Assembly Line Co.'s Dispute Predated Policy, 6th Circ. Affirms

By Elizabeth Daley

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.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Insurer Says Law Firm Mishandled Pesticide Exposure Suit

By Hope Patti

An insurer is claiming it is owed at least $625,000 from a law firm hired to defend a poultry farm against a suit over toxic pesticide exposure, alleging in federal court that it was forced to settle the suit above policy limits due to the firm's negligence and malpractice.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chubb Unit Underpaid Hydroelectric Plant Losses, Suit Says

By Hope Patti

A Chubb unit underpaid a renewable energy plant operator for losses sustained after several water flow barriers malfunctioned, the assignee of the operator told a New York federal court, saying the insurer paid less than half of the $5.6 million it owed.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mandarin Can Get Reserves, Reinsurance Info In COVID Row

By Ganesh Setty

"All risks" property insurers for Mandarin Oriental Inc. must turn over documents related to their reinsurance and reserves to the luxury hotel chain, which claims it incurred over $223 million in business interruption losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, a New York federal court ruled.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Uber Says Fla. Firm, Drivers Staged Wrecks For Profit

By Elizabeth Daley

Uber told a Florida federal court Wednesday that at least five of its drivers faked accidents and colluded with healthcare providers and a Florida law firm to file sham litigation against the ride-hailing platform and its insurer, costing millions of dollars in legal defense and settlements.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Insurer Says Day Care's $1M Child Injury Verdict Not Covered

By Ganesh Setty

A day care's insurer told an Alabama federal court it has no duty to cover a $1 million judgment against the center after a jury found it liable for leaving a woman's child in a van during a field trip, citing an exclusion for bodily injury arising from "any auto."

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Latham, Skadden-Led Insurer Joins IPO Wave With $113M IPO

By Tom Zanki

Small business-focused excess and surplus insurer Ategrity Specialty Holdings LLC began trading Wednesday after pricing a $113 million initial public offering above its marketed range, represented by Latham & Watkins LLP and underwriters Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, as more insurance firms tap public markets.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

McCarter & English Brings Back Insurance Ace In NJ

By Rose Krebs

McCarter & English LLP announced Wednesday that it has welcomed back an insurance attorney who previously worked at the New Jersey-headquartered firm for nearly 15 years before leaving for a stint at Barnes & Thornburg LLP.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ore. High Court Ruling Widens Construction Defect Coverage

A recent Oregon Supreme Court decision, Twigg v. Admiral Insurance, dispels the myth that a contractor's liability for defective work is uninsurable if pursued as a breach of contract, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Appreciating Civil Procedure

If you’re like me, law school’s often complex and theoretical approach to teaching civil procedure may have contributed to an early struggle with the topic, but when seen from a practical perspective, new lawyers may find they enjoy mastering these rules, says Chloe Villagomez at Foster Garvey.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

These Firms Are Landing The Most Patent Litigation Work

By Dani Kass

Rabicoff Law LLC reclaimed its status as the most active firm for patent plaintiffs, having filed more than twice as many cases in 2024 as it did in 2023, according to a new report from Lex Machina.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Says Newsom Can't Ask Court To Halt Guard Deployment

By Jared Foretek

The Trump administration is telling a California federal judge its decision to federalize the National Guard is unreviewable in court, calling California Gov. Gavin Newsom's effort to stop the takeover "a crass political stunt" in a new filing Wednesday.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Copyright Leader Says Firing Risks 'Inoperable' Agency

By Ivan Moreno

The fired leader of the U.S. Copyright Office has asked a D.C. federal judge to block the Trump administration's action while she challenges her termination, arguing that significant functions of the government agency could be rendered "inoperable" without judicial intervention.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Legal Policy Chief, Adviser On Judge Selections, Resigns

By Courtney Bublé

Aaron Reitz, a top U.S. Department of Justice official who works on judicial nominations, announced Wednesday he's resigning after being confirmed for the role on March 26.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DC Circ. Pauses Habeas Order In Alien Enemies Act Case

By Ali Sullivan

The D.C. Circuit has agreed to briefly pause a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to give due process to Venezuelan immigrants deported from the U.S. to a Salvadoran prison under the Alien Enemies Act.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

New Patent Cases Rebound As EDTX Seals Top Venue Spot

By Ryan Davis

The number of new patent suits filed in 2024 increased 22.2% over 2023, bouncing back from a historically slow year, and the Eastern District of Texas further cemented its status as the most popular patent venue after a rule change made another Texas district less attractive to plaintiffs.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

DOJ's Focus On Cartels Raises Compliance Risks For US Cos.

By Phillip Bantz

U.S. corporations with business interests south of the border are increasingly worried about exposure to terrorism-related criminal charges under the Trump administration for inadvertently working with cartels linked to major business sectors throughout Mexico, from energy and manufacturing to financial services, compliance experts tell Law360.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

JC Penney Blasts Jackson Walker Bid To Escape Fee Dispute

By Lynn LaRowe

J.C. Penney has called on a Texas bankruptcy court to knock down Jackson Walker LLP's bid to escape a fee suit prompted by a yearslong secret romance between a former firm partner and a onetime bankruptcy judge, saying the firm's dismissal bid is "riddled with implausibility, excuse and contradiction."

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Calif. Justices OK More Bar Exam Proposals After Fiasco

By Craig Clough

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday approved more measures to address the widespread problems that arose during the administration of the February bar exam, which includes a provisional license program for applicants who failed or withdrew from the exam. 

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

J&J's Beasley Allen DQ Bid Based On 'Innuendo,' Court Told

By Ryan Harroff

A California couple ripped Johnson & Johnson's renewed bid to block two Beasley Allen Law Firm attorneys from representing them in their suit accusing the company of selling carcinogenic talc-based baby powder, arguing the company's opposition is based largely on "innuendo" rather than proof of misconduct by the lawyers.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Queens Defenders Ex-Director Charged With Embezzling

By Gina Kim

A former executive director of Queens Defenders and her husband are charged with embezzling $60,000 from the organization and spending it on personal expenses including rent for a penthouse apartment, luxury goods, vacations and teeth-whitening procedures, prosecutors say in an indictment unsealed Wednesday in New York federal court.

Indictment attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Judges Urge High Court To Protect Right To Counsel

By Cara Salvatore

A group of six high-profile retired judges urged the Supreme Court to protect criminal defendants' right to consult with counsel during overnight trial recesses, saying a current "patchwork" of practices in this area is bad for judges as well as defendants.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Presses 2nd Circ. To Federalize Hush Money Appeal

By Stewart Bishop

Counsel for President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged the Second Circuit to take over the appeal of his New York state hush money conviction post-trial, saying a federal judge in Manhattan wrongly denied removal, and the landscape has now changed in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark presidential immunity decision.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Atty Wants 6th Circ. To Vacate Tenn. 'Gag Order' Rule Decision

By Jack Karp

If the Sixth Circuit does not undo a decision that a Nashville attorney didn't have standing to challenge a since-rescinded Middle District of Tennessee rule concerning lawyers' "extrajudicial statements," it could "be all but impossible" for lawyers to challenge similar court rules in the future, the attorney said Wednesday.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »