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Insurance
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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 12, 2024
NC Court Won't Stop 'Ultimate Relief' In Mogul's $524M Case
The North Carolina Court of Appeals refused on Monday to issue an immediate halt to a court-ordered receiver being appointed to manage the assets of convicted insurance mogul Greg Lindberg, saying it would consider blocking the appointment after further court proceedings.
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August 12, 2024
Co. Says Title Insurer Acted In Bad Faith Over Deed Dispute
An owner of two adjacent parcels of land in Philadelphia accused its title insurer in Pennsylvania state court of ignoring its repeated requests to settle an underlying deed dispute and basing its coverage position on an "obviously nonsensical and unsupportable" appraisal.
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August 12, 2024
DOL Tweaks 2 Parts Of Asset Manager Exemption
The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm made two mostly technical changes Monday to a popular exemption used by asset managers who also manage retirement assets known as the qualified professional asset manager exemption.
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August 12, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Multimillion-dollar share conversions, power struggles in a classic rock band, a good deal for fandom collectibles, and a pindown by two heavyweights were all part of the spectacle in Delaware's Court of Chancery last week. New cases involved pharmaceutical companies, cannabis, drones and liquid-gas exports. In case you missed it, here's the latest from the Chancery Court.
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August 09, 2024
Cos. Say Insurer Owes Coverage For Penn. Building Collapse
A Philadelphia residential building owner and its affiliate accused Trisura Specialty Insurance Co. on Friday of wrongfully denying coverage after part of the property collapsed in September 2022.
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August 09, 2024
Amynta Lodges Fraud Suit In Chancery Over $105M Merger
An affiliate of multinational insurance services provider Amynta Group filed a lawsuit on Friday in Delaware's Court of Chancery against two top officers of Clearview Risk Holdings Inc., accusing both of playing a role in a multiyear Ponzi scheme allegedly designed to protect post-deal earnouts after a purportedly overpriced $105 million merger.
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August 09, 2024
Aetna Illegally Axed Exec's Disability Benefits, Judge Says
A California federal judge said Aetna was wrong to end an executive's disability benefits after it found he suffered from a mental illness instead of a physical disability, stating the insurer used flawed doctor opinions and may have been motivated by cutting costs.
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August 09, 2024
Liberty Mutual Must Face Eatery's Suit Over Injury Claim
The Connecticut state appeals court on Friday revived a restaurant's lawsuit against Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. stemming from a workers' compensation claim, ruling that an administrative board that initially sided with the insurer lacked jurisdiction over the matter.
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August 09, 2024
Jury's $1M Paralysis Verdict Against Insurer Overturned
A Texas federal judge overturned a jury's verdict and decided an insurer didn't have to cover a $1 million settlement between a former high school gymnast who became quadriplegic after taking LSD and the owners of the home where he ingested the drugs.
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August 09, 2024
NC Insurance Mogul Must Pay Dutch Insurer's $166M Award
Insurance mogul Greg Lindberg and his companies must pay a $166 million arbitral award issued to defunct Dutch life insurer Conservatrix, a North Carolina federal court ruled, saying the award has been upheld by Dutch courts and there is nothing to indicate that the proceedings were not conducted fairly.
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August 09, 2024
Off The Bench: NCAA Antitrust Woes, Ohio Trans Sports Ban
In this week's Off The Bench, the NCAA still faces pushback from athletes after an NIL settlement, transgender youth athletes in Ohio lost their legislative battle, and the Seventh Circuit set an insurance broker straight on its actions in an NFL team's settlement with a former player.
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August 09, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen China Evergrande Group file a commercial fraud claim against its founder's ex-wife, legal action by Manolete Partners against the directors of an insolvent construction company, VietJet tackle a claim by French banking group Natixis and more developments in the "Dieselgate" scandal. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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August 08, 2024
Calif. Justices Side With Hartford Unit In Virus Coverage Fight
The California Supreme Court on Thursday reversed an appellate court's finding that a virus endorsement rendered a restaurant's policy illusory in a coverage dispute with a Hartford entity over pandemic-related losses, instead ruling that the endorsement clearly provides coverage "only if the virus results from certain specified causes of loss."
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August 08, 2024
Judge Pauses Syracuse Diocese Ch. 11 Pending Changes
A New York bankruptcy judge put the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse's Chapter 11 case on hold Thursday until the diocese finishes revisions to its bankruptcy plan it says are needed to bring it into line with the Supreme Court's decision on Purdue Pharma's plan.
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August 08, 2024
Equifax Not Responsible For Mortgage Denial, 7th Circ. Rules
A split Seventh Circuit on Wednesday refused to revive an Illinois woman's suit claiming she was denied a mortgage because Equifax didn't accurately report her credit history, finding Equifax could not be held liable for errors in another company's report combining data from all three major credit bureaus.
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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
Insurer Utica Off Hook In High-End Leather Goods Dispute
Utica National Insurance Group is not obligated to defend or indemnify a maker of high-end leather goods against claims it fraudulently induced a former partner into a deal in order to steal his designs and then attempt to drive him out of business, a Massachusetts intermediate appellate court has concluded.
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August 08, 2024
Wash. HOA Says Allstate Must Cover $8M Water Damage
A Washington state condominium association accused Allstate of wrongfully denying coverage of an $8 million water damage claim it filed after discovering hidden damage to the exterior of its buildings.
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August 07, 2024
Insurer Wants Bad Faith Claim Tossed In Russian Planes Suit
HDI Global and underwriters of insurance policies on airplanes stranded in Russia have asked a Florida court to toss a bad faith claim by aircraft leasing company Avmax, arguing that bad faith only applies to coverage denials without a reasonable basis and that in this case there has been no denial, and it is "fairly debatable" whether coverage applies.
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August 07, 2024
NC Biz Court Bulletin: The Battles Making Summer Sizzle
A 1983 championship basketball team's intellectual property rights and a public feud between Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP and its insurer are among the legal battles that have kept North Carolina Business Court judges and Tar Heel state private practice attorneys busy this summer. In case you missed those and others, here are the highlights.
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August 07, 2024
Amgen Waged Lawfare To Overcharge For Drug, Suit Claims
Maryland-based independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association claim pharmaceutical giant Amgen Inc. and its subsidiaries have engaged in unlawful monopolistic practices that have inflated the cost of the blockbuster drug Enbrel.
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August 07, 2024
11th Circ. Affirms Unapportioned Wood-Theft Settlement
The Eleventh Circuit has unanimously upheld a Georgia federal court ruling forcing an insurer to cover a $557,000 settlement for shoddy work and wood theft during a deconstruction project by its policyholder, despite objections from the insurer that the amount was not apportioned between covered and noncovered losses.
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August 07, 2024
Mich. Insurance Agency Pushes Carriers To Safeguard AI Use
The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services urged insurance companies Wednesday to establish a program for the responsible use of artificial intelligence systems to comply with state laws barring unfair practices and discrimination in underwriting.
Expert Analysis
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Del. Bankruptcy Ruling Will Give D&O Insureds Nightmares
In Henrich v. XL Specialty Insurance, the Delaware Bankruptcy Court recently found that a never-served qui tam claim had been "brought" before a D&O policy's retroactive date, thereby eliminating coverage, and creating a nightmare scenario for directors and officers policyholders facing whistleblower claims, says David Klein at Pillsbury.
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NJ Justices Clarify First-Party Indemnification Availability
In Boyle v. Huff, the New Jersey Supreme Court recently held that indemnification can be available in first-party claims, resolving an open question and setting up contracting parties for careful negotiations around indemnity clauses, says Todd Leon at Marshall Dennehey.
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Takeaways From Justices' Redemption Insurance Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Connelly v. U.S. examines how to determine the fair market value of shares in a closely held company for estate tax purposes, and clarifies how life insurance held by the company to enable redemption of a decedent’s shares affects that calculation, says Evelyn Haralampu at Burns & Levinson.
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A Crucial Step In Mediation: Preparing Your Client
Most U.S. courts have adopted standing orders that require all civil cases be mediated before being assigned to a trial calendar, so any lawyer involved in civil disputes must be knowledgeable about mediation — including the vital but often underutilized skill of preparing clients before mediation begins, says Jeffrey Lasky at Miles Mediation & Arbitration.
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After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1
The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
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Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers
BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.
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Series
Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.
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What DOL Fiduciary Rule Means For Private Fund Managers
Attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss how the U.S. Department of Labor's recently released final fiduciary rule, which revises the agency's 1975 regulation, could potentially cause private fund managers' current marketing practices and communications to be considered fiduciary advice, and therefore subject them to strict prohibitions.
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5 Critical Factors Driving Settlement Values In Cyber Litigation
Recent ransomware incidents and their legal repercussions offer five valuable insights into the determinants of settlement values in cyberattack-related litigation, and understanding these trends and their implications can better prepare organizations for the potential legal fallout from future breaches, says Peter Kamminga at JAMS.
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How Associates Can Build A Professional Image
As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.
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Insurers Have A Ch. 11 Voice Following High Court Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum — which reaffirmed a broad definition of "party in interest" — will give insurers, particularly in mass tort Chapter 11 bankruptcies, more opportunity to protect their interests and identify problems with reorganization plans, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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Cyber Takeaways For Cos. From Verizon Data Breach Report
Camilo Artiga-Purcell at Kiteworks analyzes the key findings of the 2024 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report from a legal perspective, examining the implications for organizations' cybersecurity strategies and compliance efforts.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Reps And Warranties Insurance Considerations As M&A Slows
The first six months of the year have seen increasingly favorable rates and policy terms for the representations and warranties insurance market, and policy purchasers are right to pay close attention to pricing, coverage, exclusions, structures and claims as the M&A market cools, say attorneys at Cooley.