declined to award punitive damages against the insurer.

  • April 19, 2024

    Mich. Judge Says $12K Fee Spat 'Tremendous Waste Of Time'

    A Michigan federal judge on Friday urged attorneys in a slip-and-fall suit to figure out a $12,000 fee dispute soon or risk having to spend a day in person with him in a conference with their clients, something he joked that "nobody ever wants to do."

  • April 19, 2024

    The Week In Trump: NY Trial And A High Court Date Loom

    Despite a few snags, jury selection for Donald Trump's hush money trial in Manhattan unfolded relatively quickly, clearing the way for opening statements Monday in the historic case as the former president prepped for a U.S. Supreme Court debate over his supposed immunity.

  • April 18, 2024

    Justices' Corporate Disclosure Ruling Dodges D&O Upheaval

    A U.S. Supreme Court decision that limited when securities fraud claims can be brought for a failure to disclose information relieved policyholder experts, who told Law360 that the justices avoided major consequences for directors and officers policies.

  • April 18, 2024

    Mich. High Court Takes Up Insurer Garnishment Dispute

    The Michigan Supreme Court agreed Thursday to consider whether an insurer's supposed bad faith refusal to settle a claim can be litigated in a garnishment action in The Burlington Insurance Co.'s appeal of an injured worker's attempt to collect the unsatisfied portion of a $13.7 million judgment.

  • April 18, 2024

    Four Environmental Issues Insurers Eye On Earth Day

    From questions over climate disclosure rules to a rapidly increasing landscape of flood risk, Earth Day this year offers a chance to take stock of how much climate change has affected the insurance industry and the consumers that rely on it for disaster relief. Here, ahead of the annual quasi-holiday on April 22, Law360 looks at some of the most important insurance trends and stories related to the environment.

  • April 18, 2024

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    California's attorney general stepped into an unfair competition dispute with State Farm, Allstate demanded that a former contractor stop spreading lies, a session replay suit against Liberty Mutual was paused, and the Eleventh Circuit pondered whether an insurer should pay a nonapportioned settlement.

  • April 18, 2024

    Ohtani Theft Scandal Loads Bases For Insurance Claims

    The embezzlement and sports betting scandal that has ensnared Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter could implicate a range of insurance and civil litigation possibilities, coverage experts say, pointing to criminal allegations that Ohtani was defrauded of $16 million.

  • April 18, 2024

    Admiral Balks At Covering Menendez Ally In Pollution Suit

    Admiral Insurance Co. is asking a New Jersey federal court for a declaration that it owes no coverage to a businessman who is a co-defendant in U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial in a decade-long suit by Edgewater Borough over contamination at a construction site.

  • April 17, 2024

    Wash. Winemaker Wants Insurers To Cover $30M Spoiled Wine

    A Washington state winemaker has launched a lawsuit against certain Lloyd's of London underwriters in state court, seeking coverage under a pair of insurance policies for more than $30 million worth of cabernet sauvignon that became too acidic to sell while being stored by another wine producer prior to bottling.

  • April 17, 2024

    Liberty Mutual's Spyware Suit Halted Pending 3rd Circ. Appeal

    A proposed class action accusing Liberty Mutual of using software to track customers' actions on its website without consent was put on hold Wednesday by a Pennsylvania federal judge pending guidance from the Third Circuit in a similar case.

Expert Analysis

  • NJ High Court Ruling Doesn't Negate Insurer Duty To Defend

    Author Photo

    The New Jersey Supreme Court's decision in Norman v. Admiral Insurance, finding a narrow exception to the duty to defend, doesn't allow insurers to skip out on their litigation defense obligations, say Eric Jesse and Seth Fiur at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Fla. Evidence Code Update Lowers Burden For Image Use

    Author Photo

    Florida's recent evidence code change permits judicial notice of images and certain other graphics, a hugely meaningful development for litigants across a wide range of practice areas, though the effect will likely be immediately felt in property insurance cases, say Eve Cann and David Levin at Baker Donelson.

  • 7th Circ. 'Reasonable Costs' Ruling Is A Win For Policyholders

    Author Photo

    The Seventh Circuit's decision in USA Gymnastics v. Liberty Insurance last month establishes useful precedent for policyholders, affirming and expanding on its rule that defense costs are presumed to be reasonable and necessary when insurers breach their duty to defend, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • A Road Map To Insurance For PFAS Claims And Suits

    Author Photo

    In light of an uptick in regulation and litigation surrounding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, product manufacturers potentially facing down massive liability settlements must properly investigate and understand the full scope of insurance available, says Jodi Green at Miller Nash.

  • Forecasting A Rise In 11th Circ. State Court Class Actions

    Author Photo

    Two recent opinions from the Eleventh Circuit have created an unusual landscape that may result in a substantial increase of class action litigation in state courts, particularly in Florida, that will be unable to utilize removal tools such as the Class Action Fairness Act, says Alec Schultz at Hilgers Graben.

  • Readying Companies For PFAS Regulation And Liability

    Author Photo

    Managing the uptick in regulatory oversight of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and the potential civil liability for companies will require action now, from performing audits and reviewing insurance coverage to considering the Texas two-step merger method, say attorneys at Haynes and Boone.

  • Contra Proferentem Will Remain Alive And Well In NY

    Author Photo

    Although a recent Law360 guest article argues that a New York state court's decision in Brooklyn Union Gas v. Century Indemnity creates a blanket exception to the principle that contractual ambiguities are construed against the drafter, leading appellate decisions suggest that the exception would only be applied under narrow circumstances, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Pa. Cannabis Banking Law Won't Allay Finance Industry Fears

    Author Photo

    Though a new Pennsylvania law allows financial institutions and insurers to provide services to the state’s legal cannabis industry, it’s unlikely to assuage most financial industry operators’ fears of federal reprisal, and their reluctance to work with cannabis businesses will surely persist, says Michael Sampson at Leech Tishman.

  • NY Insurance Ruling Reveals Limits Of Contra Proferentem

    Author Photo

    A New York state court's decision in Brooklyn Union Gas v. Century Indemnity, finding that there's no need to construe an ambiguous policy against an insurer when the policyholder is a sophisticated company, shows that contesting the application of the contra proferentem rule is gaining more traction in courts, say John Ewell and Joanna Roberto at Gerber Ciano.

  • What Wis. Anti-Assignment Ruling Means For Policyholders

    Author Photo

    A Wisconsin state court's recent decision in Pepsi-Cola v. Employers Insurance Co. of Wausau makes pivotal the question of when a loss occurs, meaning that policyholders subject to anti-assignment clauses cannot simply rely on plain contractual language, say Brian Scarbrough and Daniel Ergas at Jenner & Block.

  • Taming Plaintiffs' Thriving 'Reptile' Tactics: How To Start

    Author Photo

    As rising social inflation increases the danger of plaintiffs attorneys' reptile tactics, which appeal to primal emotions instead of logic, defendants should carefully consider 22 strategies that can be employed in pretrial strategy or via traditional courtroom tools, say Scott Seaman and Diane Webster at Hinshaw.

  • Taming Plaintiffs' Thriving 'Reptile' Tactics: Why It's Time

    Author Photo

    As insurers and corporate policyholders are looking down the dangerous double barrel of price level and social inflation, it's important to examine what they can do to contain a leading driver of social inflation — plaintiffs lawyers' reptile theory, which positions jurors as guardians against dangers for society, say Scott Seaman and Diane Webster at Hinshaw.

  • Recent Decisions Are Eroding All-Risk Insurance Coverage

    Author Photo

    All-risk insurance coverage is under siege by insurers' broad interpretations of established exclusions, and recent decisions in New Jersey and New Hampshire have shown that courts may not protect coverage despite the policies' text and intent, says Nicholas Insua at Reed Smith.