Specialty Lines
-
June 12, 2025
6th Circ. PFAS Ruling Entrusts Coverage Suits To Fed Level
The Sixth Circuit forged its own jurisdictional standard in determining that when coercive and declaratory claims are closely intertwined it's likely an abuse of discretion for a federal court to abstain from adjudication, and experts are praising the decision as a thorough analysis of the appropriateness of exercising jurisdiction over insurance disputes.
-
June 12, 2025
Calif. Casinos Seek Coverage For Tribes' Gambling Suits
California casino operators said they are entitled to defense coverage for suits brought by several tribes over their gambling operations, telling a federal court that their insurer has denied coverage based on policy exclusions that do not apply and has failed to conduct a proper investigation of their claims.
-
June 12, 2025
Cyber Incidents Are D&O Problems, Too, Expert Says
Cybersecurity incidents are increasingly implicating directors and officers insurance because of their effects on a range of compliance issues, a dynamic that may surprise policyholders more accustomed to thinking of cyber events as tech-related or cyberinsurance issues. Here, Law360 speaks with Freya Bowen, counsel at Neal Gerber & Eisenberg LLP's insurance recovery practice, about the importance of considering D&O policies for cyber incident-related liabilities,
-
June 11, 2025
Assembly Line Co.'s Dispute Predated Policy, 6th Circ. Affirms
The Sixth Circuit affirmed a lower court's decision denying an assembly line technology designer's bid for insurance coverage of an underlying multimillion-dollar dispute with a customer, finding coverage was excluded because the conflict originated before the professional liability policy was purchased.
-
June 10, 2025
Wells Fargo Can't Collect On $4M Stranger-Funded Life Policy
Wells Fargo Bank NA cannot collect on a $4 million life insurance policy, a Nebraska federal court ruled, finding the policy void from the start since it was taken out on the life of a now-deceased man with the intended purpose of benefiting an investor.
-
June 09, 2025
Hinshaw Welcomes Insurance Litigator To New Orleans Team
Hinshaw & Culbertson has added a partner from Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz to its global insurance services practice in New Orleans, where she will represent insurance companies and other entities, the 500-lawyer firm announced Monday.
-
June 06, 2025
4th Circ. Denies Bid To Inflate $300K Insurance Payout
Selective Insurance Company of South Carolina doesn't have to increase its payout to a couple involved in a car wreck, the Fourth Circuit has ruled, finding that North Carolina law doesn't provide that the couple's many insurance policies can be stacked.
-
June 05, 2025
Novel Climate Change Death Suit Raises Insurance Questions
A novel suit accusing oil and gas companies of contributing to a woman's 2022 heat wave death could lead to future insurance disputes, but experts said common exclusions and other policy terms could leave the companies footing defense costs.
-
June 05, 2025
New SC Law Gives Shot Of Hope For Liquor Liability Stability
A new law overhauling South Carolina's joint and several liability statutes, which left bars and restaurants potentially on the hook for the full amount of a verdict in alcohol-related lawsuits, has experts cautiously optimistic that the change will make insurance more affordable for these venues.
-
June 05, 2025
Q&A: Startup Aims To Price Emergent AI Risks
While the use of artificial intelligence platforms such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini has certainly proliferated among the public, how the insurance industry will address AI-related risks across existing and new forms of coverage still remains a very open question. Here, Law360 talks about it with George Lewin-Smith, a founder of the startup Testudo, which focuses on such risks.
-
June 05, 2025
Software Co. Says Insurers' About-Face Led To $21M Claim
A software company is blaming its insurers in Washington federal court for hampering its settlement talks with a client by reneging on its coverage agreements, causing the company to now potentially face a customer's $21 million claim.
-
June 05, 2025
4th Circ. Towers Watson Ruling Not Final Word On Bump-Ups
Towers Watson's defeat at the Fourth Circuit in its bid for coverage of settlements resolving merger-related shareholder litigation is one of the higher-profile developments in court battles over so-called bump-up exclusions, even as experts expect the scope of the decision to be limited and diluted by other court rulings.
-
June 05, 2025
Norton Rose Adds Corporate Pro To Growing Chicago Office
Norton Rose Fulbright announced the growth of its Chicago office Thursday with the addition of a "highly regarded corporate lawyer," who will serve as a partner in the firm's business practice group and as a member of its transactional and regulatory insurance team.
-
June 05, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Sixth Circuit said a coverage dispute over PFAS litigation shouldn't have been sent back to state court, the Tenth Circuit found that an insurer did not unreasonably deny a hail damage claim and a Florida federal court freed an insurer from paying an $8.5 million deal over construction defects. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
-
June 04, 2025
3 Ways DOL Benefits Chief Nominee May Affect ERISA Cases
A key committee will decide Thursday whether to send President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Labor’s employee benefits arm ahead for a full Senate vote, setting the stage for what attorneys expect will be an employer-friendly shift in policies. Here are three ways Daniel Aronowitz could change benefits litigation if confirmed.
-
June 04, 2025
Agent Seeks Toss Of Insurer's $1M Reinsurance Loss Suit
An insurance company's suit alleging that an insurance agent's errors cost the company its reinsurance through the Federal Crop Insurance Corp. should be tossed, the agent told a Michigan federal court, arguing that the claims are time-barred and have already been litigated.
-
June 03, 2025
Adjustment Of Claims Ordered After $66M Boat Death Suit
A North Carolina federal judge granted a preliminary injunction ordering an adjuster to proceed with adjusting claims for insurers, including one related to a 2021 fatal Florida boat accident that resulted in a $66 million consent judgment against a policyholder.
-
June 03, 2025
Conn. Judge Narrows McCarter's Defenses In $22M Loan Suit
A Connecticut state court trimmed McCarter & English LLP's defenses in a $22.3 million suit over its role crafting loans for recreational improvements in a Long Island, New York, town, saying the firm cannot pursue a comparative negligence defense but can proceed with its fraud argument.
-
June 03, 2025
The Law360 400: A Look At The Top 100 Firms
A rebound in client work sent the nation’s largest law firms into growth mode last year, driving a wave of hiring, mergers and strategic moves that reshaped the top tier of the Law360 400. Here's a preview of the 100 firms with the largest U.S. attorney headcounts.
-
June 02, 2025
Insurance Experts Examine AI's Challenges For Underwriting
Academics, attorneys and insurance industry officials took a look at the myriad ways artificial intelligence could affect the "insurance value chain," as one conference panelist put it, across claims, litigation and underwriting, including the coverage of AI-related occurrences themselves.
-
May 29, 2025
Insurer Waived Arbitration For Many Reasons, NJ Panel Rules
An insurer waived its right to arbitration for many reasons, a New Jersey appellate panel affirmed, finding a pier owner's coverage dispute concerning underlying litigation brought against it by public utilities blaming it for a fluid leak in the Hudson River must head to trial.
-
May 29, 2025
Q&A: What's The Deal With Insurance-Linked Securities?
The use of insurance-linked securities has boomed in recent years, helping increase overall global reinsurance capacity and allowing investors to participate in reinsurance transactions without having to become licensed reinsurers themselves. Here, Law360 talks to Nicholas Berry, a London-based partner at Norton Rose Fulbright, on the mechanics of ILS transactions and why he thinks this alternative asset type is here to stay.
-
May 29, 2025
FDA Changes May Put CGL Policies In Play, Experts Say
Changing regulations at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under the Trump administration may make food contamination risks a higher concern for certain policyholders, and insureds should closely review their commercial general liability and product recall policies for potential coverage, experts say.
-
May 29, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
Towers Watson's insurers don't have to cover shareholder litigation, the Fifth Circuit said its hands were tied concerning fire damage arbitration, North Carolina's highest court allowed a homeowner who didn't read his policy to continue his agency negligence case and a Georgia couple say two personal injury firms misled them. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
-
May 29, 2025
Lindberg Can't Skirt $122M Contempt Order, NC Panel Told
Insurance companies that convicted billionaire Greg Lindberg allegedly bled dry told the North Carolina Court of Appeals not to let him duck a $122 million contempt order, saying he didn't even show up for the hearing and has done nothing since to purge his contempt.
Expert Analysis
-
Nevada Justices Could Expand Scope Of Subrogation Claims
The Nevada Supreme Court's recent decision to hear North River Insurance v. James River Insurance could expand the scope of equitable subrogation claims in the state by aligning with the California standard, which doesn't require excess insurers to demonstrate damages, says Daniel Heidtke at Duane Morris.
-
How D&O Coverage Can Aid Against Increased AI Scrutiny
The recent increase in regulatory enforcement and securities class actions stemming from corporate use of artificial intelligence should prompt companies to ensure that their directors and officers liability insurance coverage is appropriately tailored to AI-related risks, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
-
8 Tech Tips For Stress-Free Remote Depositions
Court reporter Kelly D’Amico shares practical strategies for attorneys to conduct remote depositions with ease and troubleshoot any issues that arise, as it seems deposition-by-Zoom is here to stay after the pandemic.
-
4 Ways Attorneys Can Emotionally Prepare For Trial
In the course of litigation, trial lawyers face a number of scenarios that can incite an emotional response, but formulating a mental game plan in advance of trial can help attorneys stay cool, calm and collected in the moment, says Rachel Lary at Lightfoot Franklin.
-
Presidential Campaign Errors Provide Lessons For Trial Attys
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign employed numerous strategies that evidently didn’t land, and trial attorneys should take note, because voters and jurors are both decision-makers who are listening for how one’s case presentation would affect them personally, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
-
Putting NYDFS AI Cybersecurity Guidance Into Practice
New guidance from the New York Department of Financial Services explains how financial institutions should assess and mitigate cybersecurity risks associated with artificial intelligence, focusing on four main threats and highlighting how varying environments require specific mitigation measures, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.
-
Recent Developments In Insurance Coverage For FCA Claims
As the U.S. Department of Justice continues its vigorous False Claims Act enforcement, companies looking to their insurers to help defray the costs of an investigation or settlement should note recent decisions on which types of policies cover FCA claims, which policy periods apply and which portions of FCA-related losses are covered, say attorneys at Covington.
-
Consider The Impact Of Election Stress On Potential Jurors
For at least the next few months, potential jurors may be working through anger and distrust stemming from the presidential election, and trial attorneys will need to assess whether those jurors are able to leave their political concerns at the door, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
-
NC Ruling Takes Practical Approach To Duty-To-Defend Costs
In Murphy-Brown v. Ace American Insurance, a case of first impression, the North Carolina Business Court adopted the commonsense rationale of many state courts in holding that policyholders' defense costs should be deemed presumtively reasonable when a insurer breaches its duty to defend, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
-
A Look At Insurance Coverage For Government Investigations
Attorneys at Jenner & Block discuss the quirks and potential pitfalls of insurance coverage for government claims and investigations, including those likely to arise from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently announced whistleblower program.
-
Why Diversity Jurisdiction Poses Investment Fund Hurdles
Federal courts' continued application of the exacting rules of diversity jurisdiction presents particular challenges for investment funds, and in the absence of any near-term reform, those who manage such funds should take action to avoid diversity jurisdiction pitfalls, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.
-
7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight
Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
-
Insurance Considerations For Cos. That May Face Strikes
The recent surge in major work stoppages in the U.S. highlights the growing importance of strike preparedness for businesses, which includes understanding strike insurance coverage options, say Chris D’Amour and Brooke Duncan at Adams and Reese.