Property
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June 24, 2025
Pollution Exclusion Applies Without Exception, AIG Unit Says
An AIG unit urged the Illinois Supreme Court to find that a permit or regulation allowing a company to discharge toxins into the environment has no bearing on the application of a pollution exclusion, saying "pollution is pollution" regardless of government authorization.
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June 20, 2025
2nd Circ. Backs Chubb's Win In $49M Sandy Coverage Fight
The Second Circuit on Friday cemented a Chubb unit's win in a decade-long dispute over a chocolatier's bid for an additional $49 million in coverage for Superstorm Sandy losses, affirming a decision denying the chocolatier's requests to set aside a jury verdict or hold a new trial.
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June 18, 2025
State Farm Likely To Face 200K Calif. Homeowner Class
A California federal judge indicated Wednesday that he'll likely certify a class of nearly 200,000 homeowners in litigation alleging that State Farm underpays property insurance claims by depreciating sales tax when calculating replacement costs, saying a common issue predominates and noting he'd sided with plaintiffs in a similar 2017 case.
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June 18, 2025
Trade Atty Explores UK Insurance Ruling On Stranded Planes
In finding that major insurers are obliged to pay aircraft lessors billions over planes stranded in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a London court offered an interpretation of war risk loss that could set the stage for future litigation and change how carriers approach coverage, a trade law attorney told Law360. Here, Linda Jacques, a U.K.-based partner at Lester Aldridge LLP, dives into the ruling's implications and possible next steps.
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June 18, 2025
Fed. AI Moratorium Proposal May Undo State Insurance Regs
A proposed federal moratorium on state regulation of artificial intelligence systems has raised alarms from state insurance regulators and practitioners, who say the broad scope of the moratorium may threaten to undo long-established practices and spread confusion across the industry.
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June 18, 2025
Colo. Judge Trims REIT's Antitrust MDL Coverage Dispute
A Colorado federal court trimmed a real estate investment trust's suit seeking coverage for antitrust multidistrict litigation, saying the trust's statutory bad faith claim under Colorado law could not proceed because of a New York choice-of-law provision in its primary policy.
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June 18, 2025
Wash. Panel Sides With Insurer In Café Fire Damage Suit
A couple's commercial property insurer has no duty to cover damage from a kitchen fire at their café, a Washington state appeals court affirmed, finding the couple lacked certain protective safeguards that were required as part of their fire suppression system.
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June 18, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Fourth Circuit affirmed that a homeowner isn't entitled to a premium refund under federal mortgage law, a North Carolina federal court refused to resurrect a hospitality group's pandemic-related coverage suit, and a New York federal court said an insurer can't force another to defend a property owner in an injury lawsuit. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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June 18, 2025
Data Center Risks Call For Close Eye During Policy Renewal
Data centers in the United States continue to grow, but the operators have an often unique portfolio of risks that may not fit squarely within the coverage provided by existing insurance products. Here, Law360 speaks with Reed Smith partner Stephen T. Raptis about the potential risks that data center operators may face and how these policyholders should approach renewals to ensure the data center is properly covered.
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June 18, 2025
Loss Of Ga. Immunity Doctrine A Blow To Malpractice Defense
Lawyers in the Peach State are expected to have a tougher time defending against legal malpractice claims now that the Georgia Supreme Court has thrown out an attorney judgment immunity doctrine that was more than 30 years old, rejecting a bid from more than two dozen law firms to keep it alive.
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June 18, 2025
Dentons Global Hospitality Leader Sees Underwriting Caution
As President Donald Trump's trade war continues, lenders are increasingly exercising caution in underwriting deals for hotels, particularly in areas that depend on a steady influx of international travel, Dentons' global hospitality leader told Law360 in a recent interview.
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June 17, 2025
Insurer Can't Force Another To Cover Worker Injury Suit
An insurer cannot force another to defend a property owner in an underlying worker injury lawsuit through the doctrine of equitable estoppel after both insurers ultimately agreed the policy in question isn't triggered, a New York federal court ruled, finding the policy unambiguous.
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June 17, 2025
SC Pizzeria Says Insurer Owes For Building Fire
An insurer for a South Carolina pizzeria wrongfully refused to pay its full $926,000 policy limit after a fire destroyed the building where the restaurant was located, the business said in a suit removed to federal court.
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June 16, 2025
Mo. Enacts Tax Breaks For Home Disasters, Sporting Events
Missouri will offer a tax credit for insurance policy deductibles incurred when homes are damaged by severe weather and increase a tax credit for tickets sold to certain sporting events under a bill signed by the governor.
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June 16, 2025
Hotel Says Zurich Owes $5.1M For Income, Value Losses
A Zurich Insurance Group unit owes over $5.1 million for business income and extra expenses losses and lost property value after a Texas hotel sustained water damage related to vandalism, the hotel owner told an Oregon federal court, saying the insurer covered repair costs but refused to pay for other losses.
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June 16, 2025
4th Circ. Says No Premium Refunds Under Fed. Mortgage Law
A Virginia homeowner cannot recover premiums he'd prepaid for private mortgage insurance under a federal law mandating such insurance for certain borrowers, the Fourth Circuit ruled Monday, finding the Homeowners Protection Act of 1998's premium refund provisions do not extend to voluntary insurance cancellation agreements.
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June 13, 2025
Co. Must Pay Travelers $4.5M For Construction Bond Default
A signage company accused of failing to perform agreed upon work at a New York redevelopment project must reimburse Travelers over $4.5 million for settling a contractor's claims made against a performance bond, a Pennsylvania federal court ruled.
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June 12, 2025
Air India Disaster Likely To Pose Massive Insurance Costs
Thursday's deadly Air India disaster could implicate a range of insurance coverage proceedings, but experts said massive costs will likely be shared by multiple insurers in a process that will be shaped in part by investigations into the cause of the crash.
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June 12, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
Mandarin Oriental notched a discovery win in its COVID-19 coverage action while appeals courts dealt further defeats in other pandemic-related insurance cases, Uber filed a racketeering lawsuit over sham injury payouts and the Fourth Circuit sided with an insurer in a dispute over stacking policy limits. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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June 12, 2025
Fla. Death Damages Row Signals Insurers' Tort Reform Focus
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' veto of a bill that would have repealed limits on noneconomic damages in fatal medical malpractice cases — despite state lawmakers' overwhelming support of the measure — signals broad concerns over how tort reform legislation could impact the insurance industry.
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June 12, 2025
6th Circ. PFAS Ruling Entrusts Coverage Suits To Fed Level
The Sixth Circuit forged its own jurisdictional standard in determining that when coercive and declaratory claims are closely intertwined it's likely an abuse of discretion for a federal court to abstain from adjudication, and experts are praising the decision as a thorough analysis of the appropriateness of exercising jurisdiction over insurance disputes.
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June 12, 2025
TATA AIG Leads Insurance Cover For Air India Crash
TATA AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd. is the lead insurer for hull and liability on the Air India flight that crashed just after take off in Ahmedabad, India on Thursday, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
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June 11, 2025
Chubb Unit Underpaid Hydroelectric Plant Losses, Suit Says
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.
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June 11, 2025
Mandarin Can Get Reserves, Reinsurance Info In COVID Row
"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.
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June 11, 2025
Uber Says Fla. Firm, Drivers Staged Wrecks For Profit
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.
Expert Analysis
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Navigating Mortgage Insurance Provisions After LA Fires
As homeowners affected by the Los Angeles wildfires consider rebuilding, mortgage lenders and servicers must negotiate the complex intersection between the standard deed of trust and property insurance, says Heather Wright at Buchalter.
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Year Of The Snake Will Shake Up RE And Mortgage Finance
The year ahead may bring profound transformation and opportunities for growth in the real estate and mortgage finance sectors, with significant issues including policy battles and questions surrounding the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, says Marty Green at Polunsky Beitel.
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5 Argument Techniques For Policyholder Advocates
Winning insurance coverage disputes often comes down to who has articulated the more compelling interpretation of the relevant policy language, which is why the best policyholder advocates come back to certain tried and true argument approaches, says Greg Van Houten at Haynes Boone.
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Improving Comms Between Trial Attys And Tech Witnesses
In major litigation involving complex technology, attorneys should employ certain strategies to collaborate with companies' technical personnel more effectively to enhance both the attorney's understanding of the subject matter and the expert's ability to provide effective testimony in court, say attorneys at Buchalter.
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A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape
Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape.
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Courts Should Nix Conferencing Rule In 1 Discovery Scenario
Parties are generally required to meet and confer to resolve a discovery dispute before bringing a related motion, but courts should dispense with this conferencing requirement when a party fails to specify a time by which it will complete its production, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law.
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Illuminating The Trend Of Florida's Unpaid Hurricane Claims
The sheer number of insurance claims closed without payment for damage caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helene reveals a systemic problem within Florida's insurance industry exacerbated by complex issues, including climate change and state regulators' resource limitations, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.
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Top Considerations For Insurance Companies In 2025
As insurance industry participants look to plan for the year, regulatory changes, climate-related challenges, the ongoing effects of social inflation and the potential for significant mergers and acquisitions will be among the key items for insurer boards and management to have on their radar, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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What Public View Of CEO's Killing Means For Corporate Trials
Given the proliferation of anti-corporate sentiments following recent charges against Luigi Mangione in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, attorneys who represent corporate clients and executives will need to adapt their trial strategy to account for juror anger, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation Consulting.
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The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024
Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.
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Insurance Considerations For LA Wildfire Recovery
Businesses and homeowners affected by the destructive Southern California wildfires must act swiftly and strategically to navigate the complexities of the insurance recovery process, including by identifying all applicable policies, documenting damage thoroughly and keeping abreast of relevant state law, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Artfully Conceding Liability Can Offer Defendants 3 Benefits
In the rare case that a company makes the strategic decision to admit liability, it’s important to do so clearly and consistently in order to benefit from the various forms of armor that come from an honest acknowledgment, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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LA Wildfires' Effect On Calif. Insurer Of Last Resort
Attorneys at Willkie discuss the background of California's insurer of last resort — known as the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan — and examine the process of assessing member insurers and relevant recent property insurance market developments in light of the destruction from the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.