Specialty Lines

  • November 19, 2025

    Insurer Says Broker Error Bars Claim For Chocolate Spoilage

    Aspen American Insurance Co. hit a U.S. affiliate of French pastry retailer Laduree with a federal complaint seeking to void an insurance contract over a shipment of chocolate the company claimed was improperly refrigerated during overseas transit.

  • November 18, 2025

    Ill. Justices Mull If Permits Override Pollution Exclusions

    Counsel for a sterilization company and its former parent seeking defense costs for hundreds of lawsuits over ethylene oxide emissions at a suburban Chicago facility urged the Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday to find a pollution exclusion in their insurance policy doesn't apply to emissions allowed under a state permit, insisting the policyholders are not polluters under Illinois law or "in the general sense of the word."

  • November 18, 2025

    Insurer Needn't Cover LA Zoo Org. In City Contract Dispute

    An insurer doesn't owe coverage to the Los Angeles Zoo's nonprofit arm in a contractual dispute brought by the city, a California federal court has ruled, finding that all claims are excluded under the association's nonprofit asset protection policy.

  • November 13, 2025

    Insurance Securities Payouts Prove Valuable To Jamaica

    Payouts of over $240 million to Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa from a catastrophe bond and parametric insurance policies show the crucial role of the growing insurance-linked securities market for immediate funding needs after natural disasters, people familiar with the development of risk-transfer mechanisms in the Caribbean told Law360.

  • November 13, 2025

    11th Circ. Limits $1M Payout For Sheriff In Parkland Shooting

    The Eleventh Circuit limited a Florida sheriff's office's responsibility to only $1 million in a lawsuit involving a 2018 high school mass shooting, saying its insurer must pay the excess damages to the victims and families who were impacted by the event, which left 17 people dead and several more injured. 

  • November 13, 2025

    Colo. Plan To Cut Auto Rates Aims To Educate Policyholders

    Colorado's governor is aiming to increase transparency in rate-making and improve public safety under his plan to combat rising auto insurance premium costs, but more action from policymakers may be required to spur significant change in the state's auto insurance industry, experts say.

  • November 13, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The Eighth Circuit said it will rehear a Travelers unit's appeal of a $27 million fire damage award involving microscopic soot, the Delaware Supreme Court heard oral arguments over coverage for AMC's settlement of shareholder litigation with common stock and Geico lost its bid to dismiss a tax collection lawsuit. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • November 12, 2025

    8th Circ. Will Rehear Travelers' $27M Fire Award Challenge

    The Eighth Circuit agreed Wednesday to revisit its previous split decision affirming a Missouri-based apartment complex owner's $27 million jury award against a Travelers unit in a fire coverage dispute.

  • November 12, 2025

    Co. Says Excess Insurer Can't Avoid Asbestos Coverage Row

    A paint and drywall product manufacturer said an Allianz unit can't rely on a pollution exclusion to avoid a dispute over coverage for underlying asbestos claims, telling a Texas federal court that the insurer's interpretation of the exclusion is contrary to the policy language and unsupported by Texas law.

  • November 10, 2025

    Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attorneys From 76 Firms

    The attorneys chosen as Law360's 2025 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing significant achievements in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

  • November 10, 2025

    Judge Wary Of Bid To Nix SVB Expert In $73M Coverage Row

    A U.S. magistrate judge seemed skeptical of an insurer's bid to exclude a witness proffered as a policy expert on financial institution bonds, repeatedly asking Berkley Regional Insurance Co.'s counsel in a Monday hearing why the expert's experience — or lack thereof — should disqualify him.

  • November 10, 2025

    Best Buy Says CGL Policy, Not Auto, Covers Crash Settlement

    Best Buy accused three AXA XL units of failing to properly cover its "multi-million-dollar" settlement of negligence claims over a fatal automobile collision involving an independent subcontractor, telling a Minnesota federal court its insurers have restricted coverage to an inapplicable auto policy with a $6 million deductible.

  • November 10, 2025

    Insurer Says $4M Excess Policy Excludes Oil Tanker Collision

    An excess insurer for a fuel and chemical transportation company told a Utah federal court it should owe no coverage for an oil tanker collision and resultant crude oil cleanup costs, pointing to what is known as a total pollution exclusion.

  • November 07, 2025

    Bojangles Not Covered In NC Sex Abuse Suit, Insurer Says

    Fried chicken fast-food chain Bojangles and one of its largest franchisees are not entitled to defense coverage in an underlying civil suit alleging a restaurant manager sexually groomed and abused two minor employees in North Carolina, their insurance company said Friday.

  • November 07, 2025

    Insurer Freed From Covering $3.4M Lost Evidence Settlement

    A real estate company's insurer owes no coverage for a $3.4 million settlement resolving an employee's claim that it negligently failed to preserve video evidence of his fall into a sewer pit, an Illinois federal court ruled, rejecting the company's argument that the insurer prejudiced it while providing a defense.

  • November 06, 2025

    Calif. Insurer Solvency Rule Draws Mixed Reactions On Reach

    A proposed California rule to require insurers to report on long-term climate and technological risks could boost oversight of major industry and consumer threats, but experts also said the rule could go further in pushing carriers to be more eco-friendly.

  • November 06, 2025

    Bank Seeks $2.4M From Insurer Over NFL Player Loan Forgery

    An Indiana-based regional bank told a federal court that its insurer wrongly denied coverage for a roughly $5.3 million loan it issued to an individual impersonating Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku, claiming a loss of more than $2.4 million.

  • November 06, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The Second Circuit revived a property owner and manager's negligence claim against their insurance broker, the Sixth Circuit said an insurer can't relitigate a defense cost reimbursement dispute with a reinsurer, and a Michigan appeals court revived a woman's suit seeking personal injury protection benefits after a car crash. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • November 06, 2025

    Citgo Win May Put Focus On Geographical Policy Limits

    A Second Circuit ruling affirming a $54 million judgment for Citgo in a coverage dispute over oil cargo lost during political unrest in Venezuela was an unsurprising outcome, a maritime and insurance attorney told Law360, but it may spark carriers to reevaluate or emphasize certain policies' geographical limitations. Here, Jonathan Thames of Nicoll Black Altenbrun & Feig PLLC breaks down the case.

  • November 05, 2025

    4 Firms Fueling Website Tracking Claims, Cyber Insurer Says

    A quartet of California-headquartered consumer law firms were behind nearly three-quarters of the website tracking and data privacy claims that both large and small businesses have reported to cyber insurer Coalition Inc. in recent years, according to a new report released Wednesday. 

  • November 05, 2025

    Mich. Justices Probe Nationwide's Combined Tax Filing Win

    Two Michigan Supreme Court justices questioned Wednesday whether the state's tax statutes governing insurance companies exclude key phrases that would allow Nationwide entities to file as a unitary group that can share credits among its members.

  • November 04, 2025

    Insurer Must Turn Over Docs In $6.8M Fraud Dispute

    An electronic payments company's insurer must turn over claim files and underwriting materials as they continue to litigate whether the company's roughly $6.8 million loss from two fraud schemes falls within its policy's coverage for "computer fraud," an Iowa federal court ruled Tuesday.

  • November 03, 2025

    Adhesives Co. Seeks AIG's Defense In Faulty Grout Row

    Adhesives manufacturer H.B. Fuller Co. told a Minnesota federal court that an AIG unit has breached its duty to defend the company in a proposed class action over the company's Power Grout product, alleging the unit "has abandoned" the company amid ongoing mediation talks in the underlying case.

  • November 03, 2025

    Equipment Breakdown Insurers Needn't Cover Iron Plant Loss

    Nucor Corp.'s equipment breakdown insurance doesn't cover an industrial accident at its Louisiana-based direct reduced iron plant, a North Carolina state court ruled, saying no breakdown, as defined by the policy, occurred.

  • November 03, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    From billion-dollar pharma feuds to shifting equity deadlines, Delaware's courts saw another week of battles over mergers, fiduciary duty and judicial limits.

Expert Analysis

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • What EPA's Continued Defense Of PFAS Rule Means For Cos.

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent decision to continue defending a Biden-era rule designating two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as Superfund hazards may provide the EPA with significant authority over national PFAS cleanup policy — and spur further litigation by both government and private parties, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 3 New Cyberinsurance Rulings Aid In Policy Interpretation

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    Although the cyberinsurance market has exploded, there is no standardized cyber language or form and only a few court decisions thus far interpreting cyberinsurance policy language, making these three recent rulings key for guiding policyholders, insurers and brokers, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • How Financial Cos. Can Prep As NYDFS Cyber Changes Loom

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    Financial institutions supervised by the New York State Department of Financial Services can prepare for two critical cybersecurity requirements relating to multifactor authentication and asset inventories, effective Nov. 1, by conducting gap analyses and allocating resources to high-risk assets, among other steps, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Civil Maritime Nuclear Sector Poised For Growth, Challenges

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    The maritime industry now stands on the verge of a nuclear-powered renaissance, with the need for clean energy, resilient power generation and decarbonized logistics driving demand for commercial maritime nuclear technology — but these developments will raise significant new legal, regulatory and technical questions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Understanding And Managing Jurors' Hindsight Bias

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    Hindsight bias — wherein events seem more predictable after the fact than they were beforehand — presents a persistent cognitive distortion in jury decision-making, but attorneys can mitigate its effects at trial through awareness, repetition and framing, say consultants at Courtroom Sciences.

  • Hybrid Claims In Antitrust Disputes Spark Coverage Battles

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    Antitrust litigation increasingly includes claims for breach of warranty, product liability or state consumer protection violations, complicating insurers' reliance on exclusions as courts analyze whether these are antitrust claims in disguise, says Jameson Pasek at Caldwell Law.

  • Better Crypto Insurance Is Attainable Amid Regulatory Shifts

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    With regulatory clarity improving and insurance carriers taking an increasingly constructive approach, crypto industry participants can improve their insurance coverage and pricing if finance, legal and compliance teams take specific steps, say Walker Newell and Jacob Sawyer at Woodruff-Sawyer.

  • NC Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

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    There were several impactful changes to the financial services landscape in North Carolina in the third quarter of the year, including statutory updates, enforcement developments from Office of the Commissioner of Banks, and notable mergers, acquisitions and branch expansions, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Montana Federal Ruling Takes Broad View Of 'Related Claims'

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    A Montana federal court recently took a broad view of related claims, ruling that claims brought by different plaintiffs in different states alleging different legal theories were nevertheless under a directors and officers insurance policy, illustrating the range of interpretations courts may give these clauses, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Demystifying Generative AI For The Modern Juror

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    In cases alleging that the training of artificial intelligence tools violated copyright laws, successful outcomes may hinge in part on the litigator's ability to clearly present AI concepts through a persuasive narrative that connects with ordinary jurors, say Liz Babbitt at IMS Legal Strategies and Devon Madon at GlobalLogic.

  • Why Early Resolution Of Employment Liability Claims Is Key

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    A former Los Angeles fire chief's recent headline-grabbing wrongful termination suit against the city is a reminder that employment practices liability disputes can present risks to the greater business, meaning companies need a playbook for rapid, purposeful action, says Karli Moore at Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions.

  • How New Rule On Illustrative Aids Is Faring In Federal Courts

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    In the 10 months since new standards were codified for illustrative aids in federal trials, courts have already begun to clarify the rule's application in different contexts and the rule's boundaries, say attorneys at Bernstein Litowitz.