InsuranceRSS

  • April 9, 2010

    9th Circ. Upholds Western Heritage Commission Victory

    A federal appeals court has affirmed a ruling in favor of Western Heritage Insurance Co. in long-running litigation sparked by its termination of a general agency and profit-sharing agreement with surplus line broker Sovereign General Insurance Services Inc.

  • April 9, 2010

    Six Flags, Commonwealth Settle Katrina Coverage Spat

    Six Flags Inc. has dropped its claims against Commonwealth Insurance Co. in a suit Six Flags brought against Commonwealth and several other insurers over coverage for damage to its amusement park in New Orleans that was caused by Hurricane Katrina.

  • April 9, 2010

    Mass. High Court Clarifies Landlord Liability

    Massachusetts’ highest court has reversed a lower court's decision and held that while commercial landlords are barred from shifting liability for negligence onto tenants, they may seek coverage under insurance policies tenants are required to purchase.

  • April 9, 2010

    Insurers Want Help Defending 'Popcorn Lung' Suits

    Arrowood Indemnity Co. and a group of popcorn flavoring makers have sued Travelers Property Casualty Company of America and Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co. for a share of the cost of defending against lawsuits by former popcorn plant employees who claim they were sickened by flavoring used in the products.

  • April 9, 2010

    Rising Star: Sidley Austin's Sean Keyvan

    A deep knowledge of the insurance sector, which helped in the successful implementation of several multibillion-dollar deals for American International Group Inc. and other major insurers, has made Sidley Austin LLP's Sean Keyvan one of Law360's 10 insurance lawyers under 40 to watch.

  • April 9, 2010

    Gonzalez Saggio Opens NJ Office With 5 New Hires

    Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP has set up a new shop in New Jersey with the help of a group of lawyers coming from Adorno & Yoss that will focus on handling employment and commercial matters, as well as representing insurers in civil litigation.

  • April 9, 2010

    Nationwide Suffers Setback In Investigator OT Suit

    A federal judge won’t reconsider a ruling that denied Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. summary judgment in a collective action brought on behalf of current and former special investigators who claim they were illegally denied overtime compensation.

  • April 9, 2010

    DSW Identity Theft Coverage Trial To Be Split

    A federal judge has agreed to consider DSW Shoe Warehouse Inc.'s punitive damages claim against an American International Group Inc. unit separately from its bad faith claim in a suit over the insurer's denial of coverage for losses stemming from the theft of 1.4 million DSW customers' personal data.

  • April 8, 2010

    Fifth Third Wins Privilege Ruling In $500M Contract Suit

    A judge has found that regulatory communications between Fifth Third Bank and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland are off-limits for discovery purposes in a more than $500 million contract suit lodged by Fifth Third against Transamerica Life Insurance Co. and Clark Consulting Inc. over losses in investments routed to a hedge fund.

  • April 8, 2010

    Atty's Conflict Needn't Disqualify Firm: Calif. Court

    A California appellate court has ruled that a law firm need not be disqualified from a case in which one of its attorneys has a conflict of interest if it can prove that the conflicted attorney didn't share relevant information with the rest of the firm, reversing a lower court's decision.

  • April 8, 2010

    Financial Sector Deals Poised for Uptick: Report

    After a modest start this year, mergers and acquisitions activity aimed at banks, asset management firms, and insurance companies is well positioned for an uptick, particularly as companies gain a greater understanding of proposed regulatory reforms, according to a new report.

  • April 8, 2010

    Rising Star: Akin Gump's Katherine Katchen

    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP partner Katherine Katchen has represented Independence Blue Cross and its subsidiaries in numerous reimbursement cases around the country for the past decade, including in a national class action settlement, earning her a spot on Law360's list of 10 insurance lawyers under 40 to watch.

  • April 8, 2010

    IT Worker Hits Wash. Blue Cross With OT Suit

    State of Washington-based health insurer Premera Blue Cross and two subsidiaries are facing a proposed collective action accusing the companies of illegally failing to pay overtime and benefits to their technical support workers by classifying them as exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act.

  • April 7, 2010

    5 More States Join Suit Against Health Care Law

    Five more U.S. states are joining a multistate suit challenging President Barack Obama's health care legislation, including two states whose Republican governors have sidestepped Democratic attorneys general in order to jump in on the litigation.

  • April 7, 2010

    Vacancies Haunt Insured Commercial Property Owners

    Commercial vacancies have proliferated across the country in recent years as the economy faltered, raising risks of vandalism or theft and causing some property owners to stumble upon unpleasant surprises when they ask insurers to pay for the damages.

  • April 7, 2010

    AIG Settles With Ohio Over Bid-Rigging Suit

    Beleaguered insurance giant American International Group Inc. has agreed to pay $9 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that it conspired with broker Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. to eliminate competition in the commercial casualty insurance industry.

  • April 7, 2010

    Rising Star: Linklaters' Dan Dufner

    From shepherding the nation's largest health insurer WellPoint Inc. through billions of dollars worth of acquisitions to spearheading his firm's efforts to attract more insurance business in the U.S., Linklaters LLP partner Dan Dufner has developed an industry track record worthy of a place on Law360's list of 10 insurance attorneys under 40 to watch.

  • April 7, 2010

    National Union Released From Katrina MDL

    National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa., has finally won its way out of the sprawling litigation over the levee breach that drenched parts of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, on the grounds that its policies did not provide coverage for the plaintiffs' claims.

  • April 6, 2010

    Continental, AXA $23M Reinsurance Dispute Lives On

    A federal judge has refused to kill a decade-long, $23 million reinsurance dispute between Continental Casualty Co. and AXA Global Risks (UK) Ltd. and Assicurazioni Generali SpA over the construction of a Missouri power plant.

  • April 6, 2010

    Ace Seeks Zurich Funds For $4M Payout To Worker

    Ace American Insurance Co. has lodged a counterclaim seeking contribution from Zurich American Insurance Co. for $3.9 million paid to a hospital worker who claimed she contracted interstitial lung disease from inhaling a toxic mix of cleaning chemicals.