Expert Analysis

• 11th Circ. Ruling May Impede Insurers' Defense Cost Recoup

  

  The Eleventh Circuit's recent Continental Casualty v. Winder Laboratories ruling that insurers cannot obtain reimbursement of defense costs from their insureds where the policy itself does not require such reimbursement is likely to be cited as persuasive authority in Georgia and other states without clear precedent on the issue, say Christy Maple and Robert Whitney at Phelps Dunbar.

• An In-Depth Look At FDIC Reform Options After Bank Failures

  

  Anthony Pirraglia and Melissa Hall at Loeb & Loeb explain the three coverage options for reforming the deposit insurance system, which were proposed in a recent report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in the wake of the Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank failures.

• Groundbreaking Nev. Law May Alter Insurance Landscape

  

  The Nevada Legislature recently passed a law prohibiting insurers from issuing liability policies with eroding limits provisions that has the potential to create massive shifts in the marketplace — and specifically in areas like professional liability, cyber, and directors and officers insurance, says Will Bennett at Saxe Doernberger.

• Perspectives

  Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice

  

  Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.

• Online Purchase Insurance: Regulatory Issues To Watch For

  

  Before offering insurance on consumer transactions, otherwise known as embedded insurance, merchants and insurance producers should be aware of a few regulatory issues and have a multistate compliance strategy in place, say Fred Garsson and Kara Pike at Saul Ewing.

• To Survive Scrutiny, Banks Should Craft Careful D&O Policies

  

  With banks and their boards facing intensified — and potentially costly — scrutiny after this spring’s bank failures, risk managers can prepare for potential shareholder demands, lawsuits or regulatory probes by designing a robust and targeted directors and officers coverage program, say Jose Lua-Valencia and Jesse Vazquez at Pillsbury.

• Insurance Insights From 5th Circ. Blue Bell Coverage Ruling

  

  The Fifth Circuit's recent ruling that denied Blue Bell insurance coverage for the defense costs incurred from a shareholder lawsuit underscores the importance of coordination of different coverages and policies across programs, and the potential perils of seeking recovery for losses under nontraditional policies, say Geoffrey Fehling and Casey Coffey at Hunton.

• Courts Can Overturn Deficient State Regulations, Too

  

  While suits challenging federal regulations have become commonplace, such cases against state agencies are virtually nonexistent, but many states have provisions that allow litigants to bring suit for regulations with inadequate cost-benefit analyses, says Reeve Bull at the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management.

• BIPA, Meta Pixel Suits Could Reshape Cybersecurity Litigation

  

  Businesses and attorneys should watch several pending electronic privacy cases that revolve around disclosure of protected personal information and health data, which may shape how courts handle damages and class actions in the future of cybersecurity litigation, say Kelly Johnson and Melanie Condon at Goldberg Segalla.

• Tales From The Trenches Of Remote Depositions

  

  As practitioners continue to conduct depositions remotely in the post-pandemic world, these virtual environments are rife with opportunities for improper behavior such as witness coaching, scripted testimony and a general lack of civility — but there are methods to prevent and combat these behaviors, say Jennifer Gibbs and Bennett Moss at Zelle.

• The Legal Issues Flying Around The Evolving Drone Market

  

  As the number of drone registrations is expected to more than double over the next three years, the industry faces new risks and considerations related to privacy, Fourth Amendment, criminal, evidentiary, First Amendment, and insurance litigation, say attorneys at Covington.

• Insurance Coverage For ChatGPT Legal Fiasco: A Hypothetical

  

  William Passannante at Anderson Kill draws on the recent case of an attorney sanctioned by the Southern District of New York for submitting a ChatGPT-authored brief to discuss what the insurance coverage for the attorney's hypothetical claim might look like.

• Insurance Implications Of High Court Affirmative Action Ruling

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling striking down affirmative action admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina will likely result in more litigation related to hiring practices, with implications for insurance coverage, meaning policyholders must remain wary of exclusions and other potential roadblocks, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

• Legal Considerations For Calif. Rental Vehicle Data Collection

  

  The legal implications under California’s Rental Passenger Vehicle Transactions Law must be thoroughly understood and navigated carefully, and rental companies operating in the state should consider some key factors before installing tracking devices in their vehicles, says Hannah Ji-Otto at Baker Donelson.

• Level Up Lawyers' Business Development With Gamification

  

  With employee engagement at a 10-year low in the U.S., there are several gamification techniques marketing and business development teams at law firms can use to make generating new clients and matters more appealing to lawyers, says Heather McCullough at Society 54.