Property
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October 24, 2024
Meet The NC And Del. Insurance Commissioner Candidates
With less than two weeks until Election Day, North Carolina and Delaware are gearing up for two insurance commissioner races featuring challenges to the incumbent's seat. The candidates in each state spoke with Law360 to share their takes on the status of their state's insurance market and their plans for holding the office.
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October 23, 2024
No More Coverage For Paper Co.'s Pollution Claim, Panel Says
A WestRock Co. subsidiary that owned a Montana paper mill later identified as a Superfund site isn't entitled to additional coverage from its AIG insurer, an Illinois state appeals court ruled, saying two pollution conditions on the property were related and subject to a single $5 million limit of liability.
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October 23, 2024
Crypto Co. Says Insurer Owes $3.4M For Damaged Equipment
A Bitcoin mining company's insurer owes more than $3.4 million for damage to processing equipment following a power supply disturbance, the mining company told a Tennessee federal court, arguing that the insurer wrongfully claimed that the loss resulted from excluded wear and tear.
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October 22, 2024
AIG Says No Coverage For Calif. Ethylene Oxide Pollution Suit
A group of AIG units told a California state court that they owe no coverage to a food product developer or medical sterilization companies Sterigenics US LLC and Sotera Health LLC over claims that they intentionally exposed residents to a known carcinogen between the late 1980s and 2022.
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October 22, 2024
Insurer Beats Sacramento Kings' COVID-19 Coverage Suit
A California federal court handed a win to the Sacramento Kings' insurer in a coverage dispute over pandemic-related losses that the basketball team and its arena operator incurred, finding that a contamination exclusion bars coverage.
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October 22, 2024
The 2024 Prestige Leaders
Check out our Prestige Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their financial performance, attractiveness to attorneys and law students, ability to secure accolades and positive legal news media representation.
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October 22, 2024
How Law Firms Get And Keep Elite Status
For decades, a handful of New York-based law firms thoroughly dominated the national consciousness when it came to power, profitability and prestige. But in today's legal market, increased movement of partners and clients from one firm to the next has begun to shake things up and create opportunities for go-getters to ascend the ranks.
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October 21, 2024
Litigation Funding Firms Aim To Escape Hurricane Ad Suit
Two litigation funders are urging a Texas federal court to adopt a magistrate judge's recommendation to toss claims against them in a proposed class action alleging a law firm deceptively advertised to hurricane victims.
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October 18, 2024
Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attys From 74 Firms
The attorneys chosen as Law360's 2024 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.
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October 18, 2024
5th Circ. Partially Upholds $2M Win In Hurricane Coverage Suit
The Fifth Circuit has upheld in part a Louisiana church's more than $2 million judgment win against an insurer that was accused of not paying enough for the church's hurricane damage claims.
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October 18, 2024
Judge Excuses Nationwide From Ga. Mold Death Coverage
A Georgia federal judge found Nationwide Property & Casualty Insurance Co. has no duty to defend an apartment owner from claims in a separate lawsuit alleging the landlord failed to treat black mold or warn a tenant who died of exposure to the infestation.
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October 17, 2024
Wash. Library Says Insurers Undervalued $4.8M Damage
A Washington island library district blamed its insurers for undervaluing damages caused by frozen sprinkler pipes that burst during a snowstorm by more than $2.9 million in a case removed to Washington federal court.
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October 17, 2024
Milton Brings High Insured Costs, Familiar Pressures To Fla.
While Florida avoided a worst case scenario following Hurricane Milton's landfall, insurance experts say that the high cost of the storm will add familiar pressures to a Florida homeowners insurance market that has been battered for years by storms.
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October 17, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Texas insurance chief denied an insurer of last resort's 10% rate hike proposal, a Pennsylvania federal court sacked the Philadelphia Eagles' COVID-19 coverage claims, asbestos claimants urged the Fourth Circuit to uphold the reorganization plan of Kaiser Gypsum Co. and an insurer avoided defending a gender discrimination suit. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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October 17, 2024
Law360's Guide To The 2024 Insurance Commissioner Races
Voters around the country are gearing up to head to the polls, reading up on candidates' policies and checking their registration statuses, but in four states, voters will also cast their ballots for a new insurance commissioner. Here, Law360 takes a look at the races.
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October 17, 2024
5th Circ. Tosses Policyholder's Hurricane Coverage Suit
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a National Flood Insurance Program policyholder's suit seeking coverage for at least $100,000 in hurricane damage to a Mississippi beachfront property, saying it was time-barred and failed to allege any extracontractual duties.
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October 16, 2024
Insurer Gets Philly Eagles' COVID-19 Coverage Suit Tossed
A Pennsylvania federal court on Wednesday tossed the Philadelphia Eagles' suit seeking to recover pandemic-related losses from Factory Mutual Insurance Co., citing a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court holding that physical loss or damage requires tangible alteration to property.
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October 16, 2024
Calif. Community Flood Insurance Project Secures New Funds
California's water regulation authority will support a novel flood insurance program aimed at providing a tiny Central Valley town with coverage in the event of a major flood event, the state's insurance commissioner said Wednesday.
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October 16, 2024
State Farm, Homeowners End Adjuster Delay Suit
A trio of Washington homeowners have settled for $225,000 after alleging that State Farm dragged out a fallen tree damage claim for several months while shuffling through seven field adjusters.
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October 16, 2024
Inspector Says It's Not To Blame For $3.4M Yacht Damage
A company that inspected a boat hoist that failed during the launch of a yacht said it wants out of a $3.4 million dispute between Lloyd's syndicates and underwriters and a Seattle boat builder, telling a federal court that its actions did not cause the damage to the vessel.
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October 15, 2024
Texas Insurance Chief Denies Last-Resort Insurer's Rate Hike
The Texas insurance commissioner rejected a 10% rate hike filed by the state's windstorm insurer of last resort, saying the increase would be unfair because of the hardships it would impose on Texas' coast.
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October 15, 2024
Law Firms Diverge As Anti-ESG Pushback Continues
A continuing onslaught of legislation and litigation opposing corporate environmental, social and governance actions has created a fork in the road for law firms, with some choosing to scale back efforts and others pushing ahead with their internal ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
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October 15, 2024
The 2024 Law360 Pulse Social Impact Leaders
Check out our Social Impact Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their engagement with social responsibility and commitment to pro bono service.
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October 10, 2024
Live Nation Loses COVID-19 Physical Loss Insurance Claims
A California federal judge has tossed Live Nation's claims in a lawsuit seeking coverage from Factory Mutual for physical loss or damage stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, holding that a recent ruling by California's highest court thwarted the entertainment giant's argument that the presence of COVID-19 made its property unsafe or unusable.
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October 10, 2024
Insurers Win Big In Hawaii Climate Change Pollutant Suit
The Hawaii Supreme Court's ruling that AIG doesn't need to cover a suit accusing a Sunoco subsidiary of contributing to climate change drew praise from insurance carrier attorneys for finding that greenhouse gasses are an excluded pollutant, but policyholder attorneys took satisfaction in the court's expanded view of covered occurrences.
Expert Analysis
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3 Coverage Tips As 2nd Circ. 'Swipes Left' On Tinder Claim
The Second Circuit's recent opinion in Match Group v. Beazley Underwriting, overturning Tinder's victory on its insurer's motion to dismiss a coverage action, reinforces three best practices policyholders purchasing claims-made coverage should adhere to in order to avoid late-notice defenses, say Lynda Bennett and Alexander Corson at Lowenstein Sandler.
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What To Know About Insurance Coverage For Antitrust Risks
With all the regulatory activity surrounding antitrust and unfair competition claims, as highlighted by last month's D.C. federal court decision that Google is a monopolist, businesses must not only ensure compliance, but also understand their potential insurance coverage when such claims arise, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes Boone.
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Keys To Successful Commercial Property Insurance Claims
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
While insurance needs for commercial leasing arrangements are driven by the characteristics of the premises and the nature of the tenants' intended operations, there are several universal best practices landlords and their counsel can follow when making claims after loss or damage.
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Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss the muted nature of the property and casualty insurance class action space in the second quarter of the year, with no large waves made in labor depreciation and total-loss vehicle class actions, but a new offensive theory emerging for insurance companies.
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Ore. Insurance Litigation Is Testing The Bounds After Moody
Despite the Oregon Supreme Court’s attempt to limit application of its 2023 decision in Moody v. Oregon Community Credit Union, which for the first time awarded extracontractual damages stemming from alleged negligent claims handling, recent litigation shows Oregon insurance companies face greater exposure, says Sarah Pozzi at Cozen O’Connor.
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What's In NYDFS Guidance On Use Of AI In Insurance
Matthew Gaul and Shlomo Potesky at Willkie summarize the New York Department of Financial Services' recently adopted circular letter on the use of artificial intelligence in insurance underwriting and pricing, and highlight the material changes made to it in response to comments on the draft circular letter.
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Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity
The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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7th Circ Joins Trend Of No CGL Coverage For Structural Flaws
The Seventh Circuit, which recently held potential structural instability did not count as property damage under a construction company's commercial general liability policy, joins a growing consensus that faulty work does not implicate coverage without tangible and present damage to the project, say Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty, and Elan Kandel and James Talbert at Bailey Cavalieri.
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New La. Managing Agent Law May Portend Growing Scrutiny
Recent amendments to Louisiana’s managing general agent regulations impose expansive new obligations on such agents and their insurer partners, which may be a sign of heightened regulatory, commercial and rating agency scrutiny, say attorneys at McDermott.
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What Fla. Ruling Means For Insurer Managed Repair Programs
A recent Florida state court ruling in Fraga v. Citizens Property Insurance, holding that the insurer could not seek to add additional terms in its managed repair program consent form, should promote clear written contract terms that clarify the relationship between insurers, policyholders and contractors, says Chip Merlin at Merlin Law Group.
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NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2
The second quarter of 2024 saw less enforcement activity in the realm of New York financial services, but brought substantial regulatory and legislative developments, including state regulators' guidance on cybersecurity compliance and customer service processes for virtual currency entities, say James Vivenzio and Andrew Lucas at Perkins Coie.
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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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Managing Legal Risks After University Gaza Protests
Following the protests sparked by the war in Gaza, colleges and universities should expect a long investigative tail and take steps to mitigate risks associated with compliance issues under various legal frameworks and institutional policies, say Wiley's Diana Shaw and Colin Cloherty.