Specialty Lines
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October 22, 2024
Insurer Beats Sacramento Kings' COVID-19 Coverage Suit
A California federal court handed a win to the Sacramento Kings' insurer in a coverage dispute over pandemic-related losses that the basketball team and its arena operator incurred, finding that a contamination exclusion bars coverage.
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October 22, 2024
How Law Firms Get And Keep Elite Status
For decades, a handful of New York-based law firms thoroughly dominated the national consciousness when it came to power, profitability and prestige. But in today's legal market, increased movement of partners and clients from one firm to the next has begun to shake things up and create opportunities for go-getters to ascend the ranks.
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October 22, 2024
The 2024 Prestige Leaders
Check out our Prestige Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their financial performance, attractiveness to attorneys and law students, ability to secure accolades and positive legal news media representation.
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October 21, 2024
Funeral Home Seeks Coverage For Mishandled Bodies Suit
A funeral home told an Illinois federal court that its insurer wrongfully denied coverage for an underlying putative class action accusing the home of mishandling bodies and misrepresenting to family members how it would handle their loved ones' remains, arguing its business owners policy didn't exclude handling of dead bodies.
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October 21, 2024
Consultants' Bank Data Breach Claim Too Late, Insurer Says
An insurer owes no coverage to consultants defending against a data breach lawsuit involving a California bank because the consultants failed to notify the insurer of the claim in time, the company told a Washington federal court.
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October 18, 2024
Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attys From 74 Firms
The attorneys chosen as Law360's 2024 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.
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October 18, 2024
Allianz, Santander End Shareholder Suit Coverage Fight
Allianz has agreed to drop its request in Massachusetts federal court for a ruling that it is not obligated to cover Santander Holdings' defense in a now-settled 2022 shareholder lawsuit, a recent filing showed.
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October 17, 2024
Wash. Library Says Insurers Undervalued $4.8M Damage
A Washington island library district blamed its insurers for undervaluing damages caused by frozen sprinkler pipes that burst during a snowstorm by more than $2.9 million in a case removed to Washington federal court.
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October 17, 2024
Markel Drops Film-Financing Scheme Coverage Spat
An Illinois federal judge dismissed a Markel unit's lawsuit against a wealth manager and his companies seeking a declaration that it didn't owe coverage, according to a notice, following the insurer's request to drop the action without precedent.
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October 17, 2024
Milton Brings High Insured Costs, Familiar Pressures To Fla.
While Florida avoided a worst case scenario following Hurricane Milton's landfall, insurance experts say that the high cost of the storm will add familiar pressures to a Florida homeowners insurance market that has been battered for years by storms.
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October 17, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Texas insurance chief denied an insurer of last resort's 10% rate hike proposal, a Pennsylvania federal court sacked the Philadelphia Eagles' COVID-19 coverage claims, asbestos claimants urged the Fourth Circuit to uphold the reorganization plan of Kaiser Gypsum Co. and an insurer avoided defending a gender discrimination suit. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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October 17, 2024
Health Co. Must Face State Farm Settlement Interpretation Suit
An automobile-accident-focused healthcare company can't escape State Farm's lawsuit claiming the facility breached a settlement agreement by failing to drop hundreds of personal injury protection suits, a Florida federal court ruled.
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October 17, 2024
Law360's Guide To The 2024 Insurance Commissioner Races
Voters around the country are gearing up to head to the polls, reading up on candidates' policies and checking their registration statuses, but in four states, voters will also cast their ballots for a new insurance commissioner. Here, Law360 takes a look at the races.
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October 17, 2024
5th Circ. Tosses Policyholder's Hurricane Coverage Suit
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a National Flood Insurance Program policyholder's suit seeking coverage for at least $100,000 in hurricane damage to a Mississippi beachfront property, saying it was time-barred and failed to allege any extracontractual duties.
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October 16, 2024
Calif. Community Flood Insurance Project Secures New Funds
California's water regulation authority will support a novel flood insurance program aimed at providing a tiny Central Valley town with coverage in the event of a major flood event, the state's insurance commissioner said Wednesday.
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October 16, 2024
Inspector Says It's Not To Blame For $3.4M Yacht Damage
A company that inspected a boat hoist that failed during the launch of a yacht said it wants out of a $3.4 million dispute between Lloyd's syndicates and underwriters and a Seattle boat builder, telling a federal court that its actions did not cause the damage to the vessel.
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October 15, 2024
Wash. Hospital Wants Spinal Surgeon Scandal Suit Tossed
A healthcare system in Washington state has urged a federal judge to throw out the government's civil lawsuit alleging it perpetuated a doctor's scheme to earn millions of dollars from unnecessary surgeries, accusing prosecutors of "second-guessing" the organization's legitimate processes for hiring physicians and addressing internal complaints.
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October 15, 2024
Medical Insurer Needn't Defend Doc Against Trans Bias Suit
A plastic surgeon's medical liability insurer had no duty to defend against claims that the surgeon violated Minnesota's Human Rights Act by suggesting that a transgender woman seek breast augmentation surgery elsewhere, a state appeals court ruled, finding the claims didn't constitute a "medical incident."
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October 15, 2024
Judge Approves Murdaugh Boat Crash Settlement
A South Carolina judge has approved a $15 million settlement in a suit against a gas station that allegedly sold alcohol to disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh's underage son, who was later involved in a boat crash that killed one person, after a hangup with an insurance carrier was resolved.
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October 15, 2024
Insurer Asks Court To Weigh In On Damaged Embryo Suit
An insurer for a fertility clinic asked a Texas federal court to determine whether it owes coverage for an underlying suit accusing the clinic of knowingly transferring damaged or destroyed embryos into patients.
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October 15, 2024
Law Firms Diverge As Anti-ESG Pushback Continues
A continuing onslaught of legislation and litigation opposing corporate environmental, social and governance actions has created a fork in the road for law firms, with some choosing to scale back efforts and others pushing ahead with their internal ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
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October 15, 2024
The 2024 Law360 Pulse Social Impact Leaders
Check out our Social Impact Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their engagement with social responsibility and commitment to pro bono service.
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October 10, 2024
Insurers Win Big In Hawaii Climate Change Pollutant Suit
The Hawaii Supreme Court's ruling that AIG doesn't need to cover a suit accusing a Sunoco subsidiary of contributing to climate change drew praise from insurance carrier attorneys for finding that greenhouse gasses are an excluded pollutant, but policyholder attorneys took satisfaction in the court's expanded view of covered occurrences.
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October 10, 2024
COVID Coverage Questions Linger As Challenges Wind Down
Nationwide efforts to recover insurance payouts for COVID-19 pandemic losses met a series of setbacks in recent weeks, largely bringing major litigation to a close even as questions linger over key coverage issues that could have lasting effects.
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October 10, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
A Hawaii petroleum company isn’t covered for underlying claims that it contributed to global warming, The Rockefeller University can continue to pursue bad faith and deceptive practice claims against its carriers in a coverage dispute over sex abuse claims, and an aircraft company is seeking $220 million for aircraft still in Russia. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
Expert Analysis
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Employment-Related Litigation Risks Facing Hospitality Cos.
A close look at recent hospitality industry employment claims highlights key issues companies should keep an eye out for, and insurance policy considerations for managing risk related to wage and hour, privacy, and human trafficking claims, say Jan Larson and Huiyi Chen at Jenner & Block.
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A Look At Florida's Aggressively Pro-Insurer Tort Reform
Florida's new tort reform law is an unwarranted gift to insurance companies that seeks to strip policyholders of key rights while doing little to curb excessive litigation, say Garrett Nemeroff and Hugh Lumpkin at Reed Smith.
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Navigating High Court's Options In Insurer Choice Of Law
Depending on how the U.S. Supreme Court approaches the question of when insurers may invoke choice-of-law clauses in maritime contracts to dodge state-specific liability, the Great Lakes v. Raiders Retreat Realty decision may mean significant changes not only for admiralty law disputes, but for the insurance industry more broadly, say Lara Cassidy and Adriana Perez at Hunton.
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Practical Tips For Managing Bank D&O Liability Risk
With the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank potentially inspiring regulators to increase scrutiny of management at similar institutions, banking directors and officers should mitigate personal liability risks through keen attention to sound banking practices and regulators' announced priorities, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Establishing A Record Of Good Faith In Mediation
Viacom v. U.S. Specialty Insurance, and other recent cases, highlight the developing criteria for determining good faith participation in mediation, as well as several practical tips to establish such a record, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.
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Using ChatGPT To Handle Insurance Claims Is A Risky Move
ChatGPT gets some insurance law questions surprisingly wrong, and while it handles broader coverage concepts significantly better, using it to assist with coverage questions will likely lead to erroneous results and could leave insurers liable for bad faith, says Randy Maniloff at White and Williams.
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Del. Ruling Could Affect D&O Claims Beyond SPACs
A Delaware state court recently held in Clover Health v. Berkley Insurance that directors and officers of a post-merger entity were insured persons under a special-purpose acquisition company's D&O policy, a ruling that could have potential ramifications for future D&O claims in Delaware outside of SPAC deals, say Geoffrey Fehling and Janine Hanrahan at Hunton.
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A Missing Issue In 'Blank Space' Insurance Ruling
As Norwegian Hull Club v. North Star heads to trial in Florida federal court, the most interesting part of the court opinion denying summary judgment is the argument it doesn't address — contra proferentem, which could have been used to resolve the case's blank space ambiguity in the policyholder's favor, say Jeffrey Mikoni and Scott Greenspan at Pillsbury.
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High Court Ax Of Atty-Client Privilege Case Deepens Split
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent dismissal of In re: Grand Jury as improvidently granted maintains a three-way circuit split on the application of attorney-client privilege to multipurpose communications, although the justices have at least shown a desire to address it, say Trey Bourn and Thomas DiStanislao at Butler Snow.
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The Wide Oversight Implications Of Del. McDonald's Ruling
The Delaware Chancery Court's recent ruling that a McDonald's officer had oversight obligations on par with directors has wide-reaching implications for Delaware corporate law, including precedent for the court to hear sexual harassment claims, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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How Courts Are Clarifying D&O Policies' Bump-Up Provisions
The Seventh Circuit's recent decision in Komatsu Mining v. Columbia Casualty provides long-awaited appellate guidance on the inadequate consideration provision in directors and officers insurance — and the Fourth Circuit may provide more in its forthcoming ruling in Towers Watson v. National Union Fire Insurance, says Andrew Paliotta at Cozen O’Connor.
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Crypto Coverage After FTX Fall: Crime And Custody Coverage
Cryptocurrency firm FTX's recent implosion provides a case study for potential crypto exposure under traditional insurance policies, and suggests carriers should ask some basic underwriting questions, including whether a company engages in transactions involving cryptocurrencies or holds digital assets in custody, says Anjali Das at Wilson Elser.
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Wis. High Court Ruling May Open Door To Coverage Exception
The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s recent decision in Dostal v. Strand finding that an insurer had to defend a civil action following the defendant's criminal conviction on the same facts nonetheless may suggest an exception to the complaint test for determining an insurance company's defense obligation, say David Hollander and Clementine Uwabera at Stafford Rosenbaum.