General Liability

  • September 23, 2025

    Law Firms Sued Over La. Hurricane Claim Fee Scheme

    Two law firms and certain attorneys engaged in a scheme to "grossly and blatantly" inflate damages estimates for hurricane-related property insurance claims in order to "collect an exorbitant fee which they would all share," a group of seven Louisiana residents told a Louisiana federal court.

  • September 23, 2025

    Insurers Say Marine Cos. Owe $1.8M For Cargo Collapse

    Marine engineering, logistics and surveying companies are on the hook for nearly $1.8 million after a government contractor's equipment was damaged during transit from Washington to Hawaii, insurers for the contractor told a Washington federal court.

  • September 22, 2025

    Contractor's Insurers Owe $7M For Bridal Shop Fire, Suit Says

    A bridal shop said a contractor's insurers must pay their combined $7 million policy limits toward a $38 million judgment in an underlying suit over a fire caused by the contractor's demolition work at another property, according to a complaint removed to New York federal court Monday.

  • September 22, 2025

    Meteorologist's Widow Gets $126M In Wrongful Death Deal

    The Total Traffic and Weather Network and its parent company will pay $126 million to settle a negligence case by the widow of a local meteorologist who died in a helicopter crash — $50 million of which its primary insurers must cover immediately, according to North Carolina state court filings.

  • September 19, 2025

    Md. Steel Co. Owes $700K For System Collapse, Insurer Says

    Hartford Fire Insurance Co. has sued a subcontractor on a Maryland commercial project in state court to recover the costs of a $719,405 claim made after a steel joist system partially collapsed in 2022.

  • September 19, 2025

    Insurer Seeks Coverage Sublimit For Unbooked Uber Driver

    An insurer for Uber told a Texas federal court that it should only owe coverage up to a lower set of limits over an auto collision involving one of its drivers, arguing that a policy with a higher limit only applied once a driver actually accepted a ride request.

  • September 18, 2025

    Fire Risk Modelers See Promise In Advancing Calif. Bill

    A recently approved California bill supporting the development of a public fire risk model could help boost transparency around methods insurers use to make coverage decisions, while advancing a complicated field of study full of uncertainties, experts say.

  • September 18, 2025

    Insurer Can't Get Redo Of $1.3M Trademark Row Analysis

    An insurer can't relitigate court findings that it owed coverage under a general liability policy to a company that settled a trademark infringement lawsuit for more than $1.3 million, an Indiana federal court ruled, channeling baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra in the process.

  • September 18, 2025

    Wash. Panel Calls Gas Station Co.'s Insurance Delay Risky

    Whether gas station operator Gull Industries Inc. is entitled to legal defense costs from Granite State Insurance Co. in long-running litigation over the company's environmental liability may ultimately boil down to timing, Washington state appellate judges suggested at a hearing Thursday.

  • September 18, 2025

    Homeowner Policies At Center Of Ga. Insurance Changes

    As the Georgia House of Representatives continues to study the state's insurance rate-setting practices, profit margins and claims processing, insurance attorneys in the state evaluate the areas in which homeowners should be watching closely, including cosmetic exclusion triggers, third-party adjusters and the changes to come under April's tort reform legislation.

  • September 18, 2025

    Petrol Co. Seeks Early Win In Benzene Injury Coverage Suit

    Three insurers have continued to renege on their duty to defend an underlying lawsuit seeking to hold a New York-based petroleum company liable for a man's multiple myeloma diagnosis, the company told a state court, saying they've already acknowledged that such a duty exists.

  • September 18, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    A Delaware state court found that Frontier Communications was entitled to a defense against copyright infringement claims, a split Ninth Circuit panel backed certification denial for a proposed class of Progressive policyholders, and the Second Circuit heard arguments in a firearms retailer's bid for coverage of ghost gun suits. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • September 17, 2025

    Judge Probes Alleged Rivalry In Captive Insurer's Collapse

    A North Carolina Business Court judge on Wednesday wanted help deciding whether a Georgia insurance company belongs in a fight over a defunct captive insurer's demise, but neither party seemed to have the answers he needed.

  • September 17, 2025

    Frontier Copyright Row Triggered Duty To Defend, Court Says

    Insurers for Frontier Communications had a duty to defend the telecommunications company against copyright infringement claims that were ultimately settled, a Delaware state court ruled in a recently unsealed opinion, analyzing a deliberate acts exclusion and the timeliness of Frontier's claim notice.

  • September 17, 2025

    Broker Can't Trim Chipwich Maker's $4.5M Recall Loss Suit

    A Connecticut state court refused to nix a breach of contract claim in an ice cream sandwich maker's $4.5 million suit accusing its insurance broker of failing to recommend and procure insurance that would cover a food recall.

  • September 18, 2025

    2nd Circ. Wary Of Retailer's Bid For Ghost Gun Suit Coverage

    The Second Circuit seemed skeptical of a Texas-based firearms retailer's argument that it is owed coverage for suits alleging it contributed to gun violence by selling unfinished components used to assemble what are known as ghost guns, grilling the retailer Wednesday for specific allegations of negligence that would trigger coverage.

  • September 16, 2025

    Insurer Says Overturned Truck In Fatal Crash Not Covered

    A Progressive unit that provided commercial auto insurance for a concrete company told a Texas state court it should owe no defense or indemnity in a wrongful death lawsuit involving an overturned cement truck, arguing the insurer did not directly insure the vehicle.

  • September 16, 2025

    Insurer Must Arbitrate Chemical Injury Coverage Dispute

    An insurer must arbitrate its dispute with a homeowners association over coverage for underlying suits claiming that the association's pool contractor allowed hazardous chemicals to spread and injure patrons, a Virginia federal court ruled, finding that the policy's nonbinding arbitration agreement is enforceable under state law.

  • September 15, 2025

    Insurer Asks Court To Deny Fla. Tree Co.'s Coverage After Fire

    An Ohio-based insurance company filed a lawsuit against a tree service and a funeral services business in Florida federal court, saying that it should not have to defend the company that was sued over cutting down the tree that caused a fire and resulted in $2 million in damage. 

  • September 15, 2025

    Delayed Notice Of $3.2M Verdict Bars Coverage, Insurer Says

    A Florida property owner isn't covered for a $3.2 million judgment entered against it in an underlying personal injury lawsuit, an insurer told a federal court Monday, arguing that the property owner failed to fulfill its reporting obligations and that exclusions in a commercial general liability policy bar coverage.

  • September 15, 2025

    Security Co. Not Covered In Shooting Injury Suit, Insurer Says

    An insurer said it doesn't owe coverage to a security company or one of its employees for an underlying suit over a shooting and a related $500,000 stipulated judgment, telling a Nevada federal court Monday the shooting wasn't an accident and therefore doesn't qualify as an occurrence.

  • September 15, 2025

    Telecom Co. Can't Avoid Liberty's Marshall Fire Coverage Suit

    A Liberty Mutual unit may proceed with its suit seeking to avoid coverage for a Lumen Technologies subsidiary in underlying actions over the 2021 Marshall Fire, a Colorado federal court ruled, finding that the insurer alleged an injury sufficient to establish Article III standing.

  • September 12, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Backs Cert. Denial In Progressive Car Value Suit

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday upheld a lower court's refusal to certify a class of Progressive policyholders in a suit over adjustments the insurer makes when calculating the actual cash value of a totaled vehicle, finding that individual questions predominate over common ones.

  • September 12, 2025

    Liberty Wins Defense Reimbursement In Crane Damage Row

    A subcontractor's insurer must reimburse a Liberty Mutual unit for roughly $477,000 in defense costs stemming from settled litigation over property damage from an unsecured crane, a New York federal court ruled Friday, finding that a self-insured retention only applied with respect to the subcontractor.

  • September 11, 2025

    Environmental Deregulation Fuels Insurance Uncertainties

    President Donald Trump's policy agenda of dismantling environmental regulations has created more uncertainty in the insurance world, where the benefit from decreased government enforcement may be undercut by shifting litigation risks, new legal theories and potential lingering exposures, insurance attorneys said.

Expert Analysis

  • When Failure To Satisfy Insured Duty Is Fatal To Texas Claims

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    Recent rulings from federal district courts in Texas demonstrate when an insured's failure to satisfy certain duties is fatal to recovery under their policy, and when this failure may result in abatement, say attorneys at Zelle.

  • Tracking The Evolving Legal Landscape Of Music Festivals

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    The legal infrastructure behind music festivals is anything but simple, so attorneys advising clients in this space should be prepared for a wide range of legal challenges, including the unexpected risks that come with live events, says Meesha Moulton at Meesha Moulton Law.

  • Asbestos Ruling Cements All Sums Coverage Precedent In SC

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    With its recent decision in Protopapas v. Travelers, the South Carolina Court of Appeals becomes the highest court in South Carolina to adopt the all sums allocation approach for long-tail claims, providing key appellate precedent to support policyholders' efforts to maximize their coverage, say attorneys at Anderson Kill.

  • How Courts Are Addressing The Use Of AI In Discovery

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    In recent months, several courts have issued opinions on handling discovery issues involving artificial intelligence, which collectively offer useful insights on integrating AI into discovery and protecting work product in connection with AI prompts and outputs, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • How NY Appeals Ruling Alters Employers' Sex Abuse Liability

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    In Nellenback v. Madison County, the New York Court of Appeals arguably reset the evidentiary threshold in sexual abuse cases involving employer liability, countering lower court decisions that allowed evidence of the length of the undiscovered abuse to substitute as notice of an employee's dangerous propensity, say attorneys at Hurwitz Fine.

  • What Calif. Insurance Ruling Means For Smoke Damage Limits

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    As California continues to grapple with an increasing number of wildfire claims, a state court's recent Aliff v. California FAIR Plan decision serves as a clear directive to insurers that policy language that narrows the scope of fire coverage below the California Insurance Code's minimum standards is impermissible, say attorneys at Wood Smith.

  • Lively-Baldoni Saga Highlights Insurance Coverage Gaps

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    The ongoing legal dispute involving "It Ends With Us" co-stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively raises coverage questions across various insurance lines, showing that effective coordination between policies and a clear understanding of potential gaps are essential to minimizing unexpected exposures, says Katie Pope at Liberty Co.

  • Juries Are Key In Protecting The Rule Of Law

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    Absent from the recent discourse about U.S. rule of law is the crucial role of impartial jurors in protecting the equitable administration of justice, and attorneys and judges should take affirmative steps to reverse the yearslong decline of jury trials at this critical moment, says consultant Clint Townson.

  • How To Strengthen A Case By Mastering Expert Witness Prep

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    A well-prepared expert witness can bolster a case's credibility with persuasive qualifications, compelling voir dire responses and concise testimony that can withstand cross-examination, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • Tesla's Robotaxi Push Exposes Gaps In Product Liability Law

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    As Tesla's deployment of robotaxis on public roads in Austin, Texas, faces regulatory scrutiny and legislative pushback, the legal community confronts an unprecedented challenge: how to apply traditional fault principles, product liability laws and insurance practices to vehicles that operate as rolling computers, says Don Fountain at Clark Fountain.

  • 8 Insurer Takeaways From Sweeping Georgia Tort Reform

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    Insurers should take note of several critical components of Georgia's tort litigation overhaul — including limitations on damages anchoring, procedural rules governing dismissals, and liability standards in negligent security cases — and adapt claims-handling strategies to reduce litigation risk, says Lucy Aquino at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 3 Juror Psychology Principles For Expert Witness Testimony

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    Expert witnesses can sometimes fall into traps when trying to teach juries complex topics by failing to consider the psychology of juror comprehension, but attorneys can help witnesses avoid these pitfalls with a deeper understanding of cognitive lag, chunking and learning styles, says Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.

  • Court Rulings Warn Against Oversharing With Experts

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    Recent decisions, including in bad faith insurance cases, demonstrate that when settlement information documents are inadvertently shared with testifying experts, courts may see no recourse but to strike the entire report or disqualify the expert, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.