Specialty Lines
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August 14, 2024
Mich. Court Stands By Unitary Biz Ruling For Nationwide
A Michigan state appeals court will not reconsider its decision that insurance companies that are part of Nationwide should file their taxes as a unitary group, and denied the state Treasury Department's request for reconsideration.
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August 13, 2024
Texas AG Targets General Motors Over Unlawful Data Sales
Texas' attorney general has escalated his probe into data privacy practices at connected car manufacturers, hitting General Motors with a lawsuit in state court Tuesday accusing the automaker of unlawfully gathering and selling drivers' private data — which would then be resold to insurance companies — without permission.
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August 13, 2024
2nd Circ. Rewinds Tinder's 'Super Like' Theft Coverage Suit
A Second Circuit appeals court panel asked a lower court Tuesday to reconsider whether Tinder owner Match Group notified its insurer in time to cover underlying claims by a product developer who said he wasn't paid for inventing the app's "Super Like" function.
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August 13, 2024
Insurer Owes $18M For Lost Wind Farm Deals, Suit Says
Belgium-based insurer QBE Europe SA/NV should be held liable for more than $18 million in losses suffered by former partners in a now-scuttled joint venture with a Danish company to build vessels for the wind farm industry, as it failed to make a good faith effort to resolve the dispute, a lawsuit filed Monday in Massachusetts federal court contends.
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August 12, 2024
Insurer Says No Coverage For Hotel In Sex Trafficking Case
An insurer told a Virginia federal judge it didn't owe coverage to a hotel owner accused of participating in sex trafficking at its Super 8 Motel turned Quality Inn, because criminal acts were not covered under state rules or by the policy.
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August 12, 2024
Markel Says No Coverage For Film-Financing Scheme Claims
A Markel unit said it has no duty to defend or indemnify a wealth manager or his companies against underlying claims that they misled investors into financing various film projects, telling an Illinois federal court that their policy bars coverage for claims arising out of the sale of securities.
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August 09, 2024
Calif. Car Wash's $1.95M Settlement Not Covered, Insurer Says
An insurer doesn't have to cover a $1.95 million settlement an insured car wash operator reached in an underlying lawsuit accusing the business of a litany of employment violations, the carrier told a California federal court, arguing that the business settled well above coverage limits without the insurer's authorization.
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August 09, 2024
Insurer Says Contractor's Bad Wires Caused $1.8M Yacht Fire
The insurer of a yacht that caught fire while plugged into a dock told a Florida federal court Friday that the electrical company that rewired the hookup owed more than $1.8 million to cover a payout, alleging that the company failed to ground the system, causing the blaze.
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August 08, 2024
No Private Right To Sue After 'Total Loss,' Colo. Panel Says
Colorado policyholders cannot sue their auto insurers to enforce a statute requiring them to cover vehicles' title and registration fees when vehicles are declared a total loss, a Colorado appeals court ruled Thursday, finding the statute contains no implied private right of action.
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August 08, 2024
Illinois Biometric Privacy Reform Eases Coverage Woes
Illinois reformed its biometric privacy law that started a wave of litigation by limiting the potential liabilities for sharing biometric data without informed consent, which experts said will ease the coverage concerns of both policyholders and insurers.
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August 08, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Eleventh Circuit rejected insurers' coverage challenges in separate suits over a wood-theft settlement and a storm damage appraisal award, a Georgia federal court ordered an insurer to defend a farm in a couple's suit over foul smells, and the Eighth Circuit said Geico had no duty to cover a woman's HPV claims. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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August 08, 2024
8th Circ. Avoids 'Absurd Results' In Geico HPV Suit
While the Eighth Circuit reasonably interpreted a Geico auto policy as not providing coverage for a woman's claim that she contracted HPV during sexual encounters in a policyholder's car, carriers should heed the case as a warning to draft clearer policy language, policyholder and insurer-side attorneys alike agreed.
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August 08, 2024
Community Insurance Can Plug NFIP Gaps, Expert Says
Community-based flood insurance can help cover insurance gaps and provide fast insurance relief to towns and cities at risk of flooding, UC Davis researcher and former Federal Emergency Management Agency engineer Kathleen Schaefer tells Law360.
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August 08, 2024
Conflicting Rulings Muddy Del. Stance On No-Action Clause
Conflicting Delaware state court rulings on the enforcement of no-action clauses in liability insurance policies have called into question the compatibility of such clauses with an insurer's duty to defend, policyholder experts say.
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August 07, 2024
5th Circ Lets La. Driver Stack Accident Coverage Payout
A driver of an 18-wheeler who suffered injuries in a fatal auto collision in Louisiana can use his own personal auto policy to "stack" underinsured motorist benefits under South Carolina law, the Fifth Circuit ruled, clarifying the distinction between the stackability and portability of insurance policies.
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August 06, 2024
7th Circ. Axes Broker's Win In Buccaneers Deal Coverage Suit
The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday reversed an Indiana federal court's finding that an insurance broker didn't need to indemnify Axis Insurance Co. for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' voluntary settlement with a player, ruling that the insurers' contract clearly calls for Axis to be indemnified.
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August 06, 2024
Testing Lab Can't Add Bad Faith Claims In Income Loss Case
A Pennsylvania federal judge found Tuesday that a prior agreement between a medical testing lab and its insurer expressly precluded added allegations that the insurer acted in bad faith while handling the lab's claim for loss of records and business income.
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August 06, 2024
Blank Rome Adds Closed Insurance Boutique's Managing Atty
Blank Rome LLP has brought on an insurance partner from now-shuttered boutique Pasich LLP to join its insurance recovery group, the firm announced Monday.
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August 06, 2024
Farm Stench Insurance Coverage Case Saved By The Bugs
A Georgia couple accusing their poultry-farming neighbors of wafting putrid smells and failing to contain insects birthed upon their property succeeded Tuesday in forcing the farm's insurer to defend the business thanks to the bugs, a Georgia federal judge ruled.
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August 05, 2024
Manufacturer Can't Get Coverage For BIPA Class Action
An Illinois federal judge awarded a win to an insurer Monday in a suit over coverage of underlying Biometric Information Privacy Act litigation, finding a contractual exclusion prevented coverage for a machine and plastics manufacturer accused of failing to secure employee data.
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August 05, 2024
Pa. Utility Says Insurer Must Cover Spinoff Defense Costs
A Pennsylvania-based utility company told a federal court that its excess directors and officers insurer failed to cover any portion of the $53.4 million it incurred defending underlying lawsuits related to the spinoff of a subsidiary, noting that its primary insurer already paid its full $20 million limit.
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August 02, 2024
Family Denied Quick Win In Insurer's $2M Nursing Home Suit
An insurer for a now-bankrupt Georgia nursing home doesn't have to cover a $2.1 million judgment awarded to the family of a woman who died in the facility's care, a federal judge ruled Friday, finding an agreement between the facility and the family released the facility from all liability.
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August 02, 2024
Del. Judge Won't Toss Cos.' False Claims Coverage Dispute
A Delaware Superior Court judge refused to enforce a "no-action" clause in a suit brought by real estate holding companies seeking directors and officers coverage for an underlying False Claims Act qui tam action, according to a document obtained by Law360 on Friday.
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August 02, 2024
Data Breach Victims Seek $1.5M Settlement Approval
Three individuals suing a construction industry insurer over a data breach asked a North Carolina federal court to approve a nearly $1.5 million settlement to end their proposed class action accusing the insurer of failing to protect the information of policyholders, employees and stakeholders.
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August 01, 2024
4 Top Property Insurance Suits To Keep Watching In 2024
A dispute in Hawaii's top court over defense for climate change claims and a Fifth Circuit suit over insurance for an arbitration award for construction defects are among some of the top cases in the property insurance sphere worth keeping an eye on. Here, Law360 looks at four cases with notable decisions or litigation to come.
Expert Analysis
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Insured Takeaways From 10th Circ. Interrelated Claims Ruling
The Tenth Circuit's recent ruling in American Southwest Mortgage v. Continental Casualty that multiple claims arising from consecutive audit years were interrelated — and thus subject to a per claim limit — creates a concerning precedent for policyholders, so companies should negotiate relevant policy language, says Michael Stockalper at Saxe Doernberger.
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Consider A Key Insurance Tool For Environmental M&A Deals
Transactional liability insurance can be a useful risk allocation tool for completing mergers and acquisitions in the renewable energy and climate and clean technology sectors, though policies must be structured carefully to achieve maximum coverage, say Joseph Castelluccio and Paul de Bernier at Mayer Brown.
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Policyholders Must Object To Insurer Reorganizations
When insurance companies reorganize, policies often take years to ultimately pay out a fraction of what is owed, so policyholders should organize and urge insurance commissioners to take action when retroactive reinsurance deals are announced, says Jonathan Terrell at KCIC.
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Ill. BIPA Ruling May Spark Violation-Of-Law Exclusion Fight
An Illinois appeals court's recent holding in National Fire Insurance v. Visual Pak that a violation-of-law exclusion didn't preclude coverage for an underlying Biometric Information Privacy Act suit contradicts an earlier Seventh Circuit decision that aligns with long-standing insurance law principles — which may lead the state's high court to weigh in, says Tae Andrews at Pasich.
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NY Wrongful Death Law Revamp Retains Original's Drawbacks
If approved by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Grieving Families Act will transform the landscape of wrongful death law in New York by increasing the potential for damages, raising insurance premiums, burdening hospitals and courts, stifling the economy and subjecting parties to the unsettling effects of retroactive legislation, say attorneys at Shaub Ahmuty.
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SEC, NY Cybersecurity Rules Create Complexity For Insurers
Two separate cybersecurity rules recently adopted by the New York Department of Financial Services and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pose distinct challenges for insurance industry participants, with important interactions, and potential tensions, for those required to comply with both frameworks, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Exploring Middle-Market M&A Trends In 2023 And Beyond
Middle-market merger and acquisition activity this year was affected by a number of economic, legal and regulatory shifts, with certain trends pointing to favorable transaction conditions in 2024, say Jason Brauser and William Goodling at Stoel Rives.
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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.