Property

  • January 26, 2024

    Nelson Mullins' Rates Spark Coverage Spat Over Builder's Suit

    An insurance policy battle between an exterior building product manufacturer and its insurer over who should pay for a law firm's services in a separate lawsuit spilled into Ohio federal court this week after the insurer removed the company's case from state court to the federal arena.

  • January 26, 2024

    School Says Security Insurer Failed To Cover Stabbing Row

    A security company's insurer failed to provide coverage to a school for behavioral problems in an underlying suit alleging a student was stabbed and bullied in the gym due to the school's negligence and tolerance of violence, according to a suit removed to D.C. federal court.

  • January 26, 2024

    Auto Biz Says Insurer Can't Escape $500K Damage Claims

    A vehicle lift installer urged a Minnesota federal court to preserve its counterclaims in a coverage dispute over nearly $500,000 in claims stemming from fire damage and a tipped container, arguing that its insurer constructively denied most of the claim by repeating investigations and denying payments for over a year.

  • January 26, 2024

    Insurer Denied Early Win In Landlord's Hurricane Damage Suit

    An insurer wasn't able to beat a suburban New Orleans commercial property owner's Louisiana federal case over more than $220,000 in 2021 Hurricane Ida damage, but did succeed in limiting testimony.

  • January 26, 2024

    Texas Motel Says Insurer Fell $750K Short On Storm Damage

    AIG unit Lexington Insurance Co. underpaid for storm damage to a Texas Econo Lodge Inn & Suites, offering only a sum more than $750,000 smaller than the company's own repair estimate, the motel's owner told a federal court.

  • February 08, 2024

    Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2024 Editorial Boards

    Law360 is looking for avid readers of its publications to serve as members of its 2024 editorial advisory boards.

  • January 26, 2024

    State Farm Underpaid Miss. Property Losses, Class Suit Says

    A Mississippi homeowner accused State Farm Fire and Casualty in federal court of intentionally underpaying her fire damage claim by using the wrong setting in its pricing software, treating the repairs as new construction and improperly excluding higher labor costs associated with more complicated fixes. 

  • January 25, 2024

    Excess Insurers Win In Construction Defect Coverage Suit

    A residential developer wrongly tapped into certain excess insurance, a California federal judge ruled Thursday, finding that the $3.2 million its primary insurer spent on defense costs in underlying construction defect litigation didn't count toward triggering a $10 million excess policy.

  • January 25, 2024

    Insurer Says Contractor Not Covered In Oil Refinery Fire Suits

    A petrochemical contractor is not entitled to coverage for a number of suits over an incident at an Arkansas oil refinery in which a hazardous substance was released and caught fire, an excess insurer told a Texas federal court Thursday, saying the contractor's two-year delay in providing notice bars coverage.

  • January 25, 2024

    La. Auto Dealer, Insurer Settle $1.2M Ida Coverage Row

    A car dealer agreed to permanently end its bid for more than $1.2 million in Hurricane Ida-related coverage from its insurers, telling a Louisiana federal court that it had reached a settlement with its insurers.

  • January 25, 2024

    No Sanctions For Receivership Settlement Delays, Judge Says

    A Michigan federal judge approved a business interruption coverage settlement concerning a Detroit property in receivership, allowing the property's owner to dodge a bid for sanctions brought by the receiver over delays in signing the agreement.

  • January 25, 2024

    State Farm Beats Suit Alleging Excessive COVID-Era Premiums

    A California federal judge on Thursday said State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. did not collect excessive premiums during the COVID-19 pandemic, handing the insurer an early win in a proposed class action brought by a cafe owner.

  • January 25, 2024

    Power Co. Can't Dismiss Explosion Fraud Claim, Insurers Say

    Two insurers for an infrastructure technology company urged an Ohio federal court not to toss their bid to recoup $18.7 million in damages for a manufacturing facility explosion, maintaining that state law supports their ability to bring both a breach of contract and fraud claim.

  • January 25, 2024

    NJ Justices Keep Up Trend Of Virus Suit Wins For Insurers

    In turning back an Atlantic City casino's $50 million bid for pandemic loss coverage, New Jersey's top court kept in line with the vast majority of courts deciding such suits, while shutting the door to Garden State policyholders seeking virus coverage, experts say.

  • January 24, 2024

    Apartment, Insurers Settle Stalled Construction Coverage Row

    A Tampa, Florida, apartment complex owner and its insurers settled their dispute in federal court over coverage for delayed construction after mediation, they said Wednesday in a joint settlement notice.

  • January 24, 2024

    NY Developer Says Court Lacks Jurisdiction In $1.7M Fire Suit

    A real estate CEO accused of lying on his insurance application asked a New York federal judge to dismiss an insurer's case disclaiming $1.7 million in fire damage coverage for a 19th century estate his business owned in Albany, saying the court lacks jurisdiction.

  • January 24, 2024

    Samsung, Best Buy Owe Insurer In Microwave Fire, Court Told

    Samsung and Best Buy should reimburse State Farm for a $231,000 payment covering damage to a home in a fire that State Farm claims was caused by a defective microwave, the insurer alleged in a complaint removed to Pennsylvania federal court.

  • January 24, 2024

    Accused Fraudster Hurting Policyholders, NC Justices Told

    Four insurers told the North Carolina Supreme Court that a former insurance mogul facing criminal fraud charges is still running his businesses, contrary to a contract and lower court order, renewing their request for clarity on what parts of an appellate court's opinion the high court will review.

  • January 23, 2024

    Insurer Tells Wash. High Court No Coverage For Faulty Roof

    Farmers Insurance Exchange told the Washington Supreme Court on Tuesday that a "resulting loss exception" to a defective work exclusion in a condominium complex policy should not allow it to recover for condensation damage to its roof resulting from inadequate ventilation.

  • January 23, 2024

    NC Poultry Plant Sanctioned For Last-Minute Document Dump

    The North Carolina Business Court has sanctioned a chicken plant for disclosing key evidence on the eve of an insurance fraud trial stemming from a 2017 fire, finding the late document dump was caused by "extreme negligence."

  • January 23, 2024

    Insurer Says No Coverage Of $1M Suit By NYC Four Seasons

    A construction company working on a Four Seasons Hotel in midtown Manhattan told a New York federal court that insurers should pay to defend it in a $1 million suit brought by the hotel alleging damages to its guest rooms, while its insurer said Tuesday that it wants the case dismissed.

  • January 23, 2024

    Progressive Customers Fire Back At Proposed Dismissal

    Progressive customers in a consolidated proposed class action surrounding the exposure of nearly 350,000 users' personal data to unauthorized actors urged an Ohio federal judge to reject the insurer's dismissal bid, arguing in part that the motion couldn't get around Progressive's own admission to the leak of information.

  • January 23, 2024

    Condo Assoc. Says Insurer Played Favorites In Fee Dispute

    A Virgin Islands condominium association told an Illinois federal court that an AIG unit played favorites in a fee payment dispute between its insureds, refusing to cover more than $500,000 in legal fees for the association while fully funding its opponent.

  • January 23, 2024

    Condo Assoc. Says Insurer Can't Limit Bombing Coverage

    A Nashville, Tennessee, condominium owners association said it's entitled to $10.7 million from its insurer to repair property that was damaged in a bombing in December 2020, telling a federal court that an exclusion for buildings designated as historic structures does not apply to limit recovery.

  • January 22, 2024

    La. Landlord Says Insurer Must Face Hurricane Damage Suit

    A suburban New Orleans commercial property owner asked a Louisiana federal judge to allow its case over more than $220,000 in damage from Hurricane Ida in 2021 to continue, poking holes in its insurer's request to toss the case.

Expert Analysis

  • Policyholders Are Not To Blame For Social Inflation

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    As part of the controversial assertion that insurers are facing an unprecedented increase in claims costs due to so-called social inflation, a recent Law360 guest article argued that policyholders contribute to social inflation and are therefore responsible for remedying it, but these accusations are unsupported by empirical data, says Benjamin Tievsky at Pillsbury.

  • How A Publication Request Helped Shape COVID Case Law

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    More than a decade after MRI Healthcare v. State Farm was decided in a California state appeals court, the case influenced the early development of COVID-19 business interruption insurance law and shows how counsel can use publication requests to help shape the industry, say Josephine Petrick and Ashley Nakai at Hanson Bridgett.

  • A Recovery Option For Lenders With Planes Stuck In Russia

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    For aircraft lessors considering insurance coverage litigation to recover for losses of equipment leased to Russian airlines, negotiating an assignment of rights may provide a faster pathway to recovery, say David Klein and Jose Lua-Valencia at Pillsbury.

  • Policyholders Should Also Want To Fight Social Inflation

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    Effectively combating the ills of social inflation — the upward creep in insurance litigation and expected payouts — requires all stakeholders, not just insurers, to recognize the mutual interests between insurers and the risk pool of insureds, says Bryant Green at Zelle.

  • Property Claim Ruling Rightly Backs Texas Removal Policy

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    The Fifth Circuit’s recent decision in Advanced Indicator v. Acadia Insurance, allowing the insurer to remove a property damage suit to federal court, ensures that abusive practices related to weather claims will continue to be thwarted per an important chapter of the Texas Insurance Code, says Karl Schulz at Cozen.

  • Trends And Opportunities In Canada's Insurance M&A Market

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    Laurie LaPalme and Derek Levinsky at Dentons discuss the results of a survey regarding Canada's insurance mergers and acquisitions market, and their expectations for the next year in this space — including an increased focus on accident and sickness insurance, and technology-focused assets.

  • 4 Themes From Policyholder Wins In COVID Coverage Cases

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    As COVID-19 business interruption coverage lawsuits wind their way through state and federal courts, the broader trends emerging from the policyholder victories can assist insureds and their counsel with strategic litigation decisions, says Nicholas Insua at Reed Smith.

  • Capturing Insurance Coverage For Climate Change Suits

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    As municipalities increasingly file suits seeking damages from oil companies in connection with climate change, the companies should consider filing actions to forestall insurer denials of commercial general liability coverage based on theories of novelty or inapplicable pollution exclusions, say attorneys at Haynes and Boone.

  • After Climate Rulings, Insurers May Go On Coverage Offense

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    As climate change lawsuits progress, coverage litigation quickly follows — as evidenced by two recently filed suits, Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance and Everest Premier Insurance v. Gulf Oil — and insurers will likely become more proactive in seeking to limit their exposure, say Jose Umbert and Hernan Cipriotti at Zelle.

  • Indirect Hurricane Ian Losses Could Be Covered By Insurance

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    Even companies indirectly affected by Hurricane Ian — for instance, by losses in their supply chain — should review their commercial property policies as they might benefit from specific insurance clauses covering these types of losses, says William Wagner at Taft.

  • Lessons From 1st COVID Biz Interruption Policyholder Verdict

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    Robyn Anderson at Lathrop examines what made Baylor College of Medicine's recent COVID-19 business interruption case a success in Texas state court, and considers whether this first win on behalf of an insured is an outlier or a sign of more to come.

  • State COVID Insurance Rulings Highlight Errors In Dismissals

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    Recent California and Vermont decisions in favor of policyholders, along with a $48 million jury verdict in Texas, underscore the error that courts are making by dismissing COVID-19 business interruption lawsuits at the pleading stage without consideration of the facts and evidence in each case, say Joseph Niczky and Michael Levine at Hunton.

  • Fla. Evidence Code Update Lowers Burden For Image Use

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    Florida's recent evidence code change permits judicial notice of images and certain other graphics, a hugely meaningful development for litigants across a wide range of practice areas, though the effect will likely be immediately felt in property insurance cases, say Eve Cann and David Levin at Baker Donelson.

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