Specialty Lines
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November 19, 2024
Parties Voluntarily Toss Sewer Expansion Coverage Row
An Indiana federal court dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday from a utility company's insurer seeking to avoid covering a $5 million consent judgment and a $14 million damages claim from underlying litigation concerning a sewer expansion plan, after it was told in September the parties reached a global settlement in principle.
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November 18, 2024
Pa. Lab Seeks Ad Coverage For Libel Suit Over COVID Tests
A Pennsylvania laboratory told a federal court Monday that its insurer must cover it in an underlying lawsuit brought by a COVID-19 test manufacturer in which the manufacturer alleged that the lab sent 19,000 letters to test kit users wrongfully stating that the tests were unreliable.
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November 18, 2024
Trump Co. Seeks Coverage Of Wage Theft, Discrimination Suit
The Trump Corp. asked a New York federal court to force an insurer to defend it in a more than $500,000 wage theft and age discrimination dispute brought by a former employee of a company-managed luxury condo in Manhattan.
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November 14, 2024
Insurance Industry Key In Net-Zero Transition, UN Group Says
The insurance industry must take a more meaningful approach to promoting climate-friendly underwriting and investment practices in support of the transition to a net-zero economy, the United Nations' insurance-climate initiative reported Thursday.
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November 14, 2024
6th Circ. Grills Home Depot Over Data Breach Coverage Fight
Home Depot urged a Sixth Circuit panel to find that a contested electronic data exclusion in its commercial general liability excess policies was ambiguous, "tacking a crack" at persuading the appellate court that a 2014 data breach didn't involve the loss of use of electronic data.
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November 14, 2024
Election Highlights States' Role On Insurer Climate Risks
Working together to understand climate change risks to insurers and their policyholders should be a priority for state regulators, as already limited federal initiatives to study those risks are set to decrease in a Trump administration, risk and climate experts say.
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November 14, 2024
Mortgage Co. Seeks Coverage For $30M Cyber Attack Loss
Mortgage servicer Mr. Cooper Group Inc. accused units of AIG and Berkshire Hathaway of violating Texas' insurer deceptive trade practices and unfair claim settlement laws, telling a Texas federal court Thursday they've failed to fully cover more than $30 million in losses from an October 2023 hacking incident.
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November 14, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The First Circuit upheld a Berkley unit’s win in a construction defect coverage suit, the Ninth Circuit affirmed that an unlawful exclusion in an auto policy should be reformed and not voided, and the Third Circuit heard oral arguments in a vehicle valuation class action against Progressive. Here, Law360 takes a look at the week's top insurance news.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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November 07, 2024
Trump Election Complicates Growing Insurance Climate Crisis
Donald Trump's election to a second term as president is a huge setback for global efforts to curb climate change, and his disregard for the environment will likely complicate efforts to better understand climate risks facing insurers and consumers, experts say.
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November 07, 2024
State Farm Owes No Coverage For Exec In Fatal Crash Suit
A repair company's president who was involved in a fatal accident while driving a truck he personally owned but also used on the job can't be covered under its commercial auto policies, an Alaska federal court ruled, noting it's undisputed he was on a personal errand at the time.
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November 07, 2024
Trump Win Shakes Up D&O Coverage Risks Across Sectors
The reelection of former President Donald Trump this week promises to usher in a starkly different administration and regulatory approach, scrambling the current risk landscape for directors and officers and their insurers.
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November 07, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
Insurers sought to limit coverage for Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. in underlying securities claims, a proposed class of Washington Airbnb users accused the company's insurers of including undisclosed fees in their travel insurance and two Hartford units said Meta isn't owed coverage for numerous public nuisance lawsuits. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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November 07, 2024
Insurance Industry Biodiversity Push Comes Down To Funds
The insurance industry could lend crucial support in preventing biodiversity loss through novel risk-sharing instruments, but its effectiveness will depend on the ability to finance coverage costs, and understand the risks to biodiversity in a variety of ecosystems.
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November 07, 2024
6th Circ. To Mull CGL-Cyber Line In Home Depot Hack Fight
The Sixth Circuit's consideration of whether an electronic data exclusion relieves commercial general liability insurers for Home Depot of $50 million in data breach coverage obligations could provide some clarity on when, or if, CGL and cyber coverage overlap.
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November 05, 2024
An Early Look At Trump's Supreme Court Shortlist
With former President Donald Trump projected to win the 2024 presidential election and the Republicans' success in securing the U.S. Senate majority, Trump may now get the chance to appoint two more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, cementing the court's conservative tilt for decades to come.
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November 05, 2024
GOP's Senate Win Hands Future Of The Judiciary To Trump
Republicans were projected to take back the White House and Senate and possibly the House early Wednesday, putting the GOP in position to back Donald Trump's agenda and his slate of young, conservative judicial nominees.
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November 05, 2024
Del., NC Insurance Commissioners Hold Their Seats
Incumbent insurance commissioners successfully defended their positions on Election Day, with Mike Causey winning in North Carolina, Trinidad Navarro securing his position in Delaware and Jon Godfread running unopposed in North Dakota. Washington voters elected a new commissioner for the first time in 24 years, with state Sen. Patty Kuderer assuming the position.
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November 05, 2024
Insurer Says No Coverage For Doctor Sex Assault Claims
An insurer covering an Ohio doctor who was indicted for over 50 counts of sexual misconduct and a private practice he worked at told an Ohio federal court that their policies must be rescinded because of multiple misrepresentations in policy renewals.
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October 31, 2024
4th Circ. Told Door-Maker's $10M Claim Double-Dips Coverage
A Travelers unit says it shouldn't have to fork over $10 million in excess coverage to a North Carolina door manufacturer that paid $39.5 million to settle a securities class action, telling the Fourth Circuit that the case stems from a flurry of antitrust litigation that began before its policy went into effect.
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October 31, 2024
Insurance Risks Abound Due To Exceptional Storms, Pros Say
The 2024 hurricane season is historically exceptional from a climatological and insurance industry perspective, but it should also be understood against the greater context of a high-loss landscape that demands a finer understanding of changing climate risks, academic risk experts said Thursday.
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October 31, 2024
Chubb Says No Coverage For Texas Chemical Explosion Suits
Two Chubb units told a Texas federal court Thursday they owe no coverage to Team Industrial Services Inc. for two lawsuits seeking to hold it liable for injuries from an explosion at a chemical plant, arguing a pollution exclusion applies because a release of a chemical caused the explosion.
Expert Analysis
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Del. Insurance Co. Liquidation Reveals Recovery Strategies
Arrowood's recent liquidation in the Delaware Chancery Court offers a positive development for policyholders and claimants, providing access to guaranty association protections amid the company's demise, say Timothy Law and Ann Kramer at Reed Smith.
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The Basics Of Law Firm Cyber Liability Insurance Applications
Cyber liability insurance has become a common consideration for law firms as cyber threats have escalated, but these insurance forms can be quite complicated given the nature of the industry and associated risks, so simply filling out the form won't necessarily result in an ideal policy for your firm, says Kevin Haight at WAMS.
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Insurance Considerations For Cos. Assessing New AI Risks
Because no two businesses will have the same artificial intelligence risk profile, they should consider four broad risk categories as a baseline for taking a proactive approach to guarding against AI-related exposures, say attorneys at Hunton.
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AI Brings New Insurance Concerns For Healthcare Providers
As the healthcare industry increasingly invests in medical artificial intelligence tools, it confronts a variety of liability risks that necessitate careful consideration and potential recalibration of providers' insurance programs, say Marialuisa Gallozzi and Megan Mumford Myers at Covington.
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3 AI Regulation Developments Insurers Must Follow
Insurance regulators continue to actively develop regulations and guidance on the use of artificial intelligence, so insurers should be aware of recent developments from the Colorado Division of Insurance, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the New York Department of Financial Services, say attorneys at Willkie.
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Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint
In the face of a pending "mega-trial" over leased airplanes held in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, a settlement between leading aviation lessor AerCap Holdings NV and NSK, the Russian state-controlled insurance company, could pave the way for similar deals, say Samantha Zaozirny and Timeyin Pinnick at Browne Jacobson.
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How Shareholder Activists Are Targeting Insurers
As shareholder activists take a closer look at the insurance industry, they are pushing insurers to take value-enhancing and climate-related measures — but insurers can prepare by anticipating activist concerns, maintaining robust shareholder engagement, and considering changes in response to the universal proxy rules, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Unlocking Value In Carve-Out M&A Transactions
Some of the largest mergers and acquisitions in 2023 were carve-out transactions, and despite their unique intricacies and challenges, these transactions offer both buyers and sellers the opportunity to generate outsized returns in an otherwise vigorously competitive landscape, when carefully planned and diligently executed, say Kevin Crews and Rami Totari at Kirkland.
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Tips For Negotiating Strong D&O Insurance Protection
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
D&O insurance is often the last line of defense for the personal assets of a director or officer, so taking the time to negotiate improvements to their D&O policies and ensuring that the coverage is appropriate for the insureds' risk profile can greatly improve the chances that their policies will protect them when they need coverage the most, says Thomas Bentz at Holland & Knight.
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Insurers Should Prepare For 'Black Swan' Climate Disasters
As rapid climate change results in increased risk of casualties and property loss from rare, severe weather events, the insurance industry should take five crucial steps toward evolving and continuing operations, including advanced analytic techniques and investments in alternative energy sources, say Stephen Brown and Irena Maier at Wilson Elser.
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3 Quirks Of New Jersey Insurance Coverage Law
There are a multitude of state-specific requirements and nuances that make New Jersey insurance law unique, including in the areas of duty to defend, reservation of rights and bad faith, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.
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How Del. 'Arising Out Of' Ruling May Affect Insurance Cases
The Delaware Supreme Court decision in Ace American Insurance v. Guaranteed Rate focused on a professional services exclusion, but the ruling has wide-ranging application in insurance coverage disputes involving any exclusions that employ "arising out of" or similar prefatory language, say Keith McKenna and Maria Brinkmann at Cohen Ziffer.
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Assessing D&O Coverage Amid Challenges To DEI Policies
As the recent backlash against corporate diversity, equity and inclusion policies leads to shareholder litigation and other legal challenges, companies bolstering their DEI efforts should ensure that their directors and officers and employment practices' liability insurance policies provide sufficient coverage for potential claims, say Peter Gillon and Patrick Blood at Pillsbury.