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Insurance
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July 24, 2024
6th Circ. Floats Remand Of Geico Agent Misclassification Suit
The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday pressed Geico about plan documents reviewed by a lower court when it tossed agents' claims they were misclassified as independent contractors, floating the possibility of sending the case back for limited discovery.
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July 24, 2024
Liberty Mutual Gets $2.4M Oil Contamination Row Trimmed
A New York federal judge trimmed a $2.4 million coverage dispute between Liberty Mutual and an oil and gas trader over losses related to a contaminated oil shipment, finding that although the trader met its burden to make a case for recovery, certain contaminated product was excluded from coverage.
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July 24, 2024
Insurers Get Hyundai, Kia Engine Claim Suits Remanded
A California federal court has remanded to state court four suits by insurers claiming that Hyundai and Kia are on the hook for 829 engine failure and engine fire claims totaling over $7.7 million in damages, saying the automakers' snap removals violated the forum defendant rule.
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July 23, 2024
Ex-Allied World Exec To Change Plea In $1.5M Fraud Case
Allied World National Insurance's former executive, who pled not guilty to wire fraud charges earlier this year stemming from a $1 million embezzlement scheme, will change his plea next week in Connecticut federal court, according to a minute entry order entered Tuesday.
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July 23, 2024
Mother Urges Sanctions On Nonprofit Over Unpaid $13.4M Win
An 81-year old mother who won a $13.4 million judgment after her son died in a group home run by the Connecticut Institute for the Blind asked a state court judge Tuesday to order swift sanctions against the nonprofit for allegedly dodging depositions and stalling attempts to collect the award.
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July 23, 2024
6th Circ. Affirms Insurer's Early Win In Hail Damage Suit
A welding company wasn't owed coverage for roof damage caused by wind and a hailstorm, the Sixth Circuit ruled, finding that a lower court didn't err in ruling that a cosmetic-damage exclusion in its policy precludes the damage at issue.
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July 23, 2024
Malpractice Insurer Escapes Conn. Firm's Suit For Coverage
A Connecticut law firm and its principal will not have their legal bills reimbursed by their malpractice insurer after a state judge granted an early win to the insurance company, noting the firm admitted it was already facing a misconduct claim when its policy went into effect.
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July 23, 2024
No Victims, No Fraud, Trump Says In $465M Judgment Appeal
Donald Trump has appealed the $465 million judgment against him, arguing that the New York attorney general exceeded her authority in her civil fraud suit against the former president because the statute in question does not apply to victimless transactions.
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July 23, 2024
Reinsurance Biz Secures $1.3B In Latest Capital Raise
Annuity reinsurer Martello Re Ltd., advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Clifford Chance LLP, on Tuesday announced that it successfully completed a $1.3 billion capital raise, including $935 million of equity commitments and an upsized current credit facility by $360 million.
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July 23, 2024
Senate Dems Roll Out Bill To Codify Chevron Deference
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., led a group of Democratic senators Tuesday in introducing a bill to codify the now-defunct doctrine of Chevron deference after it was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court last month.
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July 23, 2024
Insurers Must Defend Well Driller In Lead Contamination Suit
Insurers must defend a drilling company accused of contaminating a rental property's water supply with dangerous levels of lead, a Montana federal court ruled, saying they haven't shown the underlying claims fall outside the policies' insuring agreements or are otherwise excluded from coverage.
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July 23, 2024
'Surface Water' Stumps Mass. Justices In Loss For Insurers
The top court in Massachusetts on Tuesday ruled in favor of a hospital seeking insurance coverage stemming from a severe rainstorm, saying it's unclear if water that pooled on the hospital's roof should be considered "surface water" that would trigger policy limits on flood damage.
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July 22, 2024
Fla. Jury Says Insurance Broker Owes $3M For Worker Poaching
A Florida federal jury has awarded more than $3 million in damages to a New York insurance brokerage in a trial over employment contracts, finding that a competitor interfered with its business by helping two employees breach fiduciary duties when they switched jobs and brought client lists with them.
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July 22, 2024
9th Circ. Affirms Dismissal Of Calif. Virus Coverage Suit
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal Monday of a California event operators' COVID-19 insurance coverage dispute after the state's Supreme Court determined in May that the virus doesn't cause the type of property damage needed to trigger coverage.
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July 22, 2024
Zurich Unit Needn't Cover Motorcyclist's Crash Dispute
The Third Circuit affirmed a Zurich unit's win Monday in a dispute over coverage for a boiler company sued by a motorcyclist injured in a crash with a company employee, saying not only are the motorcyclist's claims untimely, but the company's policy excludes coverage for the accident.
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July 22, 2024
Nationwide Seeks Travelers' Aid In Hot Tub Illness Row
Nationwide told a California federal court a Travelers unit must help defend a condominium association in an underlying lawsuit brought by a resident alleging he needed a double lung transplant because of hot tub contaminants, arguing Travelers' pollution exclusion and fungi or bacteria exclusion didn't apply.
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July 22, 2024
Anthem Blue Cross Wants Lab's $3.8M Suit Tossed
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Connecticut has asked a federal judge to toss a medical lab's lawsuit seeking nearly $3.8 million from it for refusing to pay for or underpaying for lab work and COVID-19 tests, arguing the claims are "baseless."
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July 22, 2024
Dispute Paused For Arbitration In $51M NOLA Airport Case
A Louisiana federal judge has stayed litigation initiated by a group of insurance companies in a $51 million dispute stemming from alleged design defects in a $1 billion terminal project at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, saying claims against the insured companies will be decided in arbitration.
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July 22, 2024
1st Circ. Hints At Higher Bar For Feds In Anti-Kickback Cases
The First Circuit on Monday questioned the government's assertion that Congress intended to broaden the standard for liability in False Claims Act kickback cases when it passed a key amendment in 2010.
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July 19, 2024
Judge Dubious Of NY Diocese's Ch. 11 Plan Post-Purdue
A New York bankruptcy judge said Friday he was skeptical of a creditor noticing procedure meant to head off confirmation issues for the already voted on Chapter 11 plan of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, New York, noting he thinks affirmative creditor consent to third-party liability releases is needed following the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Purdue Pharma ruling last month.
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July 19, 2024
3 Atty Takeaways On How AI Affects Employee Benefits
Artificial intelligence technology has the potential to improve employee benefits administration and could even help employers and retirement savers avoid underperforming 401(k) investments, attorneys say. Here are three takeaways on how AI is affecting employee benefits administration and litigation.
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July 19, 2024
Chubb Unit Beats Manufacturer In R.I. COVID-19 Coverage Suit
A knitted wire mesh manufacturer lost its bid for coverage for pandemic losses at its Mexico facilities because it didn't show that COVID-19 caused covered physical damage, a Rhode Island federal court ruled Friday, handing a win to the manufacturer's Chubb insurer.
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July 19, 2024
Calif. Justices Revive Row Over State Farm's Claims Handling
California's Supreme Court revived a policyholder's case over State Farm's claims-handling practices, reversing an appeals court decision and agreeing with the state's attorney general that California's statute of limitations on unfair competition actions, not the policy or insurance code, governed the timing of the case.
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July 19, 2024
Mich. Driver's Providers Can't Obtain PIP Benefits, Panel Says
Medical providers who treated a man injured in a car crash and were assigned his insurance rights cannot recover personal injury protection benefits from a Nationwide unit, a Michigan state appeals court ruled, citing the man's failure to secure statutorily required no-fault insurance.
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July 19, 2024
Hanover Tries To Delay $13.4M Award Over Home-Care Death
Massachusetts-based Hanover Insurance Group says it should not be forced to pay a $13.4 million judgment awarded by a jury in March to the family of a man who died in a Connecticut group home until the home operator's appeal is decided, in a motion filed in New Haven Superior Court.
Expert Analysis
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Why RWI Insurers Should Consider Excluding PFAS
As regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances escalates, carriers providing representations and warranties insurance should reconsider providing PFAS coverage on a case-by-case basis, say Dave Bartoletti and Ina Avalon at Taft Stettinius.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Series
Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
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Parsing Insurance Issues After Mass Shooting 'Occurrences'
A Florida district court’s recent decision in Tony v. Evanston Insurance, which held that the 2018 Parkland High School mass shooting was a single "occurrence" under the town's commercial general liability policy, sheds light on how other courts may make this determination following other mass shooting events, says Elan Kandel at Bailey Cavalieri.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals
Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: April Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses three notable circuit court decisions on topics from the Class Action Fairness Act to consumer fraud — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including CAFA’s local controversy exception and Article III standing to seek injunctive relief.
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Series
Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.
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Top 10 Queries For Insurers Entering Surplus Lines Market
John Emmanuel at Locke Lord discusses what insurers should understand before entering into the surplus lines market, a growing, state-regulated area, subject to much variation in application and enforcement.
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Considering CGL Defense For Social Media Addiction Claims
A recent lawsuit filed in California state court against Meta seeks damages from technology companies for the costs of treating children allegedly suffering from social media addiction, but the prospects of defense coverage under commercial general liability insurance policies for a potential new wave of claims look promising, say Craig Hirsch and Tae Andrews at Pasich.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.
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9th Circ. Ruling Puts Teeth Into Mental Health Parity Claims
In its recent finding that UnitedHealth applied an excessively strict review process for substance use disorder treatment claims, the Ninth Circuit provided guidance on how to plead a Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act violation and took a step toward achieving mental health parity in healthcare, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Sorting Circuit Split On Foreign Arbitration Treaty's Authority
A circuit court split over whether the New York Convention supersedes state law barring arbitration in certain disputes — a frequent issue in insurance matters — has left lower courts to rely on conflicting decisions, but the doctrine of self-executing treaties makes it clear that the convention overrules state law, says Gary Shaw at Pillsbury.
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What New Conn. Insurance Bulletin Means For Data And AI
A recent bulletin from the Connecticut Insurance Department concerning insurers' usage of artificial intelligence systems appears consistent with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' gradual shift away from focusing on big data, and may potentially protect insurers from looming state requirements despite a burdensome framework, say attorneys at Day Pitney.
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The Future Of BIPA Insurance Litigation After Visual Pak
A recent Illinois appellate court decision, National Fire Insurance v. Visual Pak, may have altered the future of insurance litigation under the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act by diametrically opposing a prominent Seventh Circuit ruling that found insurance coverage for violations of the act, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.