Insurance

  • August 07, 2024

    5th Circ. Grapples With 'Ridiculous' $100M Arbitration

    A Fifth Circuit panel struggled to make sense out of a "ridiculous" arbitration proceeding that produced four contradictory arbitration awards in a legal malpractice dispute, one awarding $100 million, pressing both sides during oral arguments Wednesday to give answers about how the "spectacle" unfolded.

  • August 07, 2024

    Gordon Rees Adds Insurance Partner In Orange County Office

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP is boosting its insurance team, announcing Wednesday it is bringing on an insurance and liability expert as a partner in its Orange County office in Irvine, California.

  • August 07, 2024

    Tax Court's Economic Substance Foray May Clarify Limits

    A U.S. Tax Court judge plans to address an ill-defined provision governing the relevance of the economic substance doctrine in a microcaptive insurance case, offering the courts another chance to clarify an anti-abuse tool the IRS has been deploying more often.

  • August 07, 2024

    BP Malpractice Deal Needs Work, 5th Circ. Says

    The Fifth Circuit scrapped a legal malpractice settlement in a consolidated lawsuit alleging attorneys were negligent in representing plaintiffs seeking compensation following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, with a panel finding the terms were not mutually agreed upon.

  • August 07, 2024

    Logistics Co. CEO Denies Role In NJ Racketeering Scheme

    The chief executive officer of logistics firm NFI Industries on Wednesday denied that he played a role in an alleged scheme led by a New Jersey power broker accused of reaping millions in tax credits by using extortion to acquire waterfront property in the distressed city of Camden.

  • August 06, 2024

    7th Circ. Axes Broker's Win In Buccaneers Deal Coverage Suit

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday reversed an Indiana federal court's finding that an insurance broker didn't need to indemnify Axis Insurance Co. for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' voluntary settlement with a player, ruling that the insurers' contract clearly calls for Axis to be indemnified.

  • August 06, 2024

    Cadwalader Slams Lloyd's For 'Needless' Disclosure, Mockery

    Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP has opposed a bid by a Lloyd's of London syndicate to unseal the law firm's complaint seeking $1 million of coverage for a November 2022 data breach, telling the North Carolina Business Court that Lloyd's has chosen to "mock and insult their own customer" while exposing confidential information in its filing to the court.

  • August 06, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Let Chubb Unit Ax $13.8M Appraisal Award

    A Florida condo association's insurer waived its ability to challenge an over $13.8 million storm damage appraisal award by only arguing in court that the association's appraiser had a conflict of interest, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed Tuesday, finding the insurer could've lodged a challenge during the appraisal process itself.

  • August 06, 2024

    Testing Lab Can't Add Bad Faith Claims In Income Loss Case

    A Pennsylvania federal judge found Tuesday that a prior agreement between a medical testing lab and its insurer expressly precluded added allegations that the insurer acted in bad faith while handling the lab's claim for loss of records and business income.

  • August 06, 2024

    Blank Rome Adds Closed Insurance Boutique's Managing Atty

    Blank Rome LLP has brought on an insurance partner from now-shuttered boutique Pasich LLP to join its insurance recovery group, the firm announced Monday. 

  • August 06, 2024

    UnitedHealth Unlawfully Denies Device Coverage, Suit Says

    A medical equipment maker accused UnitedHealth Group Inc. of creating a "soft denial system" to unlawfully deny payments for glucose monitoring devices, telling a Michigan federal court that thousands of claims worth more than $1 million have gone unpaid.

  • August 06, 2024

    Insurance Atty Shakes Off Retirement To Join Saul Ewing

    Eighteen months of retirement was all Saul Ewing's latest addition to its insurance practice could take before he returned to private practice and joined the firm's New York office.

  • August 05, 2024

    Kia Atty Reduced To 'Monty Python' Knight By Tentative Order

    Kia and Hyundai's attorney told a California federal judge Monday that his tentative order denying the companies' motion to dismiss Chicago's claims in multidistrict litigation over car thefts left him feeling like the knight in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" who loses his arms and legs but keeps fighting.

  • August 05, 2024

    Manufacturer Can't Get Coverage For BIPA Class Action

    An Illinois federal judge awarded a win to an insurer Monday in a suit over coverage of underlying Biometric Information Privacy Act litigation, finding a contractual exclusion prevented coverage for a machine and plastics manufacturer accused of failing to secure employee data.

  • August 05, 2024

    Insurers Can't Escape Coverage For Russian-Seized Aircraft

    A group of insurers can't escape covering one of the largest aircraft lessors for aircraft seized by the Russian government, a California state court ruled, agreeing with the company that even a temporary seizure of its property constitutes physical loss for coverage purposes.

  • August 05, 2024

    BCBS Asks 9th Circ. To Undo Trans Patients' Win In Bias Suit

    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois urged the Ninth Circuit to reverse summary judgment in favor of trans patients who argued its exclusions for gender-affirming treatments violated the Affordable Care Act's anti-discrimination mandate, arguing Friday it is a third-party administrator that didn't design the exclusion nor exercised any control over it.

  • August 05, 2024

    Insurer Must Face Pa. Trans Firefighter's Surgery Claim

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has refused to toss a suit from a transgender Philadelphia firefighter suing Independence Blue Cross for discrimination over the insurer's denial of coverage for facial feminization surgery, finding that claims under federal healthcare law could proceed, but not the Title VII claims.

  • August 05, 2024

    McGuireWoods Adds 11 From Now-Closed Insurance Boutique

    McGuireWoods said Monday that it has added 11 litigators from the now-shuttered insurance boutique Pasich LLP to its office in Century City in California, some of whom will assume practice leadership roles.

  • August 02, 2024

    Wolverine, Travelers Drop Coverage Claims Over PFAS Suits

    Footwear company Wolverine and various Travelers units have agreed to end their coverage battle over underlying lawsuits accusing the company of injuring individuals through its leather tannery operations and exposing individuals to so-called forever chemicals, the parties told a Michigan federal court.

  • August 02, 2024

    Adviser Wants Fraud Settlement Nixed, Says Fla. Broke Deal

    A retirement financial adviser is urging a Florida state court to overturn a settlement with the state's Office of Financial Regulation in an unregistered-securities lawsuit, saying the agency breached the confidential agreement by disclosing why a receiver demanded nearly $800,000 in clawbacks over alleged fraudulent transfers.

  • August 02, 2024

    Family Denied Quick Win In Insurer's $2M Nursing Home Suit

    An insurer for a now-bankrupt Georgia nursing home doesn't have to cover a $2.1 million judgment awarded to the family of a woman who died in the facility's care, a federal judge ruled Friday, finding an agreement between the facility and the family released the facility from all liability.

  • August 02, 2024

    Del. Judge Won't Toss Cos.' False Claims Coverage Dispute

    A Delaware Superior Court judge refused to enforce a "no-action" clause in a suit brought by real estate holding companies seeking directors and officers coverage for an underlying False Claims Act qui tam action, according to a document obtained by Law360 on Friday.

  • August 02, 2024

    Ebix Opt-Out Releases Illegal In Ch. 11 Plan, Judge Rules

    A Texas bankruptcy judge ruled Friday that third-party releases contained in Ebix Inc.'s Chapter 11 plan are impermissible, deciding an opt-out provision of the liability waivers wasn't enough to establish consent.

  • August 02, 2024

    4 ERISA Excessive Health Fee Suits To Watch

    The Third Circuit will decide whether to revive a suit from MetLife workers alleging their pharmacy benefits were mismanaged, while suits proceed in district court against Wells Fargo and Johnson & Johnson alleging they violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act via high drug costs a pharmacy benefit manager charged workers. Here, Law360 looks at four cases involving claims that employers violated ERISA by charging high healthcare costs — including for prescription drugs — that attorneys are watching.

  • August 02, 2024

    Allstate Plan Participants Want $70M ERISA Case Kept In Play

    Claims by a proposed class of current and former Allstate workers that the insurer cost them nearly $70 million by keeping poor-performing funds in their retirement plan should head to trial, the workers argued Friday while urging an Illinois federal court not to toss the suit.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.

  • A Legal Playbook For Stadium Construction Agreements

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    As a new wave of construction in the professional sports arena space gets underway, owners must carefully consider the unique considerations and risks associated with these large-scale projects and draft agreements accordingly, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • How Fieldwood Ch. 11 Ruling Bolsters Section 363 Confidence

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    The Fifth Circuit’s recent ruling in Fieldwood Energy’s Chapter 11 cases, which clarified that challenges to integral aspects of a bankruptcy sale are statutorily moot under Section 363(m) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, should bolster the confidence of prospective purchasers in these sales, say attorneys at V&E.

  • Insurance Policy Takeaways From UK Lockdown Loss Ruling

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    An English court's recent decision in Unipolsai v. Covea, determining that insurers' losses from COVID-19 lockdowns were covered by reinsurance, highlights key issues on insurance policy wordings, including how to define a "catastrophe" in the context of the pandemic, says Daniel Healy at Brown Rudnick.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year

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    As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.

  • Protested CFPB Supervisory Order Reveals Process, Priorities

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s order announcing its first use of special oversight power to place installment lender World Acceptance Corp. under supervision despite resistance from the company provides valuable insight into which products and practices may draw bureau scrutiny, and illuminates important nuances of the risk assessment procedures, say Josh Kotin and Michelle Rogers at Cooley.

  • Document Retention Best Practices To Lower Litigation Risks

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    As new technologies emerge and terabytes of data can be within the purview of a single discovery request, businesses small and large should take four document management steps to effectively minimize risks of litigation and discovery sanctions long before litigation ensues, says Kimbrilee Weber at Norris McLaughlin.

  • Series

    Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: March Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from consumer fraud to employment — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including coercive communications with putative class members and Article III standing at the class certification stage.

  • Rebuttal

    High Court Should Maintain Insurer Neutrality In Bankruptcy

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    While a recent Law360 guest article argues that the U.S. Supreme Court should endorse insurer standing in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum, doing so would create a playground for mischief and delay, and the high court should instead uphold insurance neutrality, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • What 2 Years Of Ukraine-Russia Conflict Can Teach Cos.

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    A few key legal lessons for the global business community since Russia's invasion of Ukraine could help protect global commerce in times of future conflict, including how to respond to disparate trade restrictions and sanctions, navigate war-related contract disputes, and protect against heightened cybersecurity risks, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Cos. Seeking Cyber Coverage Can Look To Key Policy Terms

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    As cyberattacks increasingly threaten business operations, including one last month that partially paralyzed UnitedHealth's services, expanded interpretations of several key policy terms may allow affected companies to recover under cyber business interruption policies or other coverage, even if their business hasn't completely shut down, say attorneys at Kasowitz.

  • What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks

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    Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.

  • How Calif. Video Recording Ruling May Affect Insured Exams

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    A recent California appellate decision, Myasnyankin v. Nationwide, allowing policyholders to video record all parties to an insurance examination under oath, has changed the rules of the road for EUOs and potentially opened Pandora's box for future disputes, say John Edson and Preston Bennett at Sheppard Mullin.

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