Specialty Lines

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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. 

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • August 01, 2024

    11th Circ. Denies Coverage, Despite Insurer's Missing Comma

    In a unanimous published opinion bound to frustrate grammarians, an Eleventh Circuit panel affirmed Thursday that though an insurer's policy might be missing a comma, the lack of punctuation didn't change its clear and unambiguous meaning, thus preventing payment to a food company.

  • August 01, 2024

    Staffing Agency Not Covered In Pay Law Row, Insurer Says

    An insurer told a Washington federal court that it has no obligation to cover a home healthcare staffing agency in an underlying proposed class action accusing the agency of violating the Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act, maintaining that the underlying allegations fall outside the scope of its policy.

  • August 01, 2024

    Judgment Insurance Market Continues To Solidify, Attys Say

    Insurance covering losses from a specific judgment or one that is reversed on appeal has become increasingly popular, attorneys tell Law360, raising questions on the extent courts will mandate disclosure of such policies and whether a critical mass of big-name carriers will wade into the market too.

  • August 01, 2024

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The D.C. Circuit revived an insurer’s bid to enforce arbitration awards against Argentina, a California federal court freed two AIG insurers from defending McKesson’s opioid suits and an ex-Allied World Insurance executive pled guilty in a $1.5 million fraud case. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • August 01, 2024

    Aon Cyber Head Says Recent Attacks Spur Insurer Scrutiny

    A spate of recent cyberattacks that have cost companies millions have raised existential questions about how cyberinsurance policies will continue to offset the growing risks. Law360 spoke with Brent Rieth, head of cyber solutions for North America at insurance broker Aon, about the role that brokers play in navigating market volatility.

  • August 01, 2024

    Insurer Wants Quick Win In NBA Team's Virus Coverage Suit

    The Sacramento Kings' insurer said it is entitled to an early win in a coverage dispute over pandemic-related losses that the basketball team and its arena operator incurred, telling a California federal court that the losses don't meet the policy requirement of "physical loss or damage" to property.

Expert Analysis

  • Key Provisions In Florida's New Insurer Accountability Act

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    Florida's recent bipartisan Insurer Accountability Act introduces a range of new obligations for insurance companies and regulatory bodies to strengthen consumer protection, and other states may follow suit should it prove successful at ensuring a reliable insurance market, say Jan Larson and Benjamin Malings at Jenner & Block.

  • 10th Circ. Remand Of ERISA Claims To Insurer Is Problematic

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    The Tenth Circuit recently gave the defendant another bite at the apple in David P. v. United Healthcare by remanding Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims for reprocessing, but the statute lacks any provision authorizing remands of ERISA cases, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

  • Insurers, Prepare For Large Exposures From PFAS Claims

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    With thousands of lawsuits concerning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances pending across the country, several large settlements already reached, and both regulators and the plaintiffs bar increasingly focusing on PFAS, it is becoming clear that these "forever chemicals" present major exposures to insurers and their policyholders, say Scott Seaman and Jennifer Arnold at Hinshaw.

  • Groundbreaking Nev. Law May Alter Insurance Landscape

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    The Nevada Legislature recently passed a law prohibiting insurers from issuing liability policies with eroding limits provisions that has the potential to create massive shifts in the marketplace — and specifically in areas like professional liability, cyber, and directors and officers insurance, says Will Bennett at Saxe Doernberger.

  • Online Purchase Insurance: Regulatory Issues To Watch For

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    Before offering insurance on consumer transactions, otherwise known as embedded insurance, merchants and insurance producers should be aware of a few regulatory issues and have a multistate compliance strategy in place, say Fred Garsson and Kara Pike at Saul Ewing.

  • To Survive Scrutiny, Banks Should Craft Careful D&O Policies

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    With banks and their boards facing intensified — and potentially costly — scrutiny after this spring’s bank failures, risk managers can prepare for potential shareholder demands, lawsuits or regulatory probes by designing a robust and targeted directors and officers coverage program, say Jose Lua-Valencia and Jesse Vazquez at Pillsbury.

  • Insurance Insights From 5th Circ. Blue Bell Coverage Ruling

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    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.

  • BIPA, Meta Pixel Suits Could Reshape Cybersecurity Litigation

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    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.

  • Insurance Coverage For ChatGPT Legal Fiasco: A Hypothetical

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    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.

  • Insurance Implications Of High Court Affirmative Action Ruling

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    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.

  • What The ESG Divide Means For Insurers And Beyond

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    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.

  • 2 Years Later: TransUnion's Impact On Data Breach Litigation

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    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.

  • Insurance Considerations For State Biometric Privacy Claims

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    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.