General Liability

  • August 22, 2024

    Fisher Phillips Brings Smith Gambrell Atty To DC Gov't Team

    Fisher Phillips' new D.C.-based agriculture employment partner has practiced several types of law throughout his career, and told Law360 Pulse Thursday that his employment law career started unexpectedly after a managing partner at one of his first firms called out sick before an interview.

  • August 22, 2024

    Ga. Mineral Co., Insurer Strike Deal In Talc Coverage Suit

    Phoenix Insurance Co. reached a contingent settlement with a Georgia-based mineral products company in litigation seeking to force the insurer to defend the company against an underlying suit claiming it supplied asbestos-containing talc products.

  • August 22, 2024

    7th Circ. Says Hidden IP Fight Doomed Insurance Coverage Bid

    The Seventh Circuit has agreed an insurer could rescind its policies covering a garbage services company because that company failed to disclose an already brewing trademark dispute, concluding the company's argument that it didn't need to disclose the feud was "not supported by the record or common sense."

  • August 22, 2024

    Cyber Incidents Accelerate Arms Race Over Broader Coverage

    A series of high-profile cybersecurity attacks, data breaches and system disruptions in 2024 have highlighted the growing pressure on policyholders to search for more coverage options beyond cyberinsurance and on insurers to limit their exposures.

  • August 21, 2024

    No Coverage For CVS In Additional Opioid Actions

    A Delaware state court ruled that CVS cannot get coverage for over 200 opioid-related actions that remained at issue after the pharmacy chain and its insurers agreed that thousands of other opioid suits aren't covered, finding the remaining suits asserted claims for economic harm, not bodily injury or property damage.

  • August 21, 2024

    Travelers Settles With Pa. Firm Over Stealing $1M From Client

    A Pennsylvania federal judge dismissed an insurance coverage dispute Wednesday, in light of a settlement between Travelers Insurance and a closed Pennsylvania law firm whose principal attorney was disbarred after he pled guilty to stealing almost $1 million from clients.

  • August 20, 2024

    At-Fault Driver Must Repay $4M Policy Limit, Insurer Says

    An insurer is seeking reimbursement of a $4 million policy limit it contributed to a $10 million settlement in connection with separate, underlying personal injury lawsuits stemming from a car accident, telling a Georgia federal court the at-fault driver entered an agreement admitting liability for the accident.

  • August 20, 2024

    A Deep Dive Into Law360 Pulse's 2024 Women In Law Report

    The legal industry continues to see incremental gains for female lawyers in private practice in the U.S., according to a Law360 Pulse analysis, with women now representing 40.6% of all attorneys and 51% of all associates.

  • August 20, 2024

    These Firms Have The Most Women In Equity Partnerships

    The legal industry still has a long way to go before it can achieve gender parity at its upper levels. But these law firms are performing better than others in breaking the proverbial glass ceiling that prevents women from attaining leadership roles.

  • August 20, 2024

    Philadelphia, Insurer Settle Trans Firefighter's Surgery Suit

    The city of Philadelphia, Independence Blue Cross and a firefighters union agreed to settle a transgender firefighter's suit claiming she was unlawfully denied coverage for facial feminization surgery, just weeks after a Pennsylvania federal judge refused to let the insurer out of the case.

  • August 19, 2024

    9th Circ. Partially Revives State Farm Car Value Class Action

    A split Ninth Circuit panel partially revived a class action accusing State Farm of undervaluing policyholders' totaled vehicles when paying out claims, saying Monday that a Washington federal court abused its discretion in decertifying one of two classes based on a previous Ninth Circuit ruling.

  • August 19, 2024

    Canadian Insurer Secures Arbitration In Auto Accident Dispute

    A Canadian man must arbitrate his dispute with a Canadian state-owned insurer over an underinsured motorist claim, a Hawaii federal judge ruled, finding that the man failed to prove that arbitration was precluded from being held in British Columbia.

  • August 19, 2024

    4th Circ. Cuts Liberty Loose In Medicare Reimbursement Row

    A North Carolina widow can't revive a proposed class action accusing Liberty Mutual of failing to reimburse Medicare for her deceased husband's medical costs, the Fourth Circuit said Monday, finding she wasn't injured and therefore lacked standing to sue.

  • August 19, 2024

    Free Speech Group Says NY Official Must Face NRA's Suit

    A former New York state official isn't immune from the National Rifle Association's suit claiming she violated the group's rights by pressuring financial institutions to cut ties with it, a free speech group told the Second Circuit on Monday, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the dispute.

  • August 16, 2024

    Insurer Seeks Early Win In Faulty Home Construction Dispute

    A construction company's insurer echoed its stance that its insured is not owed coverage for an underlying faulty workmanship lawsuit, telling a Georgia federal court that the defects alleged do not equate to property damage outside the contractor's own work, thus falling outside the policy's scope of coverage.

  • August 15, 2024

    Specialty Line Insurance Cases To Note: 2024 Midyear Report

    The remainder of 2024 promises developments in several ongoing specialty line cases that can reshape bump-up exclusions in directors and officers policies, cyber coverage for loss mitigation costs and payment practices for defense costs.

  • August 15, 2024

    Harvard Late In Suing Broker For Tardy Admission Suit Notice

    Harvard University was 13 months late in bringing breach of contract claims against its insurance broker for its belated notification to Zurich American Insurance Co. about an ultimately successful legal challenge that upended affirmative action in higher education, a Boston federal judge said Thursday. 

  • August 15, 2024

    'Rise Of The Insurance Beast': Cases Take Over Colo. Courts

    Colorado's chief U.S. magistrate judge told a room full of attorneys Thursday that insurance cases have started to dominate the court's dockets, comprising almost half the district's civil jury trials last year.

  • August 15, 2024

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The First and Third circuits asked state high courts to answer coverage questions, a Massachusetts state appeals court ruled on coverage for construction defects for the first time, the Second Circuit considered whether a letter constituted a claim and the Texas attorney general accused General Motors of misusing driver data.

  • August 15, 2024

    Calif. Virus Ruling Gives Clarity On Illusory Coverage

    California policyholders were disappointed while the state's high court continued to rule in insurers' favor on pandemic coverage, but experts say the emphasized standard of proof as to when coverage is actually rendered illusory could be a beacon of clarity for insureds.

  • August 15, 2024

    No Coverage For Las Vegas Apartment Fire Suits, Judge Says

    An excess insurer needn't cover the owners of a Las Vegas apartment building in underlying suits over a 2019 fire that left six people dead, a Nevada federal court ruled, saying the property was not a designated location under the policy.

  • August 15, 2024

    $1M Limit Applies For Motel Shooting, 4th Circ. Told

    A man injured in a motel shooting told the Fourth Circuit that his potential insurance recovery under the motel's policy with a Travelers unit should be $1 million, arguing the shooting was an accident and thus fell outside an assault and battery endorsement's $100,000 sublimit.

  • August 15, 2024

    Texas Windstorm Insurer Strikes Balance With Rate Hike

    A recent rate hike approved by Texas' windstorm insurer of last resort underscores the urgency of balancing the financial needs of both insurers and policyholders following damaging storms like Hurricane Beryl in an already strained property insurance market, experts say.

  • August 15, 2024

    Insurtechs Face Fewer Reg Roadblocks, Attorney Says

    Tech innovators in the insurance industry are facing a more understanding and cooperative regulatory environment than they once dealt with, said an insurance attorney who helped steer an early mover in the arena of insurtech.

  • August 14, 2024

    Insurer Fights $29M Judgment Over Fatal Crash Coverage

    An insurer urged a North Carolina state appeals court Wednesday to undo a nearly $29 million judgment in a lawsuit stemming from a claim for a fatal vehicle crash, citing a policy exclusion that barred coverage for injuries to fellow employees.

Expert Analysis

  • Corporate Insurance Considerations For Trafficking Claims

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    With the surge in litigation over liability under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, corporate risk managers and in-house counsel need to ensure that appropriate insurance coverage is in place to provide for defense and indemnity against this liability, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes Boone.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Leveraging Insurance Amid Microplastics Concerns

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    A pending microplastics lawsuit — New York v. PepsiCo Inc. — may be a harbinger of what is to come for companies whose products are exposed to the environment, so any company considering how to address microplastics liability should include a careful assessment of the potential for insurance coverage in its due diligence, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Examining Illinois Genetic Privacy Law Amid Deluge Of Claims

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    After a federal court certified an Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act class action in August, claims under the law have skyrocketed, so employers, insurers and others that collect health and genetic information should ensure compliance with the act to limit litigation risk, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • An American Policyholder's Guide To UK Insurance Arbitration

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    No matter how experienced U.S. policyholders are in stateside disputes, the procedural quirks of U.K. insurance arbitration mean Americans should learn a few key differences between U.S. litigation and London arbitration before heading across the pond, says Robert Jacobs at Blank Rome.

  • 5 Climate Change Regulatory Issues Insurers Should Follow

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    The climate change landscape for insurers has changed dramatically recently — and not just because of the controversy over the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related risk disclosure rules, says Thomas Dawson at McDermott.

  • Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss notable insurance class action decisions from the first quarter of the year ranging from salvage vehicle titling to rate discrimination based on premium-setting software.

  • Why RWI Insurers Should Consider Excluding PFAS

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    As regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances escalates, carriers providing representations and warranties insurance should reconsider providing PFAS coverage on a case-by-case basis, say Dave Bartoletti and Ina Avalon at Taft Stettinius.

  • Parsing Insurance Issues After Mass Shooting 'Occurrences'

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    A Florida district court’s recent decision in Tony v. Evanston Insurance, which held that the 2018 Parkland High School mass shooting was a single "occurrence" under the town's commercial general liability policy, sheds light on how other courts may make this determination following other mass shooting events, says Elan Kandel at Bailey Cavalieri.

  • Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Top 10 Queries For Insurers Entering Surplus Lines Market

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    John Emmanuel at Locke Lord discusses what insurers should understand before entering into the surplus lines market, a growing, state-regulated area, subject to much variation in application and enforcement.

  • Considering CGL Defense For Social Media Addiction Claims

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    A recent lawsuit filed in California state court against Meta seeks damages from technology companies for the costs of treating children allegedly suffering from social media addiction, but the prospects of defense coverage under commercial general liability insurance policies for a potential new wave of claims look promising, say Craig Hirsch and Tae Andrews at Pasich.

  • Sorting Circuit Split On Foreign Arbitration Treaty's Authority

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    A circuit court split over whether the New York Convention supersedes state law barring arbitration in certain disputes — a frequent issue in insurance matters — has left lower courts to rely on conflicting decisions, but the doctrine of self-executing treaties makes it clear that the convention overrules state law, says Gary Shaw at Pillsbury.