Property
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February 18, 2025
Dechert, Paul Hastings Guide Barings' Takeover Of Artemis
Barings, advised by Dechert LLP, inked an agreement to snap up Paul Hastings LLP-led Artemis Real Estate Partners, an investment firm managing over $11 billion of assets, according to a Tuesday announcement.
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February 14, 2025
Calif. Insurance Chief Backs Wildfire Mitigation, Recovery Bills
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced his support Friday for a slew of bills aimed at addressing wildfire mitigation and recovery, including measures to maximize insurance claim payouts and stabilize the state's insurer of last resort.
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February 13, 2025
Blake Lively Defamation Suits Bring Insurance Center Stage
A stream of defamation lawsuits stemming from the movie "It Ends With Us" could have insurers gearing up to determine potential coverage obligations for such litigation, as the debate over settling versus going to trial marks a gap in the insurer-insured relationship for celebrity policyholders, experts say.
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February 13, 2025
Calif. Fire Debris Ruling Raises LA Blaze Recovery Concerns
A California appellate court's ruling that two homeowners didn't have a covered claim for wildfire debris in their home has raised policyholder concerns that the decision could restrict coverage for Los Angeles fire victims, but some carrier lawyers say the ruling's impact could be limited to claims for lighter damage.
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February 13, 2025
Condo Association Seeks Over $450K For Property Damage
A Florida condo association is seeking over $450,000 from its insurer for property damage occurring because of various conditions over six years, according to a lawsuit removed to Florida federal court Thursday.
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February 13, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
A California appeals court used a high court pandemic insurance ruling to uphold a denial of fire debris coverage, the state's insurer of last resort will receive $1 billion in additional funding and the South Carolina Supreme Court considered receivership orders over foreign companies' insurance assets. Here, Law360 takes a look at this week's top insurance news.
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February 13, 2025
PFAS Claims Expose Insurance Industry To 'Next Asbestos'
With thousands of lawsuits pending nationwide over what plaintiffs and regulators allege are the harms caused by PFAS exposure and regulators pushing to limit the production and use of the chemicals, policyholders are bracing for both increased liabilities and uncertain scopes of insurance coverage.
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February 13, 2025
Judge's Bias Justifies Reviving Insurance Row, Fla. Panel Says
A man whose legal counsel was disbarred while his insurance suit was pending will have another chance to pursue his claims, a Florida state appeals court has determined, reversing a lower court order that threw out the suit for delays and moving the case to another judge after finding evidence of potential "bias or prejudice."
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February 12, 2025
Insurer Says Gun Clause Blocks Deadly Shooting Coverage
An insurer has said a firearms exclusion in a Washington state sports pub's policy bars coverage in a pair of wrongful death lawsuits stemming from a shooting more than three years ago that left three people dead.
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February 12, 2025
3rd Circ. Says Parents Can't Get Coverage In Gun Case
A couple whose son was found guilty of two homicides is not entitled to coverage from two homeowners insurers for a civil suit filed by one victim's mother, the Third Circuit affirmed, finding the civil case accused the parents of intentionally concealing the firearm their son allegedly used.
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February 12, 2025
AIG Unit Says $6M Construction Defect Deal Isn't Covered
An AIG unit said it shouldn't have to cover a $6 million agreement and stipulated judgment between a stucco subcontractor and the owner of an apartment construction project, telling an Arizona federal court Wednesday that the deal is unreasonable and unenforceable.
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February 12, 2025
Allstate Hit With Another Class Action Over Data Collection
Allstate has been hit with another proposed class action in Illinois federal court accusing the auto insurer of illegally obtaining the personal driving data of millions of policyholders via software embedded in third-party apps and using that data for the insurer's own underwriting purposes.
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February 12, 2025
NC Justices Weigh Blame For Errors In Insurance Application
The North Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday grappled with who is to blame for misstatements in an insurance application that was prepared by an agent but signed by the homeowner, with the agency arguing it was on the homeowner to catch those mistakes.
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February 11, 2025
Calif.'s Insurance Safety Net Gets $1B Infusion For Fire Claims
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has signed off on $1 billion in additional funding for California's FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, to ensure the plan can keep paying consumer claims to survivors of the Southern California wildfires, according to an order issued Tuesday.
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February 11, 2025
Progressive Inks $3.25M Data Breach Deal With 350K Members
Approximately 350,000 Progressive Casualty Insurance customers on Tuesday asked an Ohio federal judge to grant final approval to a $3.25 million settlement stemming from a data breach event that exposed their personal information, noting the resolution is a favorable outcome, given the risks to their claims if litigation continued.
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February 10, 2025
Calif. Ruling Holds Wildfire Debris Not A Coverable Loss
Two California homeowners didn't have a covered claim for wildfire debris that infiltrated their home, a state appeals panel ruled, saying there was no evidence the debris caused the kind of loss or damage required for coverage.
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February 10, 2025
Texas Property Owner Seeks Over $1M In Storm Coverage
A Nationwide unit unlawfully failed to cover hail and wind damage to a Texas property, its owner alleged in federal court, accusing the insurer of fraud and violating state insurance statutes over unfair settlement practices and prompt claim payment and seeking over $1 million in damages.
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February 07, 2025
5th Circ. Upholds High School's Win In Gym Fire Suit
The Fifth Circuit on Thursday upheld a Louisiana high school's win in its suit claiming that a flooring company caused a gym fire, holding that the high school has a right of action for property damage to the gymnasium.
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February 07, 2025
Plaintiffs Lawyers Swarm Los Angeles Post-Fires
A deadly wildfire may be among the first covered by a new state fund that reimburses at-fault utility companies. This could mean billions of dollars for plaintiffs lawyers, and, if past fires are any indication, frustration and confusion for some victims.
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February 07, 2025
9th Circ. Says State Farm Unit Owes No More For Leaks
A State Farm unit owes no additional payment to a California medical center for lost income from water damage, a Ninth Circuit panel ruled, agreeing with a lower court that the insurer paid the amount due under the policy.
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February 06, 2025
Trump Tariffs Portend Higher Insurance Industry Costs
President Donald Trump's tariff regime is threatening sections of the insurance industry with higher costs or uncovered exposures, pushing policyholders with few applicable coverage lines at their disposal to explore more indirect forms of risk mitigation.
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February 06, 2025
Policyholder Attys See Calif. Smoke Case As Boon For LA
Smoke-damaged businesses in Los Angeles could benefit from a California federal court decision in January that likened smoke to asbestos, while differentiating smoke from viruses for insurance coverage purposes, according to policyholder attorneys.
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February 06, 2025
Paint Co. Says Chubb Owes $1M For Plant Explosion
A Columbus, Ohio, paint manufacturer accused Chubb of wrongfully refusing to reimburse it for more than $1 million after the company's resin manufacturing plant exploded and caused a hazardous chemical spill, in a suit removed Thursday by Chubb to Ohio federal court.
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February 06, 2025
House Committee Weighs Wildfire Strain On Calif. Insurers
A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee met Thursday to discuss the recent California wildfires and how regulatory policy may aid future prevention of natural disasters, as experts emphasized that the fires only further exposed the state's ongoing insurance crisis.
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February 06, 2025
Pillsbury Adds Insurance Partner From Morgan Lewis
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has announced the addition of an insurance recovery expert from Morgan Lewis as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office to advise and represent insurance policyholders.
Expert Analysis
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3 AI Regulation Developments Insurers Must Follow
Insurance regulators continue to actively develop regulations and guidance on the use of artificial intelligence, so insurers should be aware of recent developments from the Colorado Division of Insurance, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the New York Department of Financial Services, say attorneys at Willkie.
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DC Ruling Provides Support For Builders Risk Claim Recovery
To deny coverage for builders risk claims, insurers have been increasingly relying on two arguments, both of which have been invalidated in the recent U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decision, South Capitol Bridgebuilders v. Lexington, say Greg Podolak and Cheryl Kozdrey at Saxe Doernberger.
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Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint
In the face of a pending "mega-trial" over leased airplanes held in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, a settlement between leading aviation lessor AerCap Holdings NV and NSK, the Russian state-controlled insurance company, could pave the way for similar deals, say Samantha Zaozirny and Timeyin Pinnick at Browne Jacobson.
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Illinois Trump Tower Ruling Illuminates Insurance 'Occurrence'
In Continental Casualty v. 401 North Wabash Venture, an Illinois appellate court found that Trump Tower was not entitled to insurance coverage for operating its HVAC system without a permit, helping to further define a widely litigated general liability insurance issue — what constitutes an "occurrence," say Robert Tugander and Greg Mann at Rivkin Radler.
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How Shareholder Activists Are Targeting Insurers
As shareholder activists take a closer look at the insurance industry, they are pushing insurers to take value-enhancing and climate-related measures — but insurers can prepare by anticipating activist concerns, maintaining robust shareholder engagement, and considering changes in response to the universal proxy rules, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Insurers Should Prepare For 'Black Swan' Climate Disasters
As rapid climate change results in increased risk of casualties and property loss from rare, severe weather events, the insurance industry should take five crucial steps toward evolving and continuing operations, including advanced analytic techniques and investments in alternative energy sources, say Stephen Brown and Irena Maier at Wilson Elser.
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3 Quirks Of New Jersey Insurance Coverage Law
There are a multitude of state-specific requirements and nuances that make New Jersey insurance law unique, including in the areas of duty to defend, reservation of rights and bad faith, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.
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Conn. Insurers Should Note Stricter Market Exit Oversight
The Connecticut Insurance Department recently issued a bulletin that reflects a unique and stricter approach to insurers' market withdrawals and reductions in property and casualty business, making clear that it will not assess compliance based on an insurer's intent, but on the effect of the insurer's actions, says Elizabeth Retersdorf at Day Pitney.
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Extreme Weather And Renewable Project Insurance Coverage
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
The regularity and severity of extreme weather events driven by climate change are putting renewable energy projects increasingly at risk — so project owners, contractors and investors should understand the issues that can arise in these situations when seeking recovery under a builder's risk insurance policy, say Paul Ferland and Joshua Tumen at Cozen O'Connor.
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Potential Relief For Nevada Insureds Is On The Horizon
A proposed regulation recently issued by the Nevada Division of Insurance would severely restrict the state's new law prohibiting burning-limits policies, enacting welcome changes to address businesses' concerns that the law will make it harder to obtain cost-effective liability insurance, says Sheri Thome at Wilson Elser.
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NY Co-Ops Must Avoid Pitfalls When Navigating Insurance
In light of skyrocketing premiums, tricky exclusions and dwindling options, New York cooperative corporations must carefully review potential contractors' insurance policies in order to secure full protection, as even seemingly minor contractor jobs can carry significant risk due to New York labor laws, says Eliot Zuckerman at Smith Gambrell.
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Insurance Rulings Continue Expansion Of Appraisal's Ambit
Two recent Illinois insurance cases allowing property damage appraisers to determine causation — Wysoczan v. Cambridge in federal court and Shelter v. Morrow in state appellate court — perpetuate a judicial trend that will result in a slower, more expensive and cumbersome appraisal process that resembles litigation, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.
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Suits Likely Over Nevada Law Limiting Claimant Injury Exams
A new Nevada law placing barriers on the mental or physical examinations that defendants use to evaluate claimants' injuries will likely spur waves of litigation to reconcile it with existing rules and practice, says Michael Lowry at Wilson Elser.