Property

  • May 01, 2025

    Pierson Ferdinand Adds Insurance Group With New Atty

    The rapidly growing firm of Pierson Ferdinand LLP announced Thursday that it tapped a new partner who was previously with Carlton Fields to launch an international insurance regulatory team practice along with another Los Angeles-based attorney.

  • May 01, 2025

    4th Circ. To Mull Towers Watson's Bump-Up Exclusion Appeal

    The Fourth Circuit will have another chance to interpret the language of so-called bump-up exclusions when it hears oral arguments next week in Towers Watson's long-running dispute to secure $54 million in directors and officers coverage for settlements resolving shareholder litigation. Here, Law360 breaks down the case in advance of the May 6 hearing.

  • April 30, 2025

    Guam School Says Insurer Underpaid Typhoon Coverage

    A Florida-based nonprofit organization that owns a high school in Guam accused its property insurer of underpaying its more than $5.1 million typhoon damage claim in bad faith, telling a Guam federal court Wednesday that all amounts due are "well within the value" of its policy.

  • April 30, 2025

    Allstate Settles Law Firm's Wrecked Car Fee Coverage Suit

    A settlement has been reached in a Georgia law firm's proposed class action against Allstate Insurance Co. over allegations that it failed to pay title transfer fees and license registration fees to insured people who incurred total loss claims.

  • April 29, 2025

    Condo Assoc., Insurer End Nashville Bombing Coverage Row

    Aspen Specialty Insurance Co. and a Nashville condominium association have agreed to end their dispute over coverage for nearly $11 million in damages caused by the 2020 Christmas Day bombing in the city, ending their battle with a joint stipulation of dismissal filed in Tennessee federal court.

  • April 28, 2025

    Insurance Agency Says Carrier Can't End Car Policy Program

    An insurance agency that provides specialized policies for car rental companies asked a Pennsylvania federal court to halt an insurer's plan to abruptly cancel a program through which the agency writes the policies, saying the proposed termination would cause "major disruptions" to rental companies and their customers nationwide.

  • April 28, 2025

    GE, Haier Owe Nearly $3M For Motel Fire, Insurer Says

    An insurer is seeking about $3 million from GE and Haier in connection to a Super 8 motel fire it claims was started by a faulty heating and cooling unit, according to a lawsuit removed to a Texas federal court.

  • April 25, 2025

    $1.1M Hail Coverage Suit Against Travelers Is Time-Barred

    An Oklahoma property owner cannot get revised coverage from two Travelers units for more than $1.1 million in claimed hail damage repairs, an Oklahoma federal court ruled, finding that after Travelers paid roughly $100,000 in coverage, the property owner filed its coverage action too late. 

  • April 25, 2025

    Zurich Unit Avoids Health Facility's COVID Coverage Claims

    A Zurich unit owes no coverage to a senior living facility for COVID-19-related losses it sought under its property policy's communicable disease provision, an Alaska federal court ruled Friday, finding the governmental closure order in question didn't totally prevent access to its property, as required.

  • April 24, 2025

    Ill. Justices' Pollution Exclusion Review Could Realign Courts

    The Illinois Supreme Court's agreement to consider whether pollution exclusions in standard-form commercial general liability policies apply to industrial emissions allowed under a regulatory permit could potentially provide certainty on the issue and realign Illinois' interpretation with other state courts, experts say.

  • April 24, 2025

    Calif. Insurer Collusion Suits Will Rest On Evidence, Pros Say

    Two suits accusing California insurers of colluding to limit property insurance coverage through control of the state's last-resort insurer are drawing interest from policyholder advocates over what discovery might reveal, while insurer representatives are blasting the actions as completely meritless.

  • April 24, 2025

    Judge Lifts Arbitration Order In Hurricane Coverage Suit

    A Louisiana federal judge Wednesday reversed his decision compelling arbitration of an insurance dispute over coverage for hurricane damage in light of new precedent from the state's top court, pointing to a "crucial" mandate requiring that the underlying policies be interpreted as separate contracts.

  • April 24, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    California property owners affected by recent wildfires accused hundreds of insurers of collusion, Colorado's justices said no exception exists to the state's economic loss rule for willful and wanton conduct claims, and a California federal judge questioned insurers' bid to litigate coverage for injury claims against Meta in Delaware. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • April 24, 2025

    Pest Co.'s Ex-Employee Not Covered In Child Assault Suit

    An insurer for a pest control company needn't cover a suit alleging a former employee assaulted a minor whom he recruited to work at the business, a Mississippi federal court ruled, finding that neither the employee nor his insulation company is insured under any available insurance policy.

  • April 24, 2025

    Parametric Insurance Offers Hope Amid Systemic Challenges

    Insurers are increasingly adopting parametric insurance policies as one means of offsetting broader systemic challenges to the industry, even as questions persist about the scope and regulation of these products, which offer automatic payouts.

  • April 24, 2025

    Law Prof Pushes For Regulating Sustainability In Insurance

    Consumers should have more information about the sustainability features of their ordinary insurance products, but existing regulations in the United Kingdom and Europe don't encourage transparency or innovation of sustainable-minded products. Franziska Arnold-Dwyer, an associate law professor at University College London, spoke to Law360 about sustainability in insurance and her recent paper on the matter.

  • April 23, 2025

    Xcel Says Holding Co. Doesn't Belong In Colo. Wildfire Case

    Xcel Energy Inc. told a Colorado state court it shouldn't be named as a defendant in consolidated litigation seeking to hold it and two subsidiaries liable for a 2021 wildfire, arguing that the plaintiffs couldn't show that the court retains personal jurisdiction over it.

  • April 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Asked To Modify Ruling In LA Port Co. Coverage Row

    A Los Angeles port operator's insurer asked a three-judge panel in the Ninth Circuit to rethink part of its decision ordering a jury trial on the amount of defense costs the operator incurred while litigating pollution claims brought by the city, arguing they improperly relied on a depublished decision.

  • April 21, 2025

    Real Estate Co.'s $1.9M Title Insurance Suit Gets Tossed

    A real estate company could not show that its suit seeking $1.9 million in coverage for a title defect that limited access to its San Diego industrial property belonged in federal court, a California judge found Monday, tossing the case.

  • April 21, 2025

    Justices Nix Appraiser's Petition Seeking Arbitral Immunity

    An insurance appraiser failed Monday to get the U.S. Supreme Court to define what "arbitration" actually means under the Federal Arbitration Act, seeking immunity after a Colorado state jury found he fraudulently inflated a $1.6 million appraisal award against a Travelers unit that was ultimately vacated.

  • April 21, 2025

    Calif. Homeowners Say Insurers Colluded To Limit Coverage

    California property owners affected by the Los Angeles wildfires accused over 300 insurers of conspiring to eliminate competition in the marketplace, forcing consumers to instead obtain fire insurance from the state's insurer of last resort, according to two lawsuits filed in state court.

  • April 18, 2025

    Zurich Stuck With $12.2M Solar Farm Verdict, Judge Rules

    A Georgia federal judge has shot down Zurich American Insurance Co.'s bid to escape a $12.2 million judgment that followed a January trial where a jury found the insurer shortchanged a Peach State solar farm's claim for storm damage.

  • April 17, 2025

    Colo. FAIR Plan Gives Policyholders Options At A Cost

    Colorado launched the country's first new Fair Access to Insurance Requirements, or FAIR, Plan in 40 years to offer residents another tool in an increasingly challenging wildfire, hail and wind market, but experts emphasized that this limited form of coverage is not intended to address affordability concerns.

  • April 17, 2025

    Colo. Insurance Bills Offer Promise But Uncertain Costs

    Colorado lawmakers are contemplating insurance bills that experts say could help improve the state's market by boosting home resilience, but there are still cost concerns and skepticism that other proposals are workable, like a state reinsurance program.

  • April 17, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    Auto insurers can't shake feds' "forced coverage" claims, the Suquamish Tribe asks the U.S. Supreme Court not to weigh in on its COVID-19 coverage case, saying its court has jurisdiction, IBM wants coverage for $900 million in environmental expenses and Consumer Watchdog sues California's insurance chief over proposed post-wildfire insurance surcharges.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Coverage Tips As 2nd Circ. 'Swipes Left' On Tinder Claim

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    The Second Circuit's recent opinion in Match Group v. Beazley Underwriting, overturning Tinder's victory on its insurer's motion to dismiss a coverage action, reinforces three best practices policyholders purchasing claims-made coverage should adhere to in order to avoid late-notice defenses, say Lynda Bennett and Alexander Corson at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • What To Know About Insurance Coverage For Antitrust Risks

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    With all the regulatory activity surrounding antitrust and unfair competition claims, as highlighted by last month's D.C. federal court decision that Google is a monopolist, businesses must not only ensure compliance, but also understand their potential insurance coverage when such claims arise, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes Boone.

  • Keys To Successful Commercial Property Insurance Claims

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    While insurance needs for commercial leasing arrangements are driven by the characteristics of the premises and the nature of the tenants' intended operations, there are several universal best practices landlords and their counsel can follow when making claims after loss or damage.

  • Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss the muted nature of the property and casualty insurance class action space in the second quarter of the year, with no large waves made in labor depreciation and total-loss vehicle class actions, but a new offensive theory emerging for insurance companies.

  • Ore. Insurance Litigation Is Testing The Bounds After Moody

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    Despite the Oregon Supreme Court’s attempt to limit application of its 2023 decision in Moody v. Oregon Community Credit Union, which for the first time awarded extracontractual damages stemming from alleged negligent claims handling, recent litigation shows Oregon insurance companies face greater exposure, says Sarah Pozzi at Cozen O’Connor.

  • What's In NYDFS Guidance On Use Of AI In Insurance

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    Matthew Gaul and Shlomo Potesky at Willkie summarize the New York Department of Financial Services' recently adopted circular letter on the use of artificial intelligence in insurance underwriting and pricing, and highlight the material changes made to it in response to comments on the draft circular letter.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 7th Circ Joins Trend Of No CGL Coverage For Structural Flaws

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    The Seventh Circuit, which recently held potential structural instability did not count as property damage under a construction company's commercial general liability policy, joins a growing consensus that faulty work does not implicate coverage without tangible and present damage to the project, say Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty, and Elan Kandel and James Talbert at Bailey Cavalieri.

  • New La. Managing Agent Law May Portend Growing Scrutiny

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    Recent amendments to Louisiana’s managing general agent regulations impose expansive new obligations on such agents and their insurer partners, which may be a sign of heightened regulatory, commercial and rating agency scrutiny, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • What Fla. Ruling Means For Insurer Managed Repair Programs

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    A recent Florida state court ruling in Fraga v. Citizens Property Insurance, holding that the insurer could not seek to add additional terms in its managed repair program consent form, should promote clear written contract terms that clarify the relationship between insurers, policyholders and contractors, says Chip Merlin at Merlin Law Group.

  • NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter of 2024 saw less enforcement activity in the realm of New York financial services, but brought substantial regulatory and legislative developments, including state regulators' guidance on cybersecurity compliance and customer service processes for virtual currency entities, say James Vivenzio and Andrew Lucas at Perkins Coie.

  • Takeaways From Justices' Redemption Insurance Decision

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Connelly v. U.S. examines how to determine the fair market value of shares in a closely held company for estate tax purposes, and clarifies how life insurance held by the company to enable redemption of a decedent’s shares affects that calculation, says Evelyn Haralampu at Burns & Levinson.

  • Managing Legal Risks After University Gaza Protests

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    Following the protests sparked by the war in Gaza, colleges and universities should expect a long investigative tail and take steps to mitigate risks associated with compliance issues under various legal frameworks and institutional policies, say Wiley's Diana Shaw and Colin Cloherty.

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