Specialty Lines

  • February 15, 2024

    Club, Insurer Resolve Fiduciary Breach Coverage Row

    A country club owner, various club board members and Selective Insurance Co. agreed to dismiss their dispute Thursday in Massachusetts federal court over coverage for breach of contract and fiduciary duty claims that club investors lodged in arbitration, resolving the coverage case after reaching a settlement in January.

  • February 15, 2024

    Software Company Seeks $10M Policy Limit For Bad Deal

    A software company told a California federal court that its insurer breached its contract by failing to cover $10 million in damages suffered because of misrepresentations made by a property and casualty insurance software company it bought.

  • February 15, 2024

    Oil Trader Says Cargo Storage Expenses Are Covered

    An oil and gas trader slammed Liberty Mutual's attempt at an early win in a $2.4 million coverage dispute over losses related to a contaminated oil shipment, telling a New York federal court Thursday it is entitled to recover both barge storage expenses and attorney fees.

  • February 14, 2024

    Insurer Needn't Defend Landlord From Antitrust MDL

    A Washington state judge has ruled in favor of an insurer in a coverage dispute revolving around nearly 40 antitrust class action claims against landlords that have been combined into a multidistrict litigation case, finding that the insurer owes no defense coverage to an accused property manager.

  • February 14, 2024

    Contractor Owes $13M To Cover Virus Defaults, Insurer Says

    A Michigan-based insurer asked a Florida federal court Wednesday to grant a default final judgment in its indemnification suit against a contractor, seeking to force the company to cough up nearly $13 million to reimburse payments against its surety bonds and protect the insurer from future claims.

  • February 14, 2024

    Bed Bath & Beyond Execs Given Access To $10M In Insurance

    An insurer for bankrupt housewares retailer Bed Bath & Beyond will cover up to $10 million in legal costs incurred by company executives who were subpoenaed or named as defendants in litigation connected to the store, a New Jersey bankruptcy court said.

  • February 14, 2024

    Progressive Unit Seeks Win Against Uber, Widower Of Driver

    A Progressive unit asked a North Carolina federal court Wednesday to grant it a win in its attempt to get out of providing coverage for an UberEats driver who was killed in a car crash, asserting that its policy for Uber doesn't cover injuries caused by uninsured or underinsured motorists.

  • February 14, 2024

    Miami Law Firm Not Covered In Overbilling Row, Judge Says

    An insurer does not have to defend a Miami law firm in a lawsuit accusing it of overbilling a client, a Florida federal judge has ruled, finding that the underlying allegations do not constitute professional services as defined by the firm's policy.

  • February 13, 2024

    Insurers Must Pay Pharma Co. Defense Costs In SEC Probe

    A drug development company formed by a merger is entitled to insurance payments for expenses it paid two of its former officers in connection with federal subpoenas because the insurer failed to show that an exclusion applied, a California federal judge ruled Monday.

  • February 13, 2024

    CEO Needn't Consent To CFO's Settlement, NY Court Says

    A sporting goods company's former CEO does not get a say in the former CFO's $2.8 million settlement with a liquidating trust just because they're both insured under the same directors and officers policy, a New York federal judge ruled, calling the ex-CEO's interpretation of the policy "unreasonable and illogical."

  • February 13, 2024

    Insurer Wants Security Cos. To Repay Assault Defense

    An insurer said it does not owe coverage to two security service companies facing several lawsuits filed by grocery store customers who claim they were battered by security guards, telling a California federal court that the companies owe it reimbursement because their policies don't cover bodily injuries.

  • February 13, 2024

    OpenText Wants Out Of Class Action Coverage Suit

    OpenText told a Michigan federal court it should be dismissed from an insurer's suit seeking to avoid coverage of a class action from former Covisint shareholders alleging an unfair merger, saying it's not involved in the underlying case and its only alleged connection is that it acquired outstanding Covisint stock.

  • February 13, 2024

    Life Insurer Failed To Secure Data From Hack, Class Says

    A life insurance provider and its parent company failed to protect sensitive customer information from a data breach, a proposed class action told an Indiana federal court, saying the parent company was hacked via a SIM swapping scheme targeting a senior employee.

  • February 12, 2024

    Insurer Says No Coverage For Idaho Murderer And Family

    A mentally ill suspected cannibal and his wealthy mining family do not have insurance coverage for a wrongful death suit brought on behalf of a murdered, mutilated groundskeeper and his family, the insurer told an Idaho federal court.

  • February 12, 2024

    Consulting Firm Says Ex-Partner Stole Captive Insurance Biz

    A consulting firm that assists in establishing captive insurance companies told a Colorado federal court that its former business partner breached its contract by working behind the firm's back to snag its clients and sabotage its business relationships, depriving the firm of both business opportunities and potential commission.

  • February 12, 2024

    Panel Slams Life Insurer's 'Extreme' View Of Child Benefits

    A California appeals court panel challenged a life insurer's "extreme" view that its policy was limited to biological children and excluded coverage for the murdered child of the policyholder's fiancée, reinstating several of the parent's claims that were dismissed by a lower court.

  • February 12, 2024

    Three-State Test Critical To Evaluating Carrier Climate Risk

    An analysis finding that insurers' investment portfolios are at risk of losing billions of dollars under delayed climate-transition plans is an important step to fully understanding how well carriers' business activities are aligned with climate goals, experts say.

  • February 12, 2024

    Geico Says Medical Fraudsters Nabbed $1.1M In Auto Benefits

    Several unlicensed individuals submitted hundreds of fraudulent charges for services provided to Geico-insured car accident victims, the insurer has alleged in New York federal court, claiming it lost more than $1.1 million in the no-fault insurance fraud scheme.

  • February 09, 2024

    2nd Circ. Affirms Starr Can't Sue To Defend Coverage Denial

    The Second Circuit on Friday refused to revive Starr Indemnity & Liability Co.'s suit, which a district court had concluded the insurer used to defend its decision to deny a clothing company coverage for stolen and water-damaged goods.

  • February 09, 2024

    4th Circ. Atty Fraud Ruling Limits Criminal Defense Coverage

    The Fourth Circuit pushed criminal matters to the outer margins of professional liability insurance as it finalized its decision affirming a Maryland attorney is not entitled to coverage of defense costs from charges that he defrauded financial institutions.

  • February 09, 2024

    New York Teacher Pays $75K For Mock Slave Auction Harm

    A northern New York teacher will pay $75,000 for holding a mock slave auction of Black students in her classroom, settling a federal suit over a lesson a 10-year-old student's mother said emotionally damaged her son.

  • February 09, 2024

    Adviser Asks 4th Circ. To Rethink Defamation Coverage Denial

    An investment adviser asked the Fourth Circuit to rethink its decision affirming a lower court’s ruling that she was not entitled to coverage under her firm's professional liability insurance policy, saying that the opinion "defies any logic" and contradicts settled South Carolina law.

  • February 09, 2024

    Liberty Mutual Bailed On Wire Fraud Coverage, Agency Says

    Liberty Mutual wrongly denied crime coverage to an insurance agency after it lost more than $228,000 because of wire fraud, the agency alleged in a suit filed in Virgin Islands federal court.

  • February 08, 2024

    Texas Adjuster No Longer To Pretend To Be Lloyd's Of London

    An insurance adjuster who hijacked the good name of British underwriting giant Lloyd's of London after blaming it for lost compensation agreed in Texas federal court to shut down businesses he opened in its name.

  • February 08, 2024

    9th Circ. Affirms Hiscox's Win In Design Co. CEO Fraud Row

    Hiscox Insurance Co. does not have to cover a design and marketing company's $850,000 arbitration award to a former CEO over alleged fraud, the Ninth Circuit ruled Thursday, finding that the arbitrator's decision qualified as a final adjudication that triggered a fraud exclusion in its policy.

Expert Analysis

  • Pre-IPO Companies Should Upgrade Their D&O Coverage

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    Directors and officers of private companies — especially startups preparing for their initial public offering — should consider enhancing their D&O insurance coverage to confront the new regulatory and compliance risks they face, say attorneys at Freshfields and Burns Bowen.

  • 5 Tips For Purchasing Insurance During A Pandemic

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    Insureds are likely to purchase or renew insurance at least once during the COVID-19 crisis and should plan carefully to mitigate the risk of potential coverage gaps caused by the pandemic's long duration and broad impact, says Dennis Windscheffel at Akin Gump.

  • How Cos. Can Adapt To Insurance Industry After COVID-19

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    Policyholders should maintain diligence, carefully assess risks, and thoughtfully rebalance risk transfer and mitigation strategies in order to weather the pandemic's long-term impact on the insurance industry, says Daniel Struck at Culhane Meadows.

  • 'Notice Of Circumstances' May Preempt Virus Insurance Denial

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    Insurance policyholders impacted by COVID-19 should consider proactively sending notices of circumstances to their insurers in order to preempt new pandemic policy exclusions, although this tactic carries certain risks as well, say Richard Milone and Jennifer Romeo at Milone Law Firm.

  • Maximize Chances Of Insurance Coverage For COVID-19

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    Policyholders suffering losses related to COVID-19 can take steps right now, such as documenting proof of loss and mitigation efforts, to preserve their chances of recovery under property or business interruption insurance policies, says Creighton Page at Foley Hoag.

  • D&O Insurance Tips For Coronavirus-Related Claims

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    Directors and officers liability insurance may prove to be a source of relief for public companies battling shareholder claims stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, depending on specific language and exclusions that must be carefully reviewed, say Catherine Doyle and Jan Larson at Jenner & Block.

  • COVID-19 Claims Reach Entire Insurance Coverage Spectrum

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    COVID-19's impact on public health and business is triggering a barrage of insurance claims across virtually all traditional coverage areas, with each type of policy featuring unique weaknesses, says LexisNexis insurance consultant Karen Yotis.

  • Delaware Dole Ruling Will Guide Allocation In D&O Policies

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    In a dispute between Dole Food and certain excess insurers of a directors and officers insurance policy, the Delaware Supreme Court recently interpreted an explicit allocation provision and articulated a rule that will instruct both insurers and insureds, say Brian Scarbrough and Huiyi Chen at Jenner & Block.

  • 8 Possible Paths To Insurance Coverage For COVID-19 Losses

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    At least some insurance policies are almost certain to apply to coronavirus-related losses, and a few hypothetical situations explain how, say attorneys at Covington.

  • NJ Cos. May Have Insurance Coverage For COVID-19 Losses

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    Two New Jersey cases from 2009 and 2014 indicate that the physical injury requirement under property insurance policies may be interpreted broadly enough to apply to losses resulting from the coronavirus crisis, say Robert Chesler and Nicholas Insua at Anderson Kill.

  • Dealing With D&O Liability Caused By COVID-19 Pandemic

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    As directors and officers face compliance challenges in fulfilling their fiduciary duties amid the coronavirus outbreak, they must be mindful of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requirements — despite recent filing deadline relief — and D&O insurance considerations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • Insurance Ruling Handles Ransomware Coverage Logically

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    A Maryland federal judge's recent decision in National Ink and Stitch v. State Auto is among the first to hold that a business owner's insurance policy covered ransomware attack losses, utilizing well-reasoned analysis to demonstrate that coverage for cyberrisks can be found in traditional insurance contracts, say attorneys at Jaszczuk.

  • 11th Circ. Insurance Ruling Views Cybercrime Realistically

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent opinion in Principle Solutions v. Ironshore demonstrates courts' willingness to adopt a reasonable view of insurance coverage for cybercrime, while the dissent serves as a warning against outdated provisions, say Patrick Cordova and Caroline Meneau of Jenner & Block.