Insurance

  • June 06, 2024

    Wash. Judge Suggests Insurer Dragged Out IP Dispute

    A Washington federal judge appeared unconvinced Thursday by a dental health insurer's argument that it acted honestly in pushing forward with trade secret claims even after the accused ex-employee returned her company-issued laptop that purportedly held sensitive information.

  • June 06, 2024

    Insurer Off The Hook For $3.4M Nursing Home Death Verdict

    A Berkshire Hathaway unit needn't cover a $3.4 million default judgment entered against its insured in a wrongful death suit, an Illinois federal judge determined, finding that the insured nursing home "did not meet its own reporting and cooperation obligations under the policy."

  • June 06, 2024

    8th Circ. Affirms Cigna Noncompete Applies To CVS Hire

    The Eighth Circuit has backed a lower court finding that blocked a healthcare industry executive from making a move to CVS, handing a win to Cigna in a case over trade secrets.

  • June 06, 2024

    State Farm Escapes Policyholder's Life Insurance GIPA Suit

    An Illinois state court has permanently tossed a State Farm policyholder's privacy claims targeting family medical history questions the insurer asked as part of its life insurance underwriting process, agreeing with its argument that the state's Genetic Information Privacy Act doesn't apply to life insurance.

  • June 06, 2024

    Dollar Tree Mint's Injury To Toddler Not Covered, Insurer Says

    The insurer of a breath mint manufacturer told a Missouri federal court that due to a pollution exclusion in its policy, it shouldn't have to defend against a suit alleging a toddler suffered severe esophageal injuries after swallowing freshening drops sold by Dollar Tree.

  • June 06, 2024

    In Reversal, Justices Say Insurer Has Standing In Ch. 11 Case

    Truck Insurance Exchange can intervene in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of two manufacturing companies facing numerous asbestos injury claims, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday in a reversal of the Fourth Circuit, finding Truck qualifies as a "party in interest" under the Bankruptcy Code.

  • June 06, 2024

    Justices Affirm Taxing Of Estate On Insurance Payout

    The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed on Thursday a decision denying a tax refund to the estate of an owner of a building materials company that used a payout from his $3.5 million life insurance policy to purchase his shares in the business.

  • June 05, 2024

    Aluminum Co. Seeks Reversal Of $10M Coverage Cap

    An aluminum supplier is urging the Fourth Circuit to reverse a lower court's ruling capping its damages at $10 million because of a molten material endorsement, arguing that the fire and water damage it sustained is separate and not subject to any sublimit or exclusion.

  • June 05, 2024

    Debevoise-Led Ambac Unveils 2 Deals Totaling $702M

    Debevoise & Plimpton LLP-led Ambac Financial Group on Wednesday announced two deals totaling $702 million, as the insurance holding company said it agreed to sell its financial guarantee business for $420 million in cash and separately announced that it will purchase a majority stake in Beat Capital Partners for roughly $282 million.

  • June 05, 2024

    Chubb Needn't Cover $14.5M Mold Deal, 11th Circ. Says

    A $14.5 million consent judgment that a Florida woman secured against her condominium's property manager over what she alleged was mold exposure cannot be enforced against a pair of Chubb insurers, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed, saying the manager's carriers did not breach their duty to defend.

  • June 05, 2024

    House Votes To Block Vets' Access To Gender-Affirming Care

    The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a $147.5 billion spending bill along mostly party lines funding military construction and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which would block veterans' access to gender-affirming care and which the White House has already threatened to veto.

  • June 05, 2024

    Fire Co. Shuts Down Insurer's $3.7M Subrogation Bid

    A hotel's insurer cannot seek reimbursement from a fire protection company for its roughly $3.7 million coverage payment following a pipe rupture in the hotel's fire sprinkler system, an Ohio federal court ruled, finding the hotel and fire protection company waived their respective insurers' subrogation rights. 

  • June 05, 2024

    4th Circ. Affirms Insurer's Win In Couple's Home Damage Suit

    A West Virginia couple wasn't entitled to a new trial in a property damage coverage dispute, the Fourth Circuit ruled Wednesday, saying a lower court did not abuse its discretion or err in excluding the couple's expert witness and allowing the insurer's expert to testify.

  • June 05, 2024

    Attys For NY Life Workers Want $6.3M Cut Of $19M Deal

    Current and former New York Life workers asked a New York federal court Wednesday to approve nearly $6.3 million in attorney fees in a $19 million proposed class action deal to end a suit accusing the insurance giant of unlawfully retaining shoddy proprietary investment options in their retirement plans.

  • June 04, 2024

    9th Circ. Backs Agency Denial Of Partnership's Crop Policy

    The Federal Crop Insurance Corp. reasonably interpreted a policy that was canceled by an insurer after a farming partnership filed a claim seeking the full $1.9 million limit, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday, affirming a decision backing the FCIC's conclusion that the operation didn't qualify for coverage.

  • June 04, 2024

    Franchise Co. Faces Sanctions For 'Frivolous' 7th Circ. Appeal

    The Seventh Circuit has upheld a district court's order that restaurant franchise company Sun Holdings Inc. must pay insurer American Zurich a roughly $1.1 million arbitration award plus interest and attorney fees in a dispute over a workers' compensation policy, and ordered Sun Holdings to show cause for why further sanctions aren't warranted for a "frivolous appeal."

  • June 04, 2024

    Wildfire Attys Descend On Colo. As Xcel Litigation Ramps Up

    Hundreds of lawsuits seeking to hold Xcel Energy responsible for a devastating 2021 Colorado wildfire are just the latest battleground for a relatively small community of lawyers who have been involved in some of the biggest catastrophic fire suits in the western U.S. 

  • June 04, 2024

    Differences In Lost Car Resale Value Doom Class Certification

    A Massachusetts judge has concluded that a group of drivers who want insurers to cover the lost value of their vehicles following crashes still can't show how liability could be established without an individualized assessment, dooming their latest bid for class certification.

  • June 04, 2024

    Ga. Appeals Court Pulls Trucker Back Into Crash Suit

    The Georgia Court of Appeals revived in part a suit over who was at fault in a 2016 crash between an Iron Mountain Inc. truck and a car on a Peach State road, saying the lower court failed to acknowledge questions that could only be answered at trial.

  • June 04, 2024

    Canadian Funeral Co.'s Stock Jumps 58% On C$1.2B Sale

    Toronto-based funeral, cremation and cemetery provider Park Lawn Corp. disclosed an agreement to sell the business for C$1.2 billion ($877.5 million) under the guidance of Bennett Jones LLP and Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, leading the company's stock to jump more than 58% on Tuesday. 

  • June 04, 2024

    Liberty Mutual Wants NJ Judge Removed From Accident Case

    Liberty Mutual urged a New Jersey federal judge to recuse himself from a construction accident coverage case Monday arguing that he failed to disclose at the beginning of litigation that he holds multiple policies with the insurer dating back to 1980 and was previously investigated over a missing jewelry claim.

  • June 04, 2024

    Manning Kass Adds 11 Insurance Attys From Morrison Mahoney

    Manning & Kass Ellrod Ramirez Trester LLP has expanded its New York roster with a team of 11 attorneys and six paralegals from Morrison Mahoney LLP, saying Tuesday that the hires will bolster its work in insurance fraud and affirmative litigation.

  • June 04, 2024

    NM Cannabis Co. Says Insurers Can't Toss Medical Weed Row

    A group of insurers can't escape a proposed class action demanding they cover medical marijuana costs, a cannabis company and several of its patients said, telling a New Mexico federal court that medical cannabis is a medically necessary behavioral health service that must be covered.

  • June 04, 2024

    Simpson Reps Frontdoor On $585M Home Warranty Co. Buy

    Simpson Thacher is representing Frontdoor Inc. on a newly inked deal to buy fellow home warranties provider 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty, guided by Ropes & Gray, for $585 million in cash, according to a statement Tuesday.

  • June 04, 2024

    GRSM50 Gains Liability Partner In San Diego

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, the firm now known as GRSM50, has hired an attorney from Murchison & Cumming LLP, who joins the firm in California to continue her general liability practice, the firm announced Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • AI Brings New Insurance Concerns For Healthcare Providers

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    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.

  • Opinion

    Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave

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    To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.

  • Superfund Site Reopenings Carry Insured Risk, Opportunity

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's reported plans to reopen certain Superfund sites citing the presence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances raise notable liability concerns, but may also present unique opportunities for policyholders under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, say attorneys at Haynes and Boone.

  • Series

    Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance

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    Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories

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    The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.

  • 3 AI Regulation Developments Insurers Must Follow

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    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.

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Mexico

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    ESG has yet to become part of the DNA of the Mexican business model, but huge strides are being made in that direction, as more stakeholders demand that companies adopt, at the least, a modicum of sustainability commitments and demonstrate how they will meet them, says Carlos Escoto at Galicia Abogados.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

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    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

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    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • DC Ruling Provides Support For Builders Risk Claim Recovery

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    To deny coverage for builders risk claims, insurers have been increasingly relying on two arguments, both of which have been invalidated in the recent U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decision, South Capitol Bridgebuilders v. Lexington, say Greg Podolak and Cheryl Kozdrey at Saxe Doernberger.

  • A Deep Dive Into FSOC's Expansion Of Nonbank Oversight

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    The Financial Stability Oversight Council's new nonbank guidance, designed to provide the council with added flexibility in risk response, not only modifies the process for designating nonbanks as systemically important institutions, but also sends a clear signal that the FSOC may assume a more active role in addressing financial stability risks across the economy, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • 9th Circ. ERISA Ruling Informs DOL's New Fiduciary Proposal

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    The Ninth Circuit's reasoning in its recent Bugielski v. AT&T decision illustrates the importance of the U.S. Department of Labor's proposals to expand the reach of Employee Retirement Income Security Act third-party compensation disclosure rules and their effect on investment adviser fiduciaries, says Jeff Mamorsky at Cohen & Buckmann.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

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