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April 01, 2024
Murdaugh Gets 40 Years For Financial Crimes In Fed. Court
Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced former South Carolina lawyer serving a life sentence for murder, was hit with a concurrent 40-year prison term in federal court Monday after pleading guilty to stealing at least $9 million from clients.
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April 01, 2024
Insurer Can't Avoid Indemnity Payments Over Grocery Fire
West Bend Mutual cannot avoid making extra indemnity payments to a Detroit grocery store over a fire or collect its insured's unpaid premium from another insurer, a Michigan federal court ruled after previously compelling both insurers to provide coverage because their policies were active when the fire occurred.
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April 01, 2024
Clifford Chance Adds 2 Insurance, Antitrust Experts In NY
Clifford Chance LLP has picked up two attorneys for its expanding insurance and antitrust groups, adding a specialist in private equity with more than 15 years of experience and a property and casualty loss expert.
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April 01, 2024
Insurer Defends Gas Station Cleanup Exclusion To 11th Circ.
An insurer has asked the Eleventh Circuit to reject a Florida gas station owner's bid to make it pay for contamination caused by a leaking underground fuel tank, telling the appeals court the station's policy doesn't cover an incident discovered well before the policy went into effect.
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April 01, 2024
Aramark Accuses Aetna Of 'Gamesmanship' In Benefits Fight
Aramark said Aetna sued it over an arbitration pact in Connecticut as a tactical response to Aramark's Texas suit claiming the insurer cost it millions by approving shoddy health benefit claims, and urged a federal judge to ship Aetna's suit to Texas as well.
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March 29, 2024
Home Depot Asks High Court To Block $2.67B BCBS Deal
Home Depot has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its challenge of a $2.67 billion settlement in antitrust litigation targeting Blue Cross Blue Shield, saying the deal immunizes activity that hurts competition.
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March 29, 2024
Blackbaud Defeats 7 Insurers' Claims For Data Breach Costs
Complaints by seven insurers seeking reimbursement for $2.1 million in expenses paid to insureds following a ransomware attack on software company Blackbaud Inc. were torn apart by a Delaware state judge, who called the insurers' allegations "conclusory," tossing the two cases.
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March 29, 2024
9th Circ. Critical Of Treasure Hunter's Insurance Appeal
A Ninth Circuit panel expressed doubt Friday that a treasure hunter could get an insurer to pay him a $7.5 million settlement over a soured shipwreck salvaging expedition, suggesting his ex-partners' refusal to hand over vital maps was an intentional act to keep him from striking gold — not an accident covered by insurance.
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March 29, 2024
Liberty Units Lose $13.3M Motel Murder Coverage Bid
CNA and Chubb units have no duty to reimburse two Liberty Mutual units for a $13.3 million judgment stemming from a motel murder, an Ohio federal court ruled, saying no bad faith claim was asserted against the Liberty Mutual units triggering their errors and omissions policies.
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March 29, 2024
2nd Circ. Backs Insurer In Sanitizer Ad Injury Coverage Suit
An insurer doesn't owe coverage to a company accused of falsely advertising that its sanitizing products were effective in disinfecting surfaces, the Second Circuit ruled Friday, affirming a lower court's decision that the underlying class action can't be "reasonably construed" to substantially allege a claim of disparagement.
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March 29, 2024
10th Circ. Says Insurance Payout Deal In Jet Sale Is Invalid
An aircraft seller does not owe a purchaser $500,000 in insurance proceeds intended to cover repairs to the aircraft's permanent engines and the installation of temporary engines, the Tenth Circuit affirmed, saying an agreement to pay the proceeds was invalid because of a mutual mistake of fact.
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March 29, 2024
Epiq Says Chubb Owes Costs In Clergy Abuse Data Leak Case
Epiq Corporate Restructuring LLC has sued Chubb-affiliated insurers in Connecticut federal court seeking to be reimbursed for $2.5 million in settlement costs and roughly $1.8 million for its defense of litigation over Epiq's disclosure of sex abuse survivors' names in a Chapter 11 case.
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March 29, 2024
Sweeping Class Certified In Nationwide Pension Plan Suit
More than 50,000 participants in a Nationwide pension plan can proceed as a class with claims that the company unlawfully transferred assets from the plan to a company subsidiary, as an Ohio federal judge ruled that questions about Nationwide's conduct outweigh differences among participants.
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March 29, 2024
5 Appellate Arguments Benefits Attys Should Watch In April
A defense contractor will square off with the government over pension obligations, workers at an auto parts retailer and Georgetown University staffers will look to revive suits claiming their retirement savings were mismanaged, and a ban on gender-affirming care for minors will get an en banc review. Here are five argument sessions that should be on benefits attorneys' radar in April.
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March 28, 2024
Judge Grants Request To Halt Camden Diocese Ch. 11 Plan
A New Jersey bankruptcy judge agreed Thursday to freeze the implementation of the Roman Catholic Diocese's Chapter 11 plan, saying he does not want any action of the diocese to try and moot an appeal by insurance carriers.
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March 28, 2024
Foxwoods Tribal Owner Loses $76M COVID Insurance Appeal
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns and operates the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, did not meet a key burden when suing its insurer for more than $76 million in losses tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state's intermediate-level appeals court ruled Thursday in declining to revive the litigation.
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March 28, 2024
Fruit Grower Cleared To Leave Ch. 11 With $43M Exit Loan
California stone fruit producer Prima Wawona is set to wind down its packing and distribution division, hand ownership of the reorganized company to creditors and leave bankruptcy after a Delaware bankruptcy judge agreed to approve its Chapter 11 plan Thursday.
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March 28, 2024
Wash. Appeals Court Asked To Mull COVID Coverage Question
A Washington state court has halted litigation over the University of Washington's bid for COVID-19 business interruption coverage from a Liberty Mutual unit, asking a state appeals court to first determine whether the presence of COVID-19 satisfies UW's policies' direct physical loss or damage requirement and if a contamination exclusion applies.
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March 28, 2024
Mercedes, Insurer Don't Owe Reimbursement For Vehicle Fire
Mercedes-Benz's North American research arm and its insurer don't owe reimbursement to a commercial real estate operator's insurer for $1 million in damages stemming from a vehicle fire at a testing facility, a Michigan federal judge ruled, finding that Mercedes' insurer issued commercial general liability coverage, not property protection insurance.
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March 28, 2024
Insurer's $1.37M Suit Over Stolen Walmart Flare Gun Misfires
An Oregon federal judge has thrown out a $1.37 million suit from Ascot Specialty Insurance Co. against Walmart Inc. seeking to hold the retailer liable for a fire started by a stolen flare gun, saying the insurer has failed to show how Walmart is responsible for a third party's criminal acts.
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March 28, 2024
Feds Finalize Restraints On Short-Term Health Insurance
President Joe Biden's administration finalized regulations Thursday that shrink the window for short-term, limited-duration health insurance from three years to no more than four months, but it backed off more sweeping changes from its July proposal that would have affected fixed indemnity insurance.
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March 28, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen investors target fraudsters who ran a fake film tax scheme, Barclays Bank sue privately owned Russian bank PJSC Sovcombank, easyGroup bring a trademark infringement claim against online casino TGI Entertainment for its "easybet" word sign, and a bioethanol fuel company hit high-profile individuals connected to the collapsed Elysian Fuels scheme. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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March 27, 2024
5th Circ. Reissues Arb. Decision In Hurricane Damage Case
The Fifth Circuit has reissued its opinion allowing a group of domestic insurers to force arbitration of a dispute over coverage for hurricane damage under an international arbitration clause after the insurers argued that the unanimous decision applied circuit precedent in a new context.
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March 27, 2024
Malpractice Suit Against Texas Magnate's Atty Revived
A Texas appeals court has revived claims that a longtime family attorney violated his duty as trustee to their fortune by using his position to enrich himself and undercut the heir to a Lone Star State business empire.
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March 27, 2024
NC Commissioner Says Insurance Mogul's Argument 'Mistaken'
The North Carolina insurance commissioner asked the state's Supreme Court on Tuesday to allow him to give his take on a group of insurers' lawsuit against embattled mogul Greg Lindberg that alleges he pilfered the insurance companies as owner, saying if the court lets him submit an amicus brief he'll explain how Lindberg's main argument is "mistaken."
Expert Analysis
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The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.
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Texas Storms Drive Coverage Litigation And Key Rulings
Given the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events across Texas, first-party coverage claims continue to dominate high-profile litigation in the state, bringing significant recent decisions on attorney fees, appraisal, allocation and other important insurance topics, says Laura Grabouski at Holden Litigation.
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To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation
Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.
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Next Steps For Insurers After Ky. OKs Early 3rd-Party Claims
While insurers in Kentucky may face more statutory bad faith claims after a recent state Supreme Court decision clarified that third parties may bring these torts even before determination of coverage is finalized, insurers can adopt a variety of approaches to reduce their exposure, says Jason Reichlyn at Dykema Gossett.
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Perspectives
More States Should Join Effort To Close Legal Services Gap
Colorado is the most recent state to allow other types of legal providers, not just attorneys, to offer specific services in certain circumstances — and more states should rethink the century-old assumptions that shape our current regulatory rules, say Natalie Anne Knowlton and Janet Drobinske at the University of Denver.
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Opinion
10th Circ. Remand Of ERISA Claims To Insurer Is Problematic
The Tenth Circuit recently gave the defendant another bite at the apple in David P. v. United Healthcare by remanding Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims for reprocessing, but the statute lacks any provision authorizing remands of ERISA cases, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure
Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.
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Insurers, Prepare For Large Exposures From PFAS Claims
With thousands of lawsuits concerning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances pending across the country, several large settlements already reached, and both regulators and the plaintiffs bar increasingly focusing on PFAS, it is becoming clear that these "forever chemicals" present major exposures to insurers and their policyholders, say Scott Seaman and Jennifer Arnold at Hinshaw.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'
Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.
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Pickleball Makes Waves In Fla. Real Estate, With Risks In Play
Pickleball's burgeoning popularity in Florida is catalyzing a transformation in the state's commercial real estate market, but investors must take steps to navigate legal challenges related to noise, insurance and community dynamics, says Emmanuelle Litvinov at DarrowEverett.
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4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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Mass. Dispute Highlights R&W Insurance Considerations
The progression of the litigation in a Massachusetts state court between pH Beauty and its representations and warranties insurers to the summary judgment stage offers rare insight into coverage disputes that can arise under such policies, including takeaways for buyers and sellers looking to procure adequate coverage for future transactions, say attorneys at Hunton.
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Opinion
3 Ways Justices' Disclosure Defenses Miss The Ethical Point
The rule-bound interpretation of financial disclosures preferred by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — demonstrated in their respective statements defending their failure to disclose gifts from billionaires — show that they do not understand the ethical aspects of the public's concern, says Jim Moliterno at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.
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Rethinking Mich. Slip-And-Fall Defense After Top Court Ruling
The Michigan Supreme Court recently overturned three decades of premises liability jurisprudence by ruling that the open and obvious danger defense is no longer part of a traditional duty analysis, posing the question of whether landowners will ever again win on a motion for summary dismissal, say John Stiglich and Meriam Choulagh at Wilson Elser.
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What To Know About Duty To Settle Insurance Claims In Texas
Laura Grabouski of Holden Litigation examines the parameters of Texas insurers' duty to settle liability claims within the limits of the primary policy, as knowledge of the requirements — and the potential exposure from insureds, judgment creditors or excess creditors — can pay dividends in the era of nuclear verdicts.