Property
-
August 28, 2024
Insurer Blasts Ralph Lauren's Appeal For COVID-19 Coverage
Factory Mutual Insurance Co. urged the Third Circuit on Wednesday to reject Ralph Lauren Corp.'s bid to recoup up to $700 million in COVID-19 pandemic losses, blasting the fashion house's "conclusory allegations" that it was entitled to coverage.
-
August 28, 2024
BofA Hit With Suit Alleging 'Exploitative' Trust Insurance Costs
A trust beneficiary accused Bank of America in Georgia federal court of charging a trust it manages "unnecessarily expensive" insurance coverage for a residential property, arguing the bank breached its duties both as a trustee and a fiduciary.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
August 22, 2024
Multi-Deal Insurance On The Rise In Cooler M&A Market
As M&A activity continues to recover from its peak in 2021, insurers are now increasingly issuing representation and warranty policies covering not just one underlying deal, but a buyer's portfolio of prospective acquisitions, experts tell Law360.
-
August 22, 2024
Midyear Check-In 2024: Rite Aid Bankruptcy
Pharmacy chain Rite Aid Inc. entered bankruptcy last year facing billions of dollars in bank debt and staggering liabilities in connection with the national opioid crisis, but its trip through Chapter 11 resulted in a confirmed plan that addresses these obligations.
-
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.
-
August 22, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
CVS has no coverage for 200 opioid actions, State Farm auto policyholders have another shot at an underpayment class action, Travelers settled with a thieving law firm and Safeco says a man who allegedly gave his girlfriend herpes is on his own. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
-
August 22, 2024
Motor Home Policy Is Stackable, Widow Tells NC Court
The widow of a North Carolina man who was fatally struck by a car told a state appeals court that she's allowed to stack two underinsured motorist policies to recover a $625,000 wrongful death award in her favor because the second policy included a "private passenger motor vehicle."
-
August 22, 2024
In 'Super Like' Coverage Bid, Tinder Seeks Match With NY Law
A New York federal court's contemplation of whether Tinder owner Match Group has coverage for a lawsuit alleging it stiffed a developer who invented the app's "Super Like" function could provide clarity on when and how a state law applies to extend reporting deadlines in insurance policies.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
August 22, 2024
7th Circ. Says Hidden IP Fight Doomed Insurance Coverage Bid
The Seventh Circuit has agreed an insurer could rescind its policies covering a garbage services company because that company failed to disclose an already brewing trademark dispute, concluding the company's argument that it didn't need to disclose the feud was "not supported by the record or common sense."
-
August 22, 2024
Cyber Incidents Accelerate Arms Race Over Broader Coverage
A series of high-profile cybersecurity attacks, data breaches and system disruptions in 2024 have highlighted the growing pressure on policyholders to search for more coverage options beyond cyberinsurance and on insurers to limit their exposures.
-
August 21, 2024
Fla. Co. To Pay $5M To End CFPB's Illegal Foreclosure Claims
Florida-based mortgage servicer Fay Servicing agreed Wednesday to pay a total of $5 million and its founder and CEO Edward Fay faces potential pay restrictions to resolve the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's claims the company violated a prior 2017 agreement and multiple federal laws that protect borrowers against illegal foreclosure practices.
-
August 21, 2024
Insurers Escape Calif. Starbucks Drive-Thru Easement Row
A California appeals court affirmed a lower court decision, finding commercial property insurers didn't have to defend an owner who allegedly tricked one tenant into signing an easement agreement for a parking lot, neglecting to mention it would be used by a Starbucks drive-thru.
-
August 21, 2024
Insurance Co. Strikes Deal To End Adjusters' Unpaid OT Suit
An insurance company reached a deal to resolve a collective action accusing it of classifying insurance adjusters as overtime-exempt despite their duties not meeting the definition of exempt work under federal law, a filing in Wisconsin federal court said.
-
August 21, 2024
La. Plaintiffs Ask 5th Circ. To Revive BP Spill Malpractice Deal
Louisiana residents who sued their attorneys, alleging they botched damage claims tied to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, have asked the Fifth Circuit to reconsider a panel's ruling that overturned enforcement of a global settlement.
-
August 20, 2024
A Deep Dive Into Law360 Pulse's 2024 Women In Law Report
The legal industry continues to see incremental gains for female lawyers in private practice in the U.S., according to a Law360 Pulse analysis, with women now representing 40.6% of all attorneys and 51% of all associates.
-
August 20, 2024
These Firms Have The Most Women In Equity Partnerships
The legal industry still has a long way to go before it can achieve gender parity at its upper levels. But these law firms are performing better than others in breaking the proverbial glass ceiling that prevents women from attaining leadership roles.
-
August 19, 2024
Gould & Ratner Rehires Construction Atty For Chicago Office
Gould & Ratner LLP rehired Ellen M. Chapelle, who previously worked there as a partner on the construction team, for another stint as a construction partner and a new role as the chair of the insurance counseling and recovery team, the firm announced.
Expert Analysis
-
Policyholders Must Object To Insurer Reorganizations
When insurance companies reorganize, policies often take years to ultimately pay out a fraction of what is owed, so policyholders should organize and urge insurance commissioners to take action when retroactive reinsurance deals are announced, says Jonathan Terrell at KCIC.
-
SEC, NY Cybersecurity Rules Create Complexity For Insurers
Two separate cybersecurity rules recently adopted by the New York Department of Financial Services and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pose distinct challenges for insurance industry participants, with important interactions, and potential tensions, for those required to comply with both frameworks, say attorneys at Debevoise.
-
5 Trends To Watch In Property And Casualty Class Actions
In 2023, class action decisions have altered the landscape for five major types of claims affecting property and casualty insurers — total loss vehicle valuation, labor depreciation, other structural loss estimating theories, total loss vehicle tax and regulatory fees, and New Mexico's uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage sale requirements, say Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.
-
Insurance Considerations For Cos. Assessing New AI Risks
Because no two businesses will have the same artificial intelligence risk profile, they should consider four broad risk categories as a baseline for taking a proactive approach to guarding against AI-related exposures, say attorneys at Hunton.
-
AI Brings New Insurance Concerns For Healthcare Providers
As the healthcare industry increasingly invests in medical artificial intelligence tools, it confronts a variety of liability risks that necessitate careful consideration and potential recalibration of providers' insurance programs, say Marialuisa Gallozzi and Megan Mumford Myers at Covington.
-
Superfund Site Reopenings Carry Insured Risk, Opportunity
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's reported plans to reopen certain Superfund sites citing the presence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances raise notable liability concerns, but may also present unique opportunities for policyholders under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, say attorneys at Haynes and Boone.
-
3 AI Regulation Developments Insurers Must Follow
Insurance regulators continue to actively develop regulations and guidance on the use of artificial intelligence, so insurers should be aware of recent developments from the Colorado Division of Insurance, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the New York Department of Financial Services, say attorneys at Willkie.
-
DC Ruling Provides Support For Builders Risk Claim Recovery
To deny coverage for builders risk claims, insurers have been increasingly relying on two arguments, both of which have been invalidated in the recent U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decision, South Capitol Bridgebuilders v. Lexington, say Greg Podolak and Cheryl Kozdrey at Saxe Doernberger.
-
Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint
In the face of a pending "mega-trial" over leased airplanes held in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, a settlement between leading aviation lessor AerCap Holdings NV and NSK, the Russian state-controlled insurance company, could pave the way for similar deals, say Samantha Zaozirny and Timeyin Pinnick at Browne Jacobson.
-
Illinois Trump Tower Ruling Illuminates Insurance 'Occurrence'
In Continental Casualty v. 401 North Wabash Venture, an Illinois appellate court found that Trump Tower was not entitled to insurance coverage for operating its HVAC system without a permit, helping to further define a widely litigated general liability insurance issue — what constitutes an "occurrence," say Robert Tugander and Greg Mann at Rivkin Radler.
-
How Shareholder Activists Are Targeting Insurers
As shareholder activists take a closer look at the insurance industry, they are pushing insurers to take value-enhancing and climate-related measures — but insurers can prepare by anticipating activist concerns, maintaining robust shareholder engagement, and considering changes in response to the universal proxy rules, say attorneys at Debevoise.
-
Insurers Should Prepare For 'Black Swan' Climate Disasters
As rapid climate change results in increased risk of casualties and property loss from rare, severe weather events, the insurance industry should take five crucial steps toward evolving and continuing operations, including advanced analytic techniques and investments in alternative energy sources, say Stephen Brown and Irena Maier at Wilson Elser.
-
3 Quirks Of New Jersey Insurance Coverage Law
There are a multitude of state-specific requirements and nuances that make New Jersey insurance law unique, including in the areas of duty to defend, reservation of rights and bad faith, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.