Specialty Lines
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May 21, 2025
Court Approves $32.5M Symetra Settlement For Overcharging
A Washington federal court has given final approval for a $32.5 million settlement resolving claims between Symetra and life insurance policyholders who claimed the company used undisclosed factors to overcharge them.
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May 20, 2025
Insurers Say Legal Malpractice Costs Keep Outpacing Inflation
The frequency at which major law firms faced malpractice claims held relatively steady in 2024, but payouts on claims continued to boom at a rate outpacing general inflation, according to this year's legal professional liability insurance survey, with nearly half of insurers surveyed reporting having paid at least one claim over $150 million.
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May 19, 2025
Insurer Drops Fight Over $9M OpenText Merger Settlement
Allied World National Assurance Company on Monday ended its lawsuit seeking a declaration that it wasn't obligated to contribute to a $9 million settlement in a shareholder class action stemming from Covisint Corp.'s merger with OpenText.
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May 19, 2025
Insurer Says Pizza Chain Only Gets $250K For Cyberattack
A cyber insurer for Cicis Pizza told a Texas federal court that it's already paid the full amount of coverage the restaurant chain is owed for a May 2022 ransomware incident, arguing that only a $250,000 sublimit under a ransomware endorsement applies.
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May 15, 2025
Attys Weigh Breadth Of 10th Circ. Pollution Row Interpretation
A Tenth Circuit ruling that a New Mexico property owner wasn't owed a defense for underlying contamination litigation because of separate, unambiguous absolute pollution exclusions in its policies was no surprise, policyholder attorneys said, but a broad reading of the exclusions still gives them pause.
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May 15, 2025
Insurers' Win In Arbitration Treaty Ruling Narrows Circuit Split
A recent Second Circuit ruling in favor of international insurers seeking to arbitrate hurricane damage claims helped further close a significant circuit court split on the interpretation of a key international arbitration treaty, according to expert attorneys.
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May 15, 2025
Immigration Enforcement Risks May Fall Into Coverage Gaps
As the U.S. government continues to broaden and intensify its immigration enforcement actions, businesses concerned about their risks may find themselves falling between a gap in traditional lines of coverage for government investigations and employment-related liabilities.
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May 15, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The California Department of Insurance approved State Farm's request for an emergency rate increase, the Delaware Supreme Court heard arguments concerning coverage for 3M's defense costs payments in multidistrict litigation, and a U.S. Senate committee questioned Allstate and State Farm on their claims-handling procedures for natural disasters. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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May 15, 2025
Securities Atty Talks Carrier IPOs In Uncertain Market
A selective thawing in the market could provide an opening to go public for insurance companies that aren't as directly affected by tariffs as companies in other industries, as demonstrated by two initial public offerings last week. Here, Law360 takes a look with Matthew L. Fry, a Haynes Boone partner who advised on one of the IPOs, that of American Integrity Insurance.
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May 14, 2025
Idaho Murderer's Family Can't Get Coverage, Judge Says
The wealthy mining family of a mentally ill man who murdered and allegedly ate his victim's genitalia was denied insurance coverage for underlying litigation brought by the decedent's survivors when an Idaho federal judge determined the killing wasn't unforeseen and the killer's subjective motives weren't relevant.
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May 14, 2025
NC Progressive Customers Get Class Cert. In Car Value Suit
A class of Progressive Auto Insurance customers in North Carolina suing over the company's alleged practice of making adjustments that reduced their compensation for total loss claims has been certified by a federal judge.
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May 14, 2025
Insurer Blamed For Unpaid $3.2M Horse-Related Theft Deal
A show horse company that said an equestrian and his associate stole prize money, horse sale proceeds and valuable stallion semen blamed an insurer for covering protracted underlying litigation in bad faith, telling a Florida federal court that nothing was left for an eventual $3.2 million settlement.
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May 13, 2025
State Farm's Emergency Rate Hike Request Approved In Calif.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Tuesday that he had adopted a judge's recommendation to approve State Farm General Insurance Co.'s request for an emergency rate increase for property insurance in the state, following January wildfires that have already cost California insurers $12.1 billion.
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May 12, 2025
Ex-Liberty VP Can Shield Health Info In Bias Suit, For Now
A Black former Liberty Mutual vice president and senior talent adviser got a temporary sealing order Monday in her race bias suit against the insurer, with a North Carolina magistrate judge stating that certain documents including her personal health information would be protected until her permanent sealing bid is resolved.
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May 12, 2025
Will Justices Finally Rein In Universal Injunctions?
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to address for the first time Thursday the propriety of universal injunctions, a tool federal judges have increasingly used to broadly halt presidential orders and policy initiatives, and whose validity has haunted the high court's merits and emergency dockets for more than a decade.
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May 12, 2025
Cadwalader Drops Data Breach Coverage Suit Against Lloyd's
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP and a Lloyd's of London syndicate it sued seeking coverage for litigation stemming from a 2022 data breach have agreed to end their dispute in North Carolina's business court with prejudice, according to a joint stipulation from the parties.
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May 12, 2025
Broker's Insurer Wants Out Of Suit Over Bad Advice
A professional liability insurer told a Florida federal court it owes no coverage to an insurance broker accused of wrongly advising its client on a $15.9 million hurricane loss because the advice came years before coverage began.
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May 08, 2025
Insurer Owed Reimbursement In Worker Injury Coverage Row
A Washington federal court on Thursday ordered a subcontractor's insurer to reimburse a general contractor's insurer for more than $280,000 after both insurers helped settle an underlying worker injury lawsuit, finding the subcontractor's insurer owed additional insured coverage to the general contractor.
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May 08, 2025
Alaska Fishery Insurance Co-Ops Cast Wide Coverage Net
The Alaska House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill permitting commercial fishers to form insurance cooperatives, a move that allows all eligible boat owners the ability to obtain coverage from a source that understands the industry for a reasonable price, representatives said. Here, Law360 speaks with Reps. Louise Stutes and Kevin McCabe about what to expect.
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May 08, 2025
9th Circ. Says Oil Co. Marine Policy Doesn't Cover $8M Award
Lloyd's underwriters don't owe coverage for an $8.1 million award to the employer of a deckhand who was injured by defective mooring at a natural gas extraction platform, the Ninth Circuit held, saying coverage wasn't triggered under the platform owner's charterers legal liability policy.
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May 07, 2025
Politics, Tech Issues Top Concerns At Chicago Risk Event
Insurance and risk professionals around the country gathered in Chicago to discuss potential perils and opportunities for the future, with talks often centering on President Donald Trump's administration, technological developments and statutory reform of the legal system.
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May 06, 2025
3rd Circ. Won't Review PNC's $106M No-Coverage Ruling
The Third Circuit declined Tuesday to reconsider its decision that PNC Bank isn't owed coverage for a $106 million judgment it incurred over claims that its predecessor mismanaged funeral trust accounts.
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May 06, 2025
4th Circ. Hears Towers Watson's Bump-Up Exclusion Appeal
The Fourth Circuit seemed skeptical Tuesday that Towers Watson's settlement of shareholder litigation was not an effective increase in deal compensation barred by a so-called bump-up exclusion in its directors and officers policies.
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May 05, 2025
Citizens Policy May Cover BIPA Claim, 7th Circ. Says
An Illinois food ingredient manufacturer may be able to tap into one of its Citizens insurance policies for coverage of an underlying biometric privacy suit, if the company can prove it provided the insurer with timely notice of the claim, the Seventh Circuit said.
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May 05, 2025
Insurance Key Concern In Fighting Cyberattacks, Panel Says
Companies need to consider a wide range of protections and policies to stem the growing risks posed by social engineering, wire transfer fraud and other forms of cyberattacks, panelists at a risk conference said Monday.
Expert Analysis
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How D&O Coverage Can Aid Against Increased AI Scrutiny
The recent increase in regulatory enforcement and securities class actions stemming from corporate use of artificial intelligence should prompt companies to ensure that their directors and officers liability insurance coverage is appropriately tailored to AI-related risks, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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8 Tech Tips For Stress-Free Remote Depositions
Court reporter Kelly D’Amico shares practical strategies for attorneys to conduct remote depositions with ease and troubleshoot any issues that arise, as it seems deposition-by-Zoom is here to stay after the pandemic.
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4 Ways Attorneys Can Emotionally Prepare For Trial
In the course of litigation, trial lawyers face a number of scenarios that can incite an emotional response, but formulating a mental game plan in advance of trial can help attorneys stay cool, calm and collected in the moment, says Rachel Lary at Lightfoot Franklin.
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Presidential Campaign Errors Provide Lessons For Trial Attys
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign employed numerous strategies that evidently didn’t land, and trial attorneys should take note, because voters and jurors are both decision-makers who are listening for how one’s case presentation would affect them personally, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Putting NYDFS AI Cybersecurity Guidance Into Practice
New guidance from the New York Department of Financial Services explains how financial institutions should assess and mitigate cybersecurity risks associated with artificial intelligence, focusing on four main threats and highlighting how varying environments require specific mitigation measures, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.
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Recent Developments In Insurance Coverage For FCA Claims
As the U.S. Department of Justice continues its vigorous False Claims Act enforcement, companies looking to their insurers to help defray the costs of an investigation or settlement should note recent decisions on which types of policies cover FCA claims, which policy periods apply and which portions of FCA-related losses are covered, say attorneys at Covington.
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Consider The Impact Of Election Stress On Potential Jurors
For at least the next few months, potential jurors may be working through anger and distrust stemming from the presidential election, and trial attorneys will need to assess whether those jurors are able to leave their political concerns at the door, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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NC Ruling Takes Practical Approach To Duty-To-Defend Costs
In Murphy-Brown v. Ace American Insurance, a case of first impression, the North Carolina Business Court adopted the commonsense rationale of many state courts in holding that policyholders' defense costs should be deemed presumtively reasonable when a insurer breaches its duty to defend, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
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A Look At Insurance Coverage For Government Investigations
Attorneys at Jenner & Block discuss the quirks and potential pitfalls of insurance coverage for government claims and investigations, including those likely to arise from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently announced whistleblower program.
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Why Diversity Jurisdiction Poses Investment Fund Hurdles
Federal courts' continued application of the exacting rules of diversity jurisdiction presents particular challenges for investment funds, and in the absence of any near-term reform, those who manage such funds should take action to avoid diversity jurisdiction pitfalls, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.
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7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight
Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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Insurance Considerations For Cos. That May Face Strikes
The recent surge in major work stoppages in the U.S. highlights the growing importance of strike preparedness for businesses, which includes understanding strike insurance coverage options, say Chris D’Amour and Brooke Duncan at Adams and Reese.
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Challenges Of Insuring An NIL Collective
Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty examines the emergence of name, image and likeness collectives for student-athletes, the current litigation landscape that has created a favorable environment for these organizations, and considerations for director and officer insurers looking to underwrite NIL collectives.