Property

  • February 25, 2025

    Chicago Escapes Bulk Of Insurer's $26M Willis Tower Suit 

    An Illinois federal judge dismissed the majority of a dozen counts brought by Travelers against the city of Chicago and its water district seeking repayment for $26 million in flood damage to Willis Tower, leaving only common law negligence claims.

  • February 25, 2025

    Fla. Bill Targets Last-Resort Coverage For Unsafe Condos

    A bill introduced ahead of Florida's 2025 legislative session looks to bar the state's Citizens Property Insurance Corp. from providing or renewing coverage policies for condominiums that fall short of inspection requirements.

  • February 24, 2025

    Insurer Won't Have To Cover Sports CEO's Child Sex Suits

    An insurance company doesn't have to defend the former leader of a sports equipment company against allegations of sexual assault against minors, a Washington federal court said Monday, making final an earlier ruling that said the policies offered no conceivable coverage.

  • February 24, 2025

    Insurer Sues Valve Co. To Recoup Payout To Ohio School

    The "catastrophic" flooding of a Cincinnati school was due to a faulty water stop valve, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday by an insurance provider that seeks to hold building products manufacturer Masco Corp. and its plumbing subsidiary liable for the nearly $225,000 in damages.

  • February 24, 2025

    Penn National Settles NC Hurricanes Coverage Suit

    Penn National Mutual Casualty Insurance Co. settled a property owner's insurance payout suit filed in North Carolina federal court just before the suit headed to trial.

  • February 21, 2025

    Insurers Ask High Court To Review Tribal Jurisdiction Order

    A group of insurers led by AIG unit Lexington Insurance Co. urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit ruling ordering them to litigate COVID-19-related property insurance claims in Suquamish Tribal Court despite the insurers' contention that the coverage claims related to "off-reservation conduct."

  • February 21, 2025

    Morgan Lewis Adds Partner To Insurance Recovery Practice

    Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP announced that it has added a new partner and insurance expert in its Chicago office, in a move to bolster the firm's insurance recovery and dispute resolution capabilities for corporate policyholder clients.

  • February 21, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, V&E, Cravath, Dechert

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Diamondback Energy buys Midland Basin assets from another oil and natural gas company, GTCR closes its second strategic growth fund, Light & Wonder Inc. buys Grover Gaming's assets, and Barings acquires Artemis Real Estate Partners.

  • February 20, 2025

    Calif. Subrogation Bill Sets Insurers Against Oil Cos.

    A California bill that would incentivize insurers to recoup disaster losses from oil and gas companies is being hailed by supporters as a novel way to hold large polluters accountable for climate change, but carrier attorneys say the bill is full of cost-drivers.

  • February 20, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    State Farm was asked to justify desired rate hikes in California after recent fires, Zurich said the LA fires would cost it over $200 million, an insurer got out of covering a blaze because of a policyholder blunder and a hydrofracking exclusion can't prevent an insurer from covering a fatal fire. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • February 19, 2025

    Fla. Court Won't Revive Property Manager's COVID Claims

    A Florida state appeals court on Wednesday said a lower court correctly ruled that a Miami property management company's insurance policy did not cover losses caused by COVID-19 closures because government shutdown orders were not specific to the business.

  • February 19, 2025

    Insurers Must Cover Soybean Loss, NY Appeals Court Affirms

    A commodities trading company is entitled to coverage for the loss of over 500,000 bushels of soybeans resulting from a Mississippi-based warehouse's entrance into bankruptcy, a New York state appeals court affirmed.

  • February 18, 2025

    Home Insurer Off The Hook In $750K Policy Lapse Dispute

    A Washington federal judge has tossed a suit seeking $750,000 in coverage from two Progressive units after a fire severely damaged a home, saying the homeowners had let the coverage expire by not paying premiums, even though the insurer's renewal notice was "not a paragon of clarity."

  • February 18, 2025

    Calif. Insurance Chief Asks State Farm To Justify Rate Hikes

    California's insurance commissioner asked State Farm General Insurance Co. to appear for an in-person "informal conference" later this month over its request for emergency rate hikes in the wake of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires in January, saying the insurer has not yet justified the move.

  • February 18, 2025

    Dechert, Paul Hastings Guide Barings' Takeover Of Artemis

    Barings, advised by Dechert LLP, inked an agreement to snap up Paul Hastings LLP-led Artemis Real Estate Partners, an investment firm managing over $11 billion of assets, according to a Tuesday announcement.

  • February 14, 2025

    Calif. Insurance Chief Backs Wildfire Mitigation, Recovery Bills

    California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced his support Friday for a slew of bills aimed at addressing wildfire mitigation and recovery, including measures to maximize insurance claim payouts and stabilize the state's insurer of last resort.

  • February 13, 2025

    Blake Lively Defamation Suits Bring Insurance Center Stage

    A stream of defamation lawsuits stemming from the movie "It Ends With Us" could have insurers gearing up to determine potential coverage obligations for such litigation, as the debate over settling versus going to trial marks a gap in the insurer-insured relationship for celebrity policyholders, experts say.

  • February 13, 2025

    Condo Association Seeks Over $450K For Property Damage

    A Florida condo association is seeking over $450,000 from its insurer for property damage occurring because of various conditions over six years, according to a lawsuit removed to Florida federal court Thursday.

  • February 13, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    A California appeals court used a high court pandemic insurance ruling to uphold a denial of fire debris coverage, the state's insurer of last resort will receive $1 billion in additional funding and the South Carolina Supreme Court considered receivership orders over foreign companies' insurance assets. Here, Law360 takes a look at this week's top insurance news.

  • February 13, 2025

    PFAS Claims Expose Insurance Industry To 'Next Asbestos'

    With thousands of lawsuits pending nationwide over what plaintiffs and regulators allege are the harms caused by PFAS exposure and regulators pushing to limit the production and use of the chemicals, policyholders are bracing for both increased liabilities and uncertain scopes of insurance coverage.

  • February 13, 2025

    Judge's Bias Justifies Reviving Insurance Row, Fla. Panel Says

    A man whose legal counsel was disbarred while his insurance suit was pending will have another chance to pursue his claims, a Florida state appeals court has determined, reversing a lower court order that threw out the suit for delays and moving the case to another judge after finding evidence of potential "bias or prejudice."

  • February 12, 2025

    Insurer Says Gun Clause Blocks Deadly Shooting Coverage

    An insurer has said a firearms exclusion in a Washington state sports pub's policy bars coverage in a pair of wrongful death lawsuits stemming from a shooting more than three years ago that left three people dead.

  • February 12, 2025

    3rd Circ. Says Parents Can't Get Coverage In Gun Case

    A couple whose son was found guilty of two homicides is not entitled to coverage from two homeowners insurers for a civil suit filed by one victim's mother, the Third Circuit affirmed, finding the civil case accused the parents of intentionally concealing the firearm their son allegedly used.

  • February 12, 2025

    AIG Unit Says $6M Construction Defect Deal Isn't Covered

    An AIG unit said it shouldn't have to cover a $6 million agreement and stipulated judgment between a stucco subcontractor and the owner of an apartment construction project, telling an Arizona federal court Wednesday that the deal is unreasonable and unenforceable.

  • February 12, 2025

    Allstate Hit With Another Class Action Over Data Collection

    Allstate has been hit with another proposed class action in Illinois federal court accusing the auto insurer of illegally obtaining the personal driving data of millions of policyholders via software embedded in third-party apps and using that data for the insurer's own underwriting purposes.

Expert Analysis

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

    Author Photo

    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Navigating Mortgage Insurance Provisions After LA Fires

    Author Photo

    As homeowners affected by the Los Angeles wildfires consider rebuilding, mortgage lenders and servicers must negotiate the complex intersection between the standard deed of trust and property insurance, says Heather Wright at Buchalter.

  • Year Of The Snake Will Shake Up RE And Mortgage Finance

    Author Photo

    The year ahead may bring profound transformation and opportunities for growth in the real estate and mortgage finance sectors, with significant issues including policy battles and questions surrounding the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, says Marty Green at Polunsky Beitel.

  • 5 Argument Techniques For Policyholder Advocates

    Author Photo

    Winning insurance coverage disputes often comes down to who has articulated the more compelling interpretation of the relevant policy language, which is why the best policyholder advocates come back to certain tried and true argument approaches, says Greg Van Houten at Haynes Boone.

  • Improving Comms Between Trial Attys And Tech Witnesses

    Author Photo

    In major litigation involving complex technology, attorneys should employ certain strategies to collaborate with companies' technical personnel more effectively to enhance both the attorney's understanding of the subject matter and the expert's ability to provide effective testimony in court, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape.

  • Courts Should Nix Conferencing Rule In 1 Discovery Scenario

    Author Photo

    Parties are generally required to meet and confer to resolve a discovery dispute before bringing a related motion, but courts should dispense with this conferencing requirement when a party fails to specify a time by which it will complete its production, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law.

  • Illuminating The Trend Of Florida's Unpaid Hurricane Claims

    Author Photo

    The sheer number of insurance claims closed without payment for damage caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helene reveals a systemic problem within Florida's insurance industry exacerbated by complex issues, including climate change and state regulators' resource limitations, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • Top Considerations For Insurance Companies In 2025

    Author Photo

    As insurance industry participants look to plan for the year, regulatory changes, climate-related challenges, the ongoing effects of social inflation and the potential for significant mergers and acquisitions will be among the key items for insurer boards and management to have on their radar, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • What Public View Of CEO's Killing Means For Corporate Trials

    Author Photo

    Given the proliferation of anti-corporate sentiments following recent charges against Luigi Mangione in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, attorneys who represent corporate clients and executives will need to adapt their trial strategy to account for juror anger, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation Consulting.

  • The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.

  • Insurance Considerations For LA Wildfire Recovery

    Author Photo

    Businesses and homeowners affected by the destructive Southern California wildfires must act swiftly and strategically to navigate the complexities of the insurance recovery process, including by identifying all applicable policies, documenting damage thoroughly and keeping abreast of relevant state law, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Artfully Conceding Liability Can Offer Defendants 3 Benefits

    Author Photo

    In the rare case that a company makes the strategic decision to admit liability, it’s important to do so clearly and consistently in order to benefit from the various forms of armor that come from an honest acknowledgment, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.