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Insurance
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August 27, 2024
6th Circ. Reverses Geico's Win In Agents' Benefits Suit
The Sixth Circuit upended Geico's win in a lawsuit from insurance agents accusing it of misclassifying them as independent contractors and forcing them to lose out on benefits, saying more evidence is needed to determine if the insurer relied on unauthentic documents to get the suit tossed.
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August 26, 2024
Store Seeks Coverage For Murdaugh Boat Crash-Related Suit
A convenience store accused of negligently selling alcohol to disgraced former lawyer Alex Murdaugh's underage son, who later crashed a boat that led to a girl's death, sought coverage from its insurers for a related civil conspiracy lawsuit, maintaining that the suit falls within its policies' scope of coverage.
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August 26, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Renew Seattle Homeowners' Insurance Row
A group of Seattle homeowners cannot force Security National Insurance Co. to help cover a nearly $617,000 default judgment in an underlying construction defect dispute against its insured, the Ninth Circuit ruled, finding exclusions barring coverage for new construction applicable.
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August 26, 2024
Insurer Says Others Owe Payment In Asbestos Injury Rows
An insurer that said it exceeded its coverage obligations for underlying asbestos injury litigation by millions of dollars has asked a Michigan federal court to determine how much other entities must pay in connection with the underlying suits.
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August 26, 2024
Bank Co. Disputes AIG's Reading Of Covered Defense Costs
A bank owner defended its amended claims that an AIG unit violated the Texas Insurance Code, telling a Texas federal court that AIG unlawfully issued it late defense payments and refused to cover defense costs that "incidentally" benefited its affirmative underlying claims.
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August 26, 2024
4th Circ. Won't Free Insurance Mogul From $524M Judgment
Convicted insurance mogul Greg Lindberg was dealt a blow by the Fourth Circuit on Monday when the court found that he was liable for a $524 million arbitration award stemming from a fight over a reinsurance agreement with an insurer.
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August 26, 2024
Insurer Wants Out Of Pa. Wig Widow's $4.5M Benefit Dispute
Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. asked a Pennsylvania state court to let it bow out of a dispute between a Pittsburgh wig and healthcare magnate's widow and his family partnership, arguing Monday that the court, not the insurer, had to choose between competing claims for a $4.5 million policy payout.
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August 26, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Last week in Delaware's Court of Chancery, Boeing accused shareholders of using a new pressure tactic, Cantor Fitzgerald struck a $12 million deal, and a vice chancellor dealt with zombie companies. New cases involved displaced Pacific Islanders and an insurance customer acquisition platform. In case you missed it, here's a roundup of news from the Chancery Court.
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August 23, 2024
TriZetto Says Infosys Swiped Healthcare Software Secrets
Cognizant TriZetto Software Group Inc. on Friday lodged trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract claims against competitor Infosys Ltd., alleging that Infosys improperly used information about TriZetto's "closely guarded, proprietary software offerings" to develop its own competing products and services.
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August 23, 2024
Allstate Can't Get Injunction To Stop 'Smear Campaign'
A Colorado federal judge said she could not issue an injunction to force a former insurance agent whom Allstate alleges is conducting a "smear campaign" against it to immediately remove web content accusing the insurer of selling its customers' personal information to child rapists and sex traffickers.
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August 23, 2024
Insurer Must Cover Flooded Basements, Mich. Panel Says
An insurer must pay a property owner over $150,000 in damages stemming from drain backups and water damage, a Michigan state appeals court ruled, finding that the property owner inquired about increased coverage before the discovery of the loss.
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August 23, 2024
Split 6th Circ. Refuses To Undo Amway's $37M Coverage Win
The Sixth Circuit affirmed Friday that an AIG unit must pay $37 million for failing to defend and indemnify Amway and parent company Alticor in a dustup with major record companies over the use of copyrighted music in ads.
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August 23, 2024
Insurance Software Co. Probe, Insider Sales Prompt Del. Suit
A MediaAlpha Inc. stockholder sued in Delaware's Court of Chancery on Thursday for access to the insurance marketing platform developer's books and records, pointing to stock sales by the company's two controlling investors that allegedly allowed them to avoid $66 million in stock drop losses.
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August 23, 2024
Everest Re Unit Escapes Data Breach Class Action
A New Jersey federal judge has tossed a proposed class action claiming that an Everest Re unit failed to protect customers' personal information during a data breach, ruling that the suit fails to show that the company had a duty to protect their information.
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August 23, 2024
The Biggest Texas Trial Rulings Of 2024: Midyear Report
Trial courts in Texas saw a series of high-dollar verdicts for plaintiffs in suits over patent infringement and personal injuries, but appellate courts tempered some plaintiffs' successes, backing a large retail employer in a harassment suit and tossing a verdict based on a lawyer's remarks. Here's a look at some of the biggest trial decisions in Texas in the first half of 2024.
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August 23, 2024
Patent Case Against USPTO Mimics Failed Suit, Feds Say
The federal government has moved to toss a suit alleging that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's website infringes patents covering the idea of two-factor authorization, arguing that a patent in the same "family" was thrown out in 2016 by a different court that said it contained "nothing inventive."
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August 23, 2024
Insurer Scores Coverage Win Over Retaining Wall Failure
A contractor's insurer has no duty to help cover a $2.66 million settlement over the contractor's faulty construction of retaining walls, a Washington federal court ruled, finding an "impaired property" exclusion applicable.
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August 23, 2024
Utah Plumbing Supply Co.'s Microcaptive Suit Tossed
A Utah federal judge dismissed Friday a plumbing supply company and its owners' bid to set aside the IRS' 2016 notice that imposed additional reporting requirements for certain microcaptive insurance arrangements under the threat of penalty, saying the court lacks jurisdiction to do so.
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August 23, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
The past week in London has seen Google sue several Russian media outlets in response to challenges to the tech giant's response to international sanctions, easyGroup bring an intellectual property claim against delivery company Easycargo, and e-money business Nyavo challenge action by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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August 22, 2024
Construction Co. Says It's Owed Coverage For Sinkhole Claim
A Washington construction company has filed a suit seeking to force an insurer to cover potential damages in an underlying lawsuit alleging the company botched a sewer pipeline replacement project, causing a sinkhole to open up along a Seattle ship canal after the job ended.
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August 22, 2024
Ex-MiMedx Sales Rep Says Fraud Schemes Pushed Her Out
A former employee of controversial biotech firm MiMedx who was sued for joining a competitor earlier this year hit the company back with a counterclaim Tuesday charging that she was forced out for refusing to go along with the company's alleged flouting of U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations and rampant overbilling schemes.
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August 22, 2024
State Farm Can't Slash Fraud Suit, Even On The Merits
An Illinois federal judge has stuck to her decision not to let State Farm significantly cut down a proposed class action targeting an allegedly unlawful totaled-vehicle valuation formula, even while acknowledging she should have considered the merits of State Farm's arguments.
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August 22, 2024
NY AG Tells Appeals Court To Uphold $465M Trump Judgment
Donald Trump has barely challenged the extensive proof of financial statement lies undergirding a $465 million civil fraud judgment against him and his co-defendants, New York's attorney general said in an appeals brief looking to preserve the bench verdict.
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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.
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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.
Expert Analysis
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Reps And Warranties Insurance Considerations As M&A Slows
The first six months of the year have seen increasingly favorable rates and policy terms for the representations and warranties insurance market, and policy purchasers are right to pay close attention to pricing, coverage, exclusions, structures and claims as the M&A market cools, say attorneys at Cooley.
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8th Circ. Insurance Ruling Spotlights Related-Claims Defenses
The Eighth Circuit’s recent Dexon v. Travelers ruling — that the insurer must provide a defense despite the policy’s related-acts provision — provides guidance for how policyholders can overcome related-acts defenses, say Geoffrey Fehling and Jae Lynn Huckaba at Hunton.
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Series
Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer
There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Unpacking NY's Revised Hospital Cybersecurity Rule Proposal
The New York State Department of Health's recently revised hospital cybersecurity rule proposal highlights increased expectations and scrutiny around cybersecurity in the healthcare sector, while adapting to both recent industry developments and public comments, say Christine Moundas and Gideon Zvi Palte at Ropes & Gray.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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The Uncertain Scope Of The First Financial Fair Access Laws
With Florida and Tennessee soon to roll out laws banning financial institutions from making decisions based on customer traits like political affiliation, national financial services providers should consider how broadly worded “fair access” laws from these and other conservative-leaning states may place new obligations on their business operations, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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An Insurance Coverage Checklist For PFAS Defendants
With PFAS liability exposures attracting increased media attention, now is a good time for companies that could be exposed to liability related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to review existing and past insurance policies, and consider taking proactive steps to maximize their likelihood of coverage, say attorneys at Nossaman.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: May Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from automobile insurance to securities — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including circuit-specific ascertainability requirements and how to conduct a Daubert analysis prior to class certification.
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Perspectives
Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.
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Tips For Advising CRE Owners Affected By Houston Storms
As Houston residents begin the arduous process of recovery after this month's devastating storms, attorneys should guide commercial real estate owners and managers toward immediate action under their insurance coverage to facilitate restoration and a return to normalcy, says Justin Ratley at Munsch Hardt.