Specialty Lines
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June 27, 2024
Auto Software Outage Turns Policyholders To Cyber Coverage
A ransomware attack against auto software company CDK Global that caused an ongoing disruption in the operations of car dealerships has sent policyholder experts pointing to cyber insurance policies for immediate relief.
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June 27, 2024
11th Circ. Upholds Radiology Practice's FMLA Suit Win
The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday backed a Florida radiology practice's defeat of a doctor's lawsuit alleging he was fired because he requested medical leave, ruling a lower court didn't err when it blocked him from presenting evidence he hadn't previously disclosed.
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June 27, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The D.C. Circuit ordered coverage for water damage stemming from an excluded peril, a Nevada state court let a COVID-19 coverage suit remain despite a pro-insurer pandemic ruling from the state's justices, Travelers avoided defending asbestos suits and Nautilus Insurance prevailed in a $3 million logging injury coverage row.
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June 27, 2024
2024 'Super Election Year' Shows Value In Risk Management
Insurance experts are warning of potentially heightened risks as the 2024 presidential race ramps up in the U.S. and elections take place abroad, advising policyholders and insurers to maintain a strong understanding of their policies ahead of potential political unrest.
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June 27, 2024
AG Says Trump Recusal Bid Relies On 'Distortion Of Facts'
New York's attorney general says Donald Trump is relying on a "distortion of facts" in seeking to oust the judge who ordered the former president to pay $465 million in penalties in his civil fraud case.
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June 27, 2024
Insurer Climate Risk Report Drawing Regulatory Attention
A recent report finding that insurers are making mixed progress on climate risk disclosures will draw regulators' attention as they continue to shape how carriers detail information about their emissions and climate policies, experts say.
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June 27, 2024
Paper Co. Settles Employee Theft Suit Coverage After Trial
Following a settlement, a paper manufacturer agreed to end its Tennessee federal suit against its insurer over coverage for an employee theft scheme that the paper company said caused $31 million in losses.
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June 26, 2024
Conn. Insurance Chief Can Limit Struggling Insurer's Payouts
A Connecticut state court imposed a temporary moratorium on certain benefits that a private equity-owned life insurer can pay out to policyholders until a rehabilitation plan can be confirmed for the failing carrier, granting the state insurance department's petition for a rehabilitation order.
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June 25, 2024
Wash. Contractor, Insurer Resolve Redress Cost Dispute
A Washington federal court tossed a dispute between a mechanical contractor and its insurer over coverage for about $355,500 in "redress expenses" the contractor claims it incurred while working on a surgical center remodeling project to prevent future claims lodged against it.
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June 20, 2024
'AI Washing' Actions Mark New Frontier In Coverage Disputes
Recent regulatory actions and shareholder suits over alleged misrepresentations of artificial intelligence use, or what is known as AI washing, may be the first wave of a surge of claims that will hit professional and management liability insurance lines.
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June 20, 2024
Attys See Huge Financial, Legal Stakes In Hawaii Climate Suit
A novel Hawaiian case over whether an AIG insurer needs to pay a Sunoco subsidiary’s legal fees to beat claims it contributed to climate change has huge stakes for carriers and policyholders as they increasingly tussle over the cost of Earth-warming emissions.
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June 20, 2024
Trump Calls For Engoron's Recusal In Civil Fraud Case
Former President Donald Trump and other defendants fighting a $465 million civil fraud judgment called on New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron to recuse himself Thursday in light of a once-suspended real estate attorney's recent judicial misconduct claims, which have since sparked a judicial investigation.
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June 20, 2024
Calif. Justices Give Insureds Certainty On Policy Exhaustion
The California Supreme Court's clarification that an insured can look to first-layer excess policies as soon as primary coverage for that period is exhausted has favorable implications for policyholders, experts say, yet questions remain as a lower court weighs whether excess insurers must contribute to a primary insurer's coverage.
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June 20, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The California Supreme Court opened the door to excess coverage for a policyholder's asbestos injury suits, the Hawaii Supreme Court questioned whether reckless behavior could trigger a Sunoco subsidiary's liability coverage, and the Second Circuit affirmed a Liberty Mutual unit's coverage win in a family shareholder dispute. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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June 20, 2024
Novel Vermont Polluter Law Raises Insurance Liability Issues
A new Vermont law requiring fossil fuel companies to fund projects ameliorating the negative effects of climate change could raise questions about what constitutes a covered occurrence and how pollution exclusions may apply, while also igniting choice-of-law disputes, experts say.
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June 20, 2024
Nationwide Wins Mich. Combined Filing Tax Fight On Appeal
Nationwide entities can file as a unitary business in Michigan to share tax credits across their group members, the state Court of Appeals ruled Thursday, overturning a state tax tribunal decision that said insurance companies were required to file separate returns.
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June 18, 2024
'Reckless' Behavior Centered In Climate Coverage Suit Args
Attorneys for a Sunoco subsidiary and AIG offered sharply differing views to Hawaii's top court Tuesday in oral arguments over whether reckless behavior would trigger the oil company's liability coverage in a novel suit over coverage for underlying climate change claims.
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June 18, 2024
Insurer Countersues In Penile Implant Coverage Dispute
An insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify a urologist, his medical device company or his practice in a proposed class action over a penile enlargement implant and procedure, the company told a California federal court, saying the underlying suit doesn't seek bodily injury damages that would trigger coverage.
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June 17, 2024
No Coverage For Family Shareholder Row, 2nd Circ. Affirms
A Liberty Mutual unit had no duty to defend Paraco Gas Corp. and two of its executives in a family shareholder dispute, the Second Circuit affirmed Monday, finding that all claims in the underlying suit fell within the policy's contract exclusion.
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June 14, 2024
11th Circ. Shows Insurers Preference In D&O Coverage Row
The Eleventh Circuit appeared poised to affirm a Florida district court's finding that the successor of an insurance services firm is not owed coverage for underlying shareholder-related litigation under 2017 claims-made policies because the claims are connected to ones made under a 2016 policy.
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June 14, 2024
Insurer Seeks Quick Exit In Casino $130M COVID Loss Suit
The insurer of a casino operator with properties on the Las Vegas strip and beyond told a Nevada federal judge to toss a $130 million COVID-19 pandemic loss coverage suit, arguing it had already paid $1 million — the only benefits due under the all-risk policy.
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June 13, 2024
Top Specialty Lines Decisions From The First Half Of 2024
The first half of this year brought notable pro-policyholder rulings in specialty insurance disputes on the applicability of contract exclusions and related-acts provisions, but also some rulings giving insurers a leg up when it comes to choice-of-law clauses in maritime insurance contracts and bump-up exclusions. Here, Law360 breaks down the top specialty lines decisions so far in 2024.
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June 13, 2024
Youth Org. Not Covered For Ex-Worker's Claim, 6th Circ. Rules
A sexual misconduct exclusion bars a youth advocacy organization's bid for coverage of an ex-employee's claim that they were sexually harassed and assaulted by a supervisor, the Sixth Circuit affirmed Thursday, saying the organization's failure to raise certain arguments before the district court was fatal to its appeal.
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June 13, 2024
High Court Sticks To Status Quo In Insurance-Packed Term
The U.S. Supreme Court embraced an insurance-packed docket in its current term, tackling thorny coverage issues head on or indirectly, hewing close to the status quo in decisions whose impact will be felt by insurers and policyholders across the industry. Here, Law360 reviews the top insurance-related decisions issued this term.
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June 13, 2024
Prudential Investors Get Final OK On $35M Settlement
A New Jersey federal judge on Thursday granted final approval to a $35 million class action settlement between Prudential Financial Inc. and shareholders who alleged the company hid the risks associated with the purchase of thousands of life insurance policies.
Expert Analysis
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Insurance Insights From 5th Circ. Blue Bell Coverage Ruling
The Fifth Circuit's recent ruling that denied Blue Bell insurance coverage for the defense costs incurred from a shareholder lawsuit underscores the importance of coordination of different coverages and policies across programs, and the potential perils of seeking recovery for losses under nontraditional policies, say Geoffrey Fehling and Casey Coffey at Hunton.
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BIPA, Meta Pixel Suits Could Reshape Cybersecurity Litigation
Businesses and attorneys should watch several pending electronic privacy cases that revolve around disclosure of protected personal information and health data, which may shape how courts handle damages and class actions in the future of cybersecurity litigation, say Kelly Johnson and Melanie Condon at Goldberg Segalla.
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Insurance Coverage For ChatGPT Legal Fiasco: A Hypothetical
William Passannante at Anderson Kill draws on the recent case of an attorney sanctioned by the Southern District of New York for submitting a ChatGPT-authored brief to discuss what the insurance coverage for the attorney's hypothetical claim might look like.
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Insurance Implications Of High Court Affirmative Action Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling striking down affirmative action admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina will likely result in more litigation related to hiring practices, with implications for insurance coverage, meaning policyholders must remain wary of exclusions and other potential roadblocks, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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What The ESG Divide Means For Insurers And Beyond
The debate around ESG is becoming increasingly polarized, with some states passing legislation that prohibits the use of ESG factors and others advancing affirmative legislation, highlighting the importance for insurers and other companies to understand this complex legal landscape, say Scott Seaman and Bessie Daschbach at Hinshaw.
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2 Years Later: TransUnion's Impact On Data Breach Litigation
In the two years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark TransUnion decision, plaintiffs have sought to bypass the effects of the ruling — which poses a significant impediment to large data breach class actions and uncertainty for cyber insurers — through various clever pleading forms, say Jason Fagelman and Sarah Cornelia at Norton Rose, and Amanda Thai at Beazley.
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Insurance Considerations For State Biometric Privacy Claims
As Connecticut and Colorado join the growing number of states that have enacted biometric data privacy acts auguring significant damages, in-house counsel thinking about insurance coverage for privacy liability should consider several key factors including clarity of exclusions, say Peter Halprin and Tae Andrews at Pasich.
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Case Law Is Mixed On D&O Coverage For Gov't Investigations
As the Fourth Circuit’s recent decision in Brown Goldstein v. Federal Insurance Co. demonstrates, federal appeals courts take different approaches to determine whether government investigations are covered by directors and officers liability insurance, so companies and individuals must review their policy language, say Chloe Law, Jan Larson and Caroline Meneau at Jenner & Block.
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4th Circ. Ruling Continues Trend Of Insurer Bump-Up Wins
The Fourth Circuit's recent decision in Towers Watson v. National Union Fire Insurance, finding no directors and officers insurance coverage for underpayment in a reverse triangular merger, supports an emerging consensus that "acquisition" encompasses a variety of transaction types for the purposes of D&O bump-up exclusions, say Joshua Polster and Charlotte McCary at Simpson Thacher.
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5th Circ. Ruling Aids Insureds In Contractual Exclusion Rows
The Fifth Circuit's recent insurance decision in Windermere Oaks v. Allied World, in favor of coverage, provides policyholders with guidance on how to distinguish between contractual and noncontractual claims when insurers deploy broadly worded liability exclusions to deny coverage, say Max Louik and David Ledet at Reed Smith.
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Greenwashing Suits May Implicate D&O Policies
As consumers, regulators, and state and local governments seek to use litigation to hold companies responsible for alleged greenwashing, businesses facing such claims have a number of approaches available for seeking insurance coverage under directors and officers policies, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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ALI, Bar Groups Need More Defense Engagement For Balance
The American Law Institute and state bar committees have a special role in the development of the law — but if they do not do a better job of including attorneys from the defense bar, they will come to be viewed as special interest advocacy groups, says Mark Behrens at Shook Hardy.
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Private Equity Firms Shouldn't Overlook Cybersecurity Risks
Given the operational, financial and reputational costs at stake, and the growing threat of cybercrime, cybersecurity should be central to deal making, internal governance and post-acquisition management for private equity firms, say Ray Bogenrief and William Ridgway at Skadden.