Specialty Lines

Expert Analysis

• What Cos. Can Glean From Early Cyber Policy Cases

  

  Insurance claims for cyberattacks under cyber-specific policies have thus far been less contested than claims brought under commercial, crime and professional liability policies, however that may be changing, as cyber losses and liabilities continue to escalate and the market hardens, says Daniel Healy at Anderson Kill.

• A Guide To Extrinsic Evidence In Determining Duty To Defend

  

  As the eight-corners rule for the duty to defend is increasingly riddled with exceptions to its strict formulation of confining the analysis to only the language of the insurance policy and the underlying complaint, Richard Mason at MasonADR discusses the newest notable decisions and offers strategies for attorneys litigating the duty to defend.

• What Insureds Should Look For In Excess Policies

  

  A recent California appellate court decision, Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Cement, demonstrates how courts will protect policyholder expectations against primary insurance carriers' actions that might restrict available excess coverage, and highlights how insureds should be diligent in reviewing excess policies on primary erosion, say Courtney Horrigan and Elizabeth Taylor at Reed Smith.

• Political Risk Insurance May Help Cos. Hurt By Russian War

  

  As Russia’s war on Ukraine causes severe economic fallout, it’s crucial that U.S. companies with operations in the region understand what losses might be covered by their political risk insurance policies, and take steps to ensure that all available coverage is preserved and maximized, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes and Boone.

• Recent Rulings May Support False Claims Act Coverage

  

  Following a banner year for U.S. Department of Justice recoveries in False Claims Act cases and with FCA investigations likely to grow, companies and executives facing FCA exposures may find support in recent policyholder-friendly decisions for both their underlying defense and related insurance claims, says Geoffrey Fehling at Hunton.

• Anticipating Cyberinsurance Wartime Exclusion Questions

  

  Amid threats that Russia and Moscow-sponsored groups may increase malicious cyberattacks, businesses can mitigate risk by analyzing how war and hostilities exclusions apply to their insurance policies and maintaining a comprehensive record of government cyberattack warnings, say Steven Stransky at Thompson Hine, David Finz at Alliant and Rick Yocum at TrustedSec.

• Check Your Policy Fine Print For Cyberwarfare Coverage

  

  Given increasing risks of cyberwarfare following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and with a recent policyholder-friendly ruling in Merck v. ACE from a New Jersey state court, those insured should take notice of certain insurers' expansive changes to war exclusions to broadly include cyberattacks, say Philip He and Colin Kemp at Pillsbury.

• How To Negotiate Better D&O Coverage For Antitrust Matters

  

  In light of the Federal Trade Commission's recent indication that it will ramp up antitrust enforcement, Geoffrey Fehling and Christopher Dufek at Hunton discuss several issues corporate policyholders should review when placing and renewing directors and officers insurance coverage.

• New 'Bad Faith' Claim Law Holds NJ Insurers Accountable

  

  New Jersey’s recently enacted Insurance Fair Conduct Act, giving policyholders a bad faith cause of action for claims involving uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, is an important step toward countering unfair insurer advantage and expanding consumer protections, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

• Insurance Implications Of Texas '8 Corners' Rulings

  

  Two recent Texas Supreme Court opinions resolve a long-pending question by reaffirming the so-called eight-corners rule as the primary means for determining an insurer's duty to defend, which should provide greater consistency between future state and federal decisions, says Susan Kidwell at Locke Lord.

• Why I'll Miss Arguing Before Justice Breyer

  

  Carter Phillips at Sidley shares some of his fondest memories of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer both inside and out of the courtroom, and explains why he thinks the justice’s multipronged questions during U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments were everything an advocate could ask for.

• Examining Event Cancellation Coverage As COVID Lingers

  

  Recent pandemic-related postponements from the NBA, NFL and Grammys, coupled with COVID-19 being excluded from new event cancellation policies, highlight the need for event organizers to explore cancellation risks and how specialty coverage can serve as a tool for mitigation, say Jorge Aviles and Andrea DeField at Hunton.

• What Cos. Should Know About D&O Policy Landscape In 2022

  

  Directors and officers liability insurance issues are likely to evolve this year against the backdrop of a new COVID-19 variant, rising inflation and other developments, particularly with regard to antitrust-related enforcement, special purpose acquisition companies, pandemic-related liability and cybersecurity, says Christina Lincoln at Robins Kaplan.