Health Insurers Can't Force Conn. ERISA Row Into Arbitration

By Gianna Ferrarin

Elevance Inc. can't compel arbitration of a union health plan's allegations the insurer caused it to pay excessive administrative fees and medical costs, a Connecticut federal judge ruled, finding the insurer and its subsidiaries waived that right by seeking to dismiss the proposed class action.

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Justices Won't Review Erie Indemnity Fee Dispute

By Hope Patti

The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will not review a decision vacating a temporary halt on a Pennsylvania suit challenging Erie Indemnity Co.'s collection of a management fee.

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Progressive Escapes Workers' Tobacco, Vaccine Fee Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

Allegations that Progressive Corp. wrongly charged higher health premiums from workers who used tobacco or refused the COVID-19 vaccination failed to state a claim for violating federal benefits law, an Ohio federal judge ruled as he tossed a proposed class action against the insurance giant.

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BJ's Says Pension Fund Oversteps With Climate Study Ask

By Julie Manganis

BJ's Wholesale Club told a Massachusetts federal judge that it cannot be forced to poll shareholders on whether the retailer should study the effects of deforestation on its supply chains, calling it an improper attempt at "micromanagement."

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Md. Judge Rules Written Consent Not Needed Under TCPA

By Christopher Cole

Echoing a recent Fifth Circuit ruling, a Maryland federal judge has held that written consent to receive telemarketing calls is not required under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, reversing a decision to certify a class of consumers against a dental plan marketer.

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NC High Court Nixes Mold Claims Over Contract Limit

By Mike Curley

The North Carolina Supreme Court has thrown out a couple's suit against a contractor over water and mold damage to their home, finding that a one-year limitation on claims in their work contract applies over the four-year statute of limitations in the state's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

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Zurich Says No Coverage For $19M Faulty Pipeline Award

By Hope Patti

A pipeline construction company is not entitled to coverage for a $19 million interim arbitral award issued to a midstream energy company, several Zurich insurers told a Missouri federal court, saying the damages for defective welding are not for property damage caused by an occurrence or are otherwise excluded.

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Insurers Seek Early Win In $22M Berkshire Antitrust Case

By Zach Dupont

A group of insurers sued by a Berkshire Hathaway-owned construction supplier have asked a Colorado federal judge for an early win in the suit, claiming they have no duty to indemnify the damages in an underlying antitrust suit.

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Truck Insurance Wants Arbitrator Dispute Back In State Court

By Hope Patti

Truck Insurance Exchange urged a New York federal court to remand its bid to disqualify an arbitrator, who previously served as the insurer's attorney, from an asbestos coverage fight with a group of reinsurers, saying the court lacks subject matter jurisdiction.

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Timeshare Exit Co.'s Insurer Challenges $630M Class Deal

By Ben Adlin

Insurance provider General Casualty Co. of Wisconsin on Friday challenged client Reed Hein & Associates LLC's $630 million settlement with a class of Reed Hein customers in Washington federal court, saying the figure was crafted by a plaintiffs' expert with no relevant background.

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Berkshire Buying $1.8B Stake In Japan's Tokio Marine

By Al Barbarino

Berkshire Hathaway plans to acquire a roughly 2.5% stake in Tokio Marine for more than $1.8 billion as part of a new strategic partnership, in a move that could expand their access to global deals, the Japanese insurance giant announced Monday.

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3 Policy Lines To Revisit After Justices Nix Emergency Tariffs

The U.S. Supreme Court's invalidation of President Donald Trump's emergency-based tariffs could expose businesses to allegations of misrepresenting tariff effects and raise the prospect of consumer actions seeking refunds — underscoring the need for policyholders to potentially reposition their insurance portfolios, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

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How 2 Decisions Reframed Witness-Centered Trials

The recent Maryland federal jury verdict in U.S. v. Goldstein and the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Villarreal v. Texas suggest that the traditional paradigm of American civil trial practice, with its emphasis on witness performance and assertive advocacy, may not reflect the ideal approach for the modern courtroom, says Joshua Robbins at Crowell & Moring.

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Labor & Employment Head Named Next Morgan Lewis Chair

By Tracey Read

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP announced Monday that the global leader of its labor and employment practice was unanimously elected as the firm's next chair to take over for Jami McKeon, who will retire at the end of the year.

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Social Media Atty Sanctioned For 'Most Shameful Moment'

By Craig Clough

A California judge on Monday sanctioned an attorney for the plaintiff in a bellwether trial alleging Meta Platforms and Google's social media platforms harm children's mental health, fining him $1,100 and keeping him off the plaintiffs' steering committee for violating court rules by twice filming inside the courthouse.

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NJ Judges Name US Atty In Apparent End To Leadership Fight

By Jake Maher

The New Jersey federal court on Monday appointed a career federal prosecutor to serve as U.S. attorney for the Garden State in what appears to end a lengthy standoff between district judges and the U.S. Department of Justice over leadership of the office.

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Immigration Judges To Challenge Their Firing At Fed. Circ.

By Britain Eakin

Attorneys for a pair of fired immigration judges said Monday they will ask the Federal Circuit to review a federal panel ruling that stripped them of civil service protections, warning of a dramatic expansion of presidential authority over the civil workforce.

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Day Pitney Fights DQ Over Ex-Justice's Time On Case He Heard

By Aaron Keller

Day Pitney LLP has apologized after former Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson, now a firm partner, billed 15.7 hours for reviewing a since-remanded case he heard years ago as a justice, but the firm said the "error" should not disqualify its other lawyers from advancing the litigation. 

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Reed Smith Pushes To Continue Atty Depo In NJ Bias Suit

By Jake Maher

Reed Smith LLP is urging a New Jersey state trial court to allow it to resume its deposition of a former attorney suing it for gender discrimination years after the last deposition date in the wake of an appeals court decision widely expanding the scope of discovery.

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Ramey IP Attys, Client Must Pay $107K Fees In Bad-Faith Suit

By Emily Sawicki

A San Francisco federal judge has ordered three sanctioned attorneys, including Texas intellectual property lawyer William Ramey III, together with their client, to cover $107,389 in attorney fees stemming from three identical patent suits the lawyers launched and withdrew in 2024, also ordering Ramey to show cause why he should not face further sanctions.

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Roundup

Injury Law Roundup: Meta Atty Uses Jane Doe Plaintiff's Name

By Y. Peter Kang

A Meta attorney's gaffe and Mark Zuckerberg's testimony in the closely watched social media addiction bellwether trial, and an announced $7.25 billion settlement by Bayer over Roundup weedkiller claims, lead Law360's Injury Law Roundup.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court's docket this past week featured high-stakes disputes involving major consumer brands, a reinstated video game executive, revived noncompete and compensation claims and fresh allegations of corporate misconduct in the healthcare sector.

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