Property
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May 23, 2024
Insurer, Ski Resort Co. Battle Over COVID Coverage
An owner and operator of 15 ski resorts urged a Colorado state court to find that an AIG unit owes coverage under its policy's "loss of attraction" provision for COVID-19-related business interruption losses, while the unit argued that a voluntary shutdown of business, "even for good reasons," isn't covered.
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May 22, 2024
Fla. Judge Won't Pause Russian Planes Coverage Suit
A Florida judge on Wednesday refused to pause an aircraft leasing company's coverage suit for $700 million worth of airplanes reappropriated by Russian airlines after the Ukraine war began, denying a request by some of the company's insurers to wait until litigation in the U.K. is resolved.
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May 22, 2024
Ill. Justices Weigh Zurich's Right To Recover $3M Flood Loss
The Illinois Supreme Court weighed Wednesday whether Zurich American Insurance Co. can recoup $3 million from a subcontractor for water damage repair costs the insurer paid to a general contractor despite Zurich filing suit on behalf of a different insured.
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May 21, 2024
Calif. Justices Mull COVID-19 Business Interruption Coverage
Counsel for Sentinel Insurance urged the California Supreme Court on Wednesday to reverse an appellate court's finding that a San Francisco restaurant's policy covered COVID-19 business interruption losses, disputing that court's finding that the policy's promise of virus coverage would otherwise be "illusory."
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May 21, 2024
Strategic Hiring Was The New Normal For BigLaw In 2023
The 400 largest law firms by headcount in the U.S. grew more slowly in 2023 than in the previous two years, while Kirkland & Ellis LLP surpassed the 3,000-attorney threshold, according to the latest Law360 ranking.
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May 21, 2024
The Law360 400: Tracking The Largest US Law Firms
The legal market expanded more tentatively in 2023 than in previous years amid a slowdown in demand for legal services, especially in transactions, an area that has been sluggish but is expected to quicken in the near future.
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May 20, 2024
Travelers Owed Tech Co. Defense In TM Row, 8th Circ. Says
Travelers had a duty to defend a computer retailer in an underlying trademark infringement action filed by Cisco Systems, the Eighth Circuit affirmed Monday, saying it cannot conclude that coverage is barred by the policy's related-acts provision.
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May 20, 2024
10th Circ. Oral Args. Poised To Shape NM Pollution Coverage
The Tenth Circuit said there were "good arguments on both sides" of an appeal at oral arguments Monday over whether absolute pollution exclusions doomed a New Mexico property owner's quest for defense coverage of underlying contamination litigation, in a case that could set the tone for insurance battles in the state.
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May 20, 2024
8th Circ. Upholds Deere's Win In Insurer's Tractor Fire Suit
Deere & Co. has no duty to reimburse Secura Insurance Co. for coverage payments after two of its insured's tractors caught fire in separate incidents, the Eighth Circuit ruled Monday, noting the distinction between a design and manufacturing defect.
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May 20, 2024
7-Eleven Says Insurer Must Cover Wrongful Death Suit
The insurer of a Houston 7-Eleven lessee facing negligence claims after one person was fatally shot and another was injured on its property must also cover 7-Eleven corporate in the litigation, the convenience store giant said, though conceding the lessee store's policy didn't specifically include 7-Eleven as an additional insured.
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May 20, 2024
Upscale Mass. Restaurant's COVID Loss Claims Fail In Appeal
Massachusetts restaurant chain Davio's is not entitled to coverage for what it says were property losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an intermediate state appellate court concluded on Monday, finding its arguments are no different from those rejected by the state's highest court two years ago in a similar case.
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May 20, 2024
Settlement Ends Insurer's Stormwater Coverage Suit
An H.W. Kaufman Group insurer settled a lawsuit seeking a declaration that it owed no coverage to a home construction company or its owner in an underlying suit accusing the company of performing defective work that led to pooling stormwater, according to a notice filed in Georgia federal court.
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May 16, 2024
Convicted Insurance Mogul Says He'll Trim Empire
Convicted insurance mogul Greg Lindberg told the North Carolina Supreme Court he's relinquishing control of portions of his enterprise to fulfill a deal to restructure them with independent oversight, according to court filings.
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May 16, 2024
Justices Dodge Class Action Queries In $3.5B Insurance Row
The U.S. Supreme Court left open the question of when class actions should be relegated to state courts by declining a mutual insurance company's appeal of claims that it failed to return $3.5 billion in profits back to policyholders.
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May 16, 2024
3 Big Bankruptcy Cases Still Pending At The Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court may have declined to hear a challenge to non-debtor litigation stays in mass tort bankruptcies this week in the Chapter 11 case of Georgia-Pacific's asbestos spinoff, but it is still slated to hand down decisions with the potential for wide-reaching impacts to mass torts and beyond this term.
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May 16, 2024
R&W Insurers' Claims Handling A 'Big Differentiator,' Aon Says
As competition in the market for representations and warranties insurance heats up, carriers' claims processes are becoming "one of the biggest differentiators" for securing repeat business, Aon said in its latest R&W claims report Thursday, finding that claim frequency has hovered near the 18% mark for so-called off-risk policies.
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May 16, 2024
Oversight Hearing Adds Pressure On Calif. Insurance Chief
Under growing pressure from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the insurance industry, California’s top insurance regulator defended its process of implementing proposals to stabilize the Golden State’s faltering homeowners insurance market.
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May 16, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
An Arizona judge issued an apparently novel ruling over a foreign discovery statute's applicability to a Canadian arbitration, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up a $3.5 billion underwriting surplus class action and policyholders accused UnitedHealth of covering up a U.S. Department of Justice antitrust investigation.
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May 16, 2024
Apt. Complex Must Face Insurer's Mold Death Coverage Suit
A Georgia federal judge has refused to toss an insurer's suit seeking to evade coverage of an apartment complex accused of failing to stop a mold infestation that killed a tenant, finding the insurer has plausibly alleged it does not have a duty to defend under the prevailing insurance policy.
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May 15, 2024
Insurer Secures Early Win In $5M Warehouse Damage Row
An insurer doesn't have to cover over $5 million in damage a property owner said it sustained after a warehouse break-in, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled, finding that a vacancy provision in a commercial insurance policy wasn't ambiguous and the insurer didn't act in bad faith.
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May 13, 2024
Assault Exclusion Dooms Restaurant's Coverage For Murder
An insurer doesn't have to indemnify a Detroit restaurant accused of contributing to the 2019 shooting death of a potential patron by failing to provide adequate security, the Sixth Circuit said.
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May 13, 2024
Insurer's Countersuit Pared In $1.85M Boat Fire Coverage Row
A Florida federal judge has allowed part of an insurer's countersuit to continue in a yacht owner's dispute over coverage for a 2023 boat fire after the insurer denied the company for allegedly misrepresenting boat prices.
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May 13, 2024
Justices Decline To Hear $3.5B Insurance Surplus Case
A proposed class action accusing an insurer of failing to return an over $3.5 billion surplus of underwriting profits back to policyholder members will be litigated in Illinois state court, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday, denying the company's bid for certiorari.
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May 10, 2024
Medical Device Co., Insurers Settle Equipment Damage Loss
A medical device manufacturer and its insurers have settled their coverage dispute over the manufacturer's claim it suffered an "equipment breakdown loss" damaging its mills, lathes and vacuum pump, the insurers told a Florida federal court.
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May 09, 2024
10th Circ. Appeal May Expand Pollution Coverage In NM
The Tenth Circuit will hear oral arguments May 20 to determine whether absolute pollution exclusions doom a New Mexico property owner's quest for $120,000 in defense coverage in a case attorneys say could determine the future of such environmental coverage in the state.
Expert Analysis
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4 Themes From Policyholder Wins In COVID Coverage Cases
As COVID-19 business interruption coverage lawsuits wind their way through state and federal courts, the broader trends emerging from the policyholder victories can assist insureds and their counsel with strategic litigation decisions, says Nicholas Insua at Reed Smith.
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Capturing Insurance Coverage For Climate Change Suits
As municipalities increasingly file suits seeking damages from oil companies in connection with climate change, the companies should consider filing actions to forestall insurer denials of commercial general liability coverage based on theories of novelty or inapplicable pollution exclusions, say attorneys at Haynes and Boone.
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After Climate Rulings, Insurers May Go On Coverage Offense
As climate change lawsuits progress, coverage litigation quickly follows — as evidenced by two recently filed suits, Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance and Everest Premier Insurance v. Gulf Oil — and insurers will likely become more proactive in seeking to limit their exposure, say Jose Umbert and Hernan Cipriotti at Zelle.
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Indirect Hurricane Ian Losses Could Be Covered By Insurance
Even companies indirectly affected by Hurricane Ian — for instance, by losses in their supply chain — should review their commercial property policies as they might benefit from specific insurance clauses covering these types of losses, says William Wagner at Taft.
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Lessons From 1st COVID Biz Interruption Policyholder Verdict
Robyn Anderson at Lathrop examines what made Baylor College of Medicine's recent COVID-19 business interruption case a success in Texas state court, and considers whether this first win on behalf of an insured is an outlier or a sign of more to come.
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State COVID Insurance Rulings Highlight Errors In Dismissals
Recent California and Vermont decisions in favor of policyholders, along with a $48 million jury verdict in Texas, underscore the error that courts are making by dismissing COVID-19 business interruption lawsuits at the pleading stage without consideration of the facts and evidence in each case, say Joseph Niczky and Michael Levine at Hunton.
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Fla. Evidence Code Update Lowers Burden For Image Use
Florida's recent evidence code change permits judicial notice of images and certain other graphics, a hugely meaningful development for litigants across a wide range of practice areas, though the effect will likely be immediately felt in property insurance cases, say Eve Cann and David Levin at Baker Donelson.
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Courts Are Not Shifting On COVID Biz Interruption Stance
Although a recent Law360 guest article suggested that the pendulum is about to swing in favor of policyholders seeking business interruption coverage for pandemic-related losses, the larger body of appellate case law — applying the laws of 25 states — continues to find no coverage, say attorneys at Dentons.
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What Snap Removal Debate Means For Insurance Disputes
A potential circuit split regarding the permissibility of snap removal to federal court, which allows defendants to circumvent the forum defendant rule, is particularly a concern in insurance cases due to the difficulty of removing such cases, and the perception that some state courts are more favorable to policyholders, says Greg Mann at Rivkin Radler.
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Questions Remain On Computer Fraud Coverage For Phishing
There are questions regarding the applicability of computer fraud coverage to phishing scheme losses in the wake of the Ninth Circuit's decision in Ernst & Haas v. Hiscox earlier this year, with a backdrop of differing case results and evolving fact patterns over the past few years, say Robert Callahan and Melissa D’Alelio at Robins Kaplan.
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Storm Insurance Considerations For Cos. New To Florida
As more and more businesses migrate to Florida, commercial property owners and tenants should carefully consider specific contract terms in order to avoid insurance issues and litigation in the event of storm damage, say Philippe Lieberman and Marko Cerenko at Kluger Kaplan.
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Business Insurance Considerations Amid Conflict In Ukraine
As the conflict in Ukraine continues to wreak havoc on global business operations and supply chains, companies should carefully assess all the various types of insurance coverage that may mitigate corporate losses, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Recent State Rulings Buck Trend In COVID Insurance Disputes
For the last two years, policyholders have been mostly unsuccessful in arguing that commercial property policies should cover losses suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a trio of recent state court decisions suggests that the pendulum may swing in policyholders' favor, say attorneys at Reed Smith.