General Liability

  • September 11, 2025

    McDonald's Loses Bid To Force Insurer To Cover Legal Fees

    An Illinois federal judge ruled Wednesday that Homeland Insurance Co. of New York doesn't have to cover the costs McDonald's incurred defending a former employee's violent workplace claims, saying the psychological harm that worker suffered doesn't amount to a physical, bodily injury that would have triggered coverage under the policy.

  • September 11, 2025

    Nationwide, Travelers Settle 'Hot Tub Lung' Coverage Dispute

    Nationwide and Travelers told a California federal judge they have reached a settlement in a lawsuit over coverage for a condominium association facing claims from a resident alleging he needed a double lung transplant due to contaminants from a hot tub and pool.

  • September 11, 2025

    Insurer, Firearms Co. Drop Ghost Gun Coverage Dispute

    A firearms retailer and its insurer have resolved a dispute over coverage for three underlying government suits alleging that the company contributed to gun violence by selling unfinished components used to assemble so-called ghost guns, according to a New York federal court filing.

  • September 11, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    A New York federal court analyzed policy limits and retentions over abuse claims against the Archdiocese of New York, the First Circuit ordered an insurer to defend a class action over allegedly faulty heating oil, and insurers notified the Fifth Circuit of a potential settlement in their hurricane arbitration appeal.

  • September 11, 2025

    Berkshire Co. Says Insurers Owe $22M For Antitrust Judgment

    A Berkshire Hathaway-owned construction supplier said its insurers must pay for a $22.2 million judgment against it in a competitor's antitrust suit, telling a Colorado federal court that policies issued by Liberty Mutual, Swiss Re and Allianz units cover claims based on the publication of disparaging material.

  • September 10, 2025

    NY Distillery Secures Coverage For Whiskey Barrel Damage

    A distillery in New York's Hudson Valley can get coverage for the loss of 52 barrels of aged whiskey under a policy provision providing additional coverage for damage caused by an "abrupt collapse," a federal court ruled, saying the distillery's interpretation of the term was more reasonable than its insurer's.

  • September 10, 2025

    Liberty Says Subcontractor's Insurer Must Defend Injury Row

    A subcontractor's insurer must defend and indemnify companies insured by a Liberty Mutual unit on a primary basis in a worker's injury lawsuit, the unit argued to a New York federal court.

  • September 09, 2025

    No CGL Coverage In Medical Negligence Row, NM Court Says

    A Travelers unit that issued a commercial general liability policy to an orthopedic clinic owes no coverage to the clinic and two of its physicians in an ongoing medical negligence lawsuit, a New Mexico federal court ruled, finding an exclusion barring claims arising from "professional health care services" applicable.

  • September 09, 2025

    Woman Says Co.'s Auto Insurer Owes $7.5M Crash Judgment

    A woman injured in a crash with a food service distributor's employee said the company's insurer must pay for a $7.5 million judgment entered in her favor, telling a Connecticut federal court Tuesday that the carrier failed to protect its insureds.

  • September 09, 2025

    1st Circ. Says Insurer Must Defend Heating Oil Class Action

    An insurer for a heating oil company must defend the company in a Massachusetts class action accusing it of damaging customers' heating equipment by adding too much biodiesel to its heating oil, the First Circuit ruled, finding the company's provision of the oil to customers constituted separate occurrences.

  • September 09, 2025

    Crate & Barrel's Insurer Owes Primary Coverage In Injury Suit

    Crate & Barrel's insurer has the primary duty to defend and indemnify a company that subleased a commercial space to the retailer and the owner of the Lower Manhattan property in an underlying personal injury suit, a New York federal court ruled, handing a win to the sublessor's insurer.

  • September 08, 2025

    London Insurers Owe Full Coverage Limits To NY Archdiocese

    Certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London and other London market insurers must pay their full applicable policy limits under policies issued to the Archdiocese of New York, a state court ruled Monday in the archdiocese's suit seeking coverage for thousands of sexual abuse claims.

  • September 08, 2025

    Phone Dealer, Freight Co. Settle Suit Over Stolen Shipment

    PCS Wireless LLC and RXO Capacity Solutions LLC have reached a settlement in the cellphone dealer's lawsuit over a stolen shipment and a contentious discovery dispute, according to a joint notice filed in a North Carolina federal court.

  • September 08, 2025

    Texas Couple Fights Firm's Sanctions Bid In Crash Data Suit

    A Houston couple who accused a law firm and a since-dismissed Progressive unit of conspiring to share car crash victims' private information told a Texas federal court that their suit is "neither frivolous, unreasonable, nor improper" as they pushed back against the law firm's sanctions request. 

  • September 05, 2025

    Liberty Mutual Unit Avoids Rental Coverage Suit

    A Massachusetts federal court on Friday tossed claims against Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. in a proposed class action over premature termination of rental car coverage, saying the insurer was not party to the policies issued by another Liberty Mutual unit.

  • September 04, 2025

    Insurer Refuses Farm Co. Coverage In $2.7M Land Dispute

    A Hawaiian farm company isn't owed coverage for a $2.7 million lawsuit alleging it engaged in a conspiracy to sell a lot that one of the company's members had reserved to a company managed by a separate member, the farm company's general liability insurer told a federal court.

  • September 04, 2025

    Progressive Class Cert. Reversals Point To Claim Individuality

    Progressive Insurance secured another class certification reversal in a lawsuit over certain adjustments the insurer makes when calculating the actual cash value of a totaled vehicle, and one of the carrier's attorneys praised the Fourth Circuit for finding that the issues at hand are individualistic in nature. King & Spalding LLP's Jeffrey Cashdan spoke to Law360 about that victory and two others for the carrier in the circuit courts.

  • September 04, 2025

    Pollution Exclusion Bars Coverage For HOA Stormwater Suit

    An insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify a homeowners association against claims that its stormwater drainage system caused flooding and damage to nearby properties, a Georgia federal court ruled, saying a pollution exclusion bars coverage.

  • September 04, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The Delaware Supreme Court refused to take up a midcase appeal in Mattel's suit over coverage for unsafe sleeper claims, the Eighth Circuit affirmed an apartment complex's $27 million award against Travelers and the Fifth Circuit heard arguments over a group of domestic insurers' bid to arbitrate hurricane damage claims. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • September 04, 2025

    Chinese Insurers Leading Race To Cover Renewable Energy

    The global renewable insurance market grew from $5.65 billion in 2020 to $8 billion in 2024, with insurers from China underwriting most premiums in recent years, analysis from a campaign group shows.

  • September 02, 2025

    Progressive Owes No Coverage For Truck Transport Mishap

    A Progressive Insurance unit has no duty to defend or indemnify a transportation company facing an injury lawsuit alleging that a disabled truck rolled into oncoming interstate traffic while a worker was loading it onto a trailer, an Alabama federal court ruled Tuesday.

  • September 02, 2025

    Care Facility Not Covered In Patient Death Suits, Insurer Says

    An insurer said it has no duty to defend or indemnify a long-term nursing care facility in four wrongful death suits, telling an Illinois federal court that general liability and professional liability coverage is barred by a number of policy exclusions.

  • August 29, 2025

    Del. Justices Say Mattel Sleeper Suit Not Ripe For Review

    The Delaware Supreme Court has declined to step in and review a pretrial order in an insurance dispute in which Mattel Inc. and Fisher-Price Inc. seek coverage of settlements in suits over infant injuries, saying a review at this time would not terminate the case, and that there's no reason not to wait for it to be resolved at the trial court.

  • August 28, 2025

    Katrina's Insurance Lessons Ever Relevant 20 Years Later

    Hurricane Katrina's landfall in New Orleans 20 years ago was an unprecedented catastrophe that resulted in financial consequences and insurance lessons that are more relevant today than ever, as fossil fuel-induced climate change promises more intense storms, experts say.

  • August 28, 2025

    Crop Insurance Changes Bring Needed Funding Boost

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency implementation of enhancements to federal crop insurance programs under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes a funding boost to programs, but leaves some industry experts hoping there's more legislation to come.

Expert Analysis

  • Tools For Witness Control That Go Beyond Leading Questions

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    Though leading questions can be efficient and effective for constraining a witness’s testimony, this strategy isn’t appropriate for every trial and pretrial scenario, so techniques like headlining and looping can be deployed during direct examination, depositions and even witness interviews, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • 4 Do's And Don'ts For Trial Lawyers Using Generative AI

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    Trial attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools should review a few key reminders, from the likelihood that prompts are discoverable to the rapid evolution of court rules, to safeguard against embarrassing missteps, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • NC COVID Ruling May Have Greater Coverage Implications

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    While the North Carolina Supreme Court's recent finding in favor of policyholders in a suit for business interruption coverage due to COVID-19 comes too late for most insureds to benefit, it should nonetheless have coverage implications far beyond COVID-19 claims, say attorneys at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • 5 Argument Techniques For Policyholder Advocates

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    Winning insurance coverage disputes often comes down to who has articulated the more compelling interpretation of the relevant policy language, which is why the best policyholder advocates come back to certain tried and true argument approaches, says Greg Van Houten at Haynes Boone.

  • Improving Comms Between Trial Attys And Tech Witnesses

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    In major litigation involving complex technology, attorneys should employ certain strategies to collaborate with companies' technical personnel more effectively to enhance both the attorney's understanding of the subject matter and the expert's ability to provide effective testimony in court, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • Ch. 11 Ruling Confirms Insurer Standing Requirements

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    A New York bankruptcy court's recent decision in the Syracuse Diocese's Chapter 11 case indicates that insurers have misread the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum and that federal standing requirements remain unaltered, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape

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    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape.

  • Courts Should Nix Conferencing Rule In 1 Discovery Scenario

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    Parties are generally required to meet and confer to resolve a discovery dispute before bringing a related motion, but courts should dispense with this conferencing requirement when a party fails to specify a time by which it will complete its production, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law.

  • Top Considerations For Insurance Companies In 2025

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    As insurance industry participants look to plan for the year, regulatory changes, climate-related challenges, the ongoing effects of social inflation and the potential for significant mergers and acquisitions will be among the key items for insurer boards and management to have on their radar, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • What Public View Of CEO's Killing Means For Corporate Trials

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    Given the proliferation of anti-corporate sentiments following recent charges against Luigi Mangione in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, attorneys who represent corporate clients and executives will need to adapt their trial strategy to account for juror anger, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation Consulting.

  • The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024

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    Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.

  • Insurance Considerations For LA Wildfire Recovery

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    Businesses and homeowners affected by the destructive Southern California wildfires must act swiftly and strategically to navigate the complexities of the insurance recovery process, including by identifying all applicable policies, documenting damage thoroughly and keeping abreast of relevant state law, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Artfully Conceding Liability Can Offer Defendants 3 Benefits

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    In the rare case that a company makes the strategic decision to admit liability, it’s important to do so clearly and consistently in order to benefit from the various forms of armor that come from an honest acknowledgment, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.