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November 27, 2024
No Coverage For Drywall Co. In Murder Suit, Insurer Says
An insurer said it has no duty to defend or indemnify a drywall company accused of negligently hiring a man who murdered a house cleaner in a home he was working on in Galveston County, telling a Texas federal court that several policy exclusions preclude coverage.
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November 27, 2024
3 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch In Dec.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the federal government's constitutional challenge to Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors, the Ninth Circuit will weigh if Idaho can ban abortions even in emergencies, and the D.C. Circuit will wade into a pension withdrawal liability fight. Here are three argument sessions benefits attorneys should keep an eye on in December.
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November 26, 2024
3M Says $6B Settlement Docs Needed In AIG Europe Fight
3M is urging a Florida federal court to release information relating to its recently inked $6 billion deal ending claims over allegedly faulty combat earplugs to a London arbitral tribunal, which is tasked with determining whether insurer AIG Europe Ltd. is wrongly refusing to pay its share of the historic pact.
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November 26, 2024
Tort Report: Fla. Jury Delivers $141.5M Trucking Crash Verdict
A pending Pennsylvania Supreme Court case over Uber's so-called click-through arbitration agreements and a $141.5 million trucking crash verdict out of Florida lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.
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November 26, 2024
Susman Godfrey Riding 'Coattails' In $147.5M Deal, Court Told
Susman Godfrey LLP should be denied fees for representing objectors to a $147.5 million global settlement of a life insurance proposed class action in Connecticut, class counsel has argued, saying the firm sought to "impede" rather than secure the deal and only rode class counsel's "coattails."
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November 26, 2024
New Orleans Property Owner Revives Bid To Nix Arbitration
A New Orleans property owner has again urged a Louisiana federal judge to overturn his order forcing it to arbitrate a $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim with 11 insurers for a block of luxury apartments and retail shops, pointing to a recent ruling by the state's top court.
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November 26, 2024
CGL Carrier Seeks $1.2M In Inter-Insurer Injury Dispute
A general liability insurer told a Michigan federal court that a professional liability insurer owes $1.2 million toward a $1.5 million settlement reached in an underlying lawsuit involving their mutual insured, a cardiovascular practice located in a Detroit hospital, arguing that the professional liability policy covered the claim.
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November 26, 2024
7th Circ. Says Insurer Must Defend $3.4M Faulty Work Row
An architectural design firm's commercial general liability insurer must defend it and its owner against faulty work claims seeking more than $3.4 million in damages, the Seventh Circuit ruled, after the Illinois Supreme Court overturned prior appellate precedent siding with insurers in such disputes.
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November 26, 2024
Chemical Co. Demands Defense Coverage In PFAS Foam MDL
Specialty chemical company Clariant Corp. is suing five of its insurers in the North Carolina Business Court seeking defense costs in a host of underlying mass tort lawsuits over forever chemicals found in firefighting foam products.
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November 26, 2024
Progressive's $61M 'Total Loss' Deal Gets Approved
Two Progressive subsidiaries will pay up to $61 million to resolve allegations that car insurance policyholders in Michigan should have been compensated for sales tax and title and registration fees as part of Progressive's payment of claims for totaled vehicles.
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November 25, 2024
Geico, Travelers To Pay NY $11.3M To Settle Data Security Row
New York's financial services regulator and attorney general revealed Monday that they've hit Geico and Travelers with $11.3 million in penalties for the auto insurers' alleged failure to adequately secure driver's license numbers, birth dates and other personal information that was compromised as part of a hacking campaign targeting online rate quote tools.
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November 25, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Reverse Amber Heard's Loss In Coverage Suit
The Ninth Circuit upheld an insurer's favorable ruling Monday in its legal dispute with actress Amber Heard, affirming that she had no right to independent counsel paid for by New York Marine and General Insurance Co. in a defamation suit by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp.
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November 25, 2024
Missouri Gender-Affirming Care Ban Upheld As Constitutional
A Missouri state judge rejected a legal challenge to the state's ban on providing gender-affirming care to minors and adults, finding Monday the court should defer to the Legislature given that challengers hadn't proven the restrictions violated the U.S. Constitution.
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November 25, 2024
Construction Co. Seeks Coverage For $1.9M Email Spoof
A construction company told an Alaska federal court that a Travelers unit acted in bad faith by refusing to provide directors and officers coverage for an email spoofing scheme that caused the company to wire roughly $1.9 million of a partner construction company's funds to an "imposter."
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November 25, 2024
Calif. Board Seeks Comment On AI Rules Amid Pushback
The California Privacy Protection Agency on Friday opened the public comment period for its latest rulemaking package proposing expansive draft rules regulating technologies fueled by artificial intelligence — including in the employment, education, healthcare, consumer protection, banking and insurance contexts — which business groups have already criticized as being overly broad and burdensome.
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November 25, 2024
Bad Faith Case Isn't Apt For Garnishment, Mich. Justices Told
The Insurance Alliance of Michigan urged the Michigan Supreme Court to reverse an appeals court decision allowing an injured man to litigate bad faith claims against the at-fault party's insurer in garnishment proceedings, arguing the appellate decision allows him to circumvent pleading standards for a conventional civil action.
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November 25, 2024
Final Buzzer Sounds On NBA Fraud Case With Doc's Sentence
A Manhattan federal judge hit a Seattle-area doctor with five years in prison Monday for joining with the ringleader of the NBA's $5 million health billing fraud ring to submit fake invoices, the final sentencing in the sprawling case.
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November 25, 2024
9th Circ. Upholds Nixing Convention Center's Coverage Suit
The Ninth Circuit backed the dismissal of a Seattle convention center operator's suit seeking coverage for pandemic-related losses, saying Monday that COVID-19 and resulting government shutdown orders did not cause the requisite physical loss or damage to the center to trigger coverage.
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November 25, 2024
Tenant's Death Excluded From Coverage, Kansas Judge Says
A Kansas federal judge granted an insurer an early win in a coverage dispute with an apartment complex over an underlying lawsuit in which a tenant's son says his father died of hypothermia because of a faulty furnace, finding that a "habitability exclusion" barred coverage for the suit.
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November 25, 2024
AG Slams Bid To 'Indoctrinate' Public In NJ RICO Case
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin has rebuffed attacks from businessman George Norcross and others charged in his office's sprawling racketeering case in a pair of opposition filings, accusing the defendants of attempting to try the case in the press and contending that their argument to toss the case is out of place.
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November 25, 2024
Berger Singerman Sued For Hurricane Insurance Malpractice
Berger Singerman LLP and one of its attorneys have been slammed with a legal malpractice lawsuit in Florida for allegedly botching insurance claims for a timeshare company that suffered damages in Hurricanes Michael and Irma.
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November 25, 2024
7th Circ. Says Insurers' Billing Dispute Belongs In Arbitration
An arbitrator must decide whether prior arbitral awards issued in a billing dispute between Nationwide insurers and a CNA unit preclude a new arbitration proceeding between the parties, the Seventh Circuit ruled, saying the court's precedent required that outcome.
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November 25, 2024
BigLaw Backs Barnes & Thornburg In Ga. Malpractice Appeal
More than two dozen law firms with a footprint in Georgia have told the state Supreme Court that a former client's legal malpractice claims against Barnes & Thornburg LLP were rightfully dismissed, arguing the doctrine of judgmental immunity has protected attorneys in the state for honest judgment calls for 150 years.
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November 25, 2024
NLRB Attys Renew Fight To Get Pa. Newspaper To Bargain
National Labor Relations Board prosecutors have updated their bid to compel the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to bargain with its striking workers' unions and cover the workers' healthcare costs, telling a Pennsylvania federal judge that the record in this case and others against the newspaper support their request for an injunction.
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November 25, 2024
Insurance Mogul Denied 'Custom Detention' After Plea Deal
A convicted insurance mogul who pled guilty to a $2 billion fraud scheme has lost his bid for a temporary reprieve from county jail after turning himself in, with a federal magistrate judge citing concerns about equity if he were to grant such a "custom detention order" for the billionaire.
Expert Analysis
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How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment
Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.
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A Look At Insurance Coverage For Government Investigations
Attorneys at Jenner & Block discuss the quirks and potential pitfalls of insurance coverage for government claims and investigations, including those likely to arise from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently announced whistleblower program.
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Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity
Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.
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Opinion
Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules
The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
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The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO
The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.
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Navigating Fla.'s Shorter Construction Defect Claim Window
In light of recent legislation reducing the amount of time Florida homeowners have to bring construction defect claims, homeowners should be sure to understand their rights and responsibilities regarding maintenance, repairs and inspections set forth in developer-drafted documents, say Brian Tannenbaum and Nicholas Vargo at Ball Janik.
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Why Diversity Jurisdiction Poses Investment Fund Hurdles
Federal courts' continued application of the exacting rules of diversity jurisdiction presents particular challenges for investment funds, and in the absence of any near-term reform, those who manage such funds should take action to avoid diversity jurisdiction pitfalls, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.
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What Hawaii High Court Got Right And Wrong In AIG Ruling
Though the Hawaii Supreme Court in its recent Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance decision correctly adopted the majority rule that recklessly caused harm is an accident for coverage purposes, it erred in its interpretation of the pollution exclusion by characterizing climate change as "traditional environmental pollution," say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight
Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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Series
Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.
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Insurance Considerations For Cos. That May Face Strikes
The recent surge in major work stoppages in the U.S. highlights the growing importance of strike preparedness for businesses, which includes understanding strike insurance coverage options, say Chris D’Amour and Brooke Duncan at Adams and Reese.
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Tobacco Surcharge Suits Spotlight Wellness Reg Compliance
A mounting wave of tobacco-user surcharge litigation against employee benefit plans highlights compliance challenges associated with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act wellness regulations, and reminds plan sponsors to ask existential questions about the utility of their wellness programs, say Finn Pressly and Lesley Wolf at Ballard Spahr.
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Challenges Of Insuring An NIL Collective
Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty examines the emergence of name, image and likeness collectives for student-athletes, the current litigation landscape that has created a favorable environment for these organizations, and considerations for director and officer insurers looking to underwrite NIL collectives.
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Opinion
Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits
With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.
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How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.