Lindberg Can't Hold Up Deal On Insurance Co. Clawback

By Rick Archer

A New York bankruptcy judge Monday found that disgraced insurance mogul Greg Lindberg cannot pause a $13 million settlement between one of his companies and parties he is accused of fraudulently funneling money to while he appeals its approval.

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Health Plan Startup Sues CMS Over 2-Star Medicare Rating

By Gianna Ferrarin

A health insurance startup urged a D.C. federal court to set aside a low Medicare Advantage star rating it received from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for 2027, arguing CMS used improper criteria and is jeopardizing approximately $20 million in revenue.

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Geico Bars Wash. Workers From Discussing Pay, Suit Says

By MJ Koo

Geico is facing a proposed class action in Washington state court alleging that its confidentiality agreement unlawfully prevents employees in the state from discussing their wages and potentially illegal conduct at work.

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2nd Circ. Affirms $19.5M Win For Scholastic In Insurance Fight

By Elliot Weld

The Second Circuit has upheld a $19.5 million judgment for Scholastic Inc. following a fight with a Travelers unit over whether the insurer had to cover Scholastic's litigation expenses in a separate copyright and trademark infringement case.

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Policy Not Yet Triggered For Contamination Costs, Court Told

By Hope Patti

A steel manufacturer must exhaust a $25 million property policy and pay an additional $5 million before an environmental liability policy will cover damage stemming from a radioactive contamination incident, an Allianz insurer told an Indiana federal court.

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Med Group Ordered To Return $750K Overpayment To Insurer

By Gianna Ferrarin

A pediatric specialty practice group must pay Equitable Financial Life Insurance Co. upwards of $750,000 it received as an overpayment after the group surrendered its policies, an Illinois federal judge ruled Monday, finding the provider breached its contract by failing to surrender the funds.

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Chicago Firm Says Insurer Can't Maintain Wire Fraud Suit

By Hope Patti

A Chicago law firm accused of failing to spot an email fraud scheme that diverted settlement funds intended to resolve an abuse suit against a church asked an Illinois state court to toss an insurer's suit, saying the carrier failed to establish that it is subrogated to the church's rights.

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Vesttoo Ex-CFO Wants Insurers To Pay $1.5M In Legal Fees

By Jarek Rutz

A former chief financial officer of Vesttoo has urged the Delaware bankruptcy court to let the insolvent Israeli fintech's insurance carriers cover more than $1.5 million in legal fees stemming from fraud-related investigations and proceedings in multiple countries, arguing the debtor's U.S. bankruptcy protection should not prevent him from accessing the insurance funds.

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7th Circ. Judge Doubts RE Co.'s Lost Evidence Coverage Bid

By Lauraann Wood

A Seventh Circuit judge seemed skeptical Monday of a real estate company's bid to pursue insurance coverage for a settlement resolving a hotel employee's underlying evidence spoliation claim, suggesting the company may be asking the federal court to go further than any Illinois court has previously been willing.

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Execs Sandbagged Failed Trucking Insurer Receiver, Jury Told

By Cara Salvatore

The receiver for defunct trucking insurer Spirit told a Nevada jury Monday that in the days after a court took control, executives of an outside company handling Spirit's business functions inserted "extraordinary" roadblocks into the process of alerting customers that the insurer was finished.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court last week cleared the way for Cloudflare Inc. to seek immediate review of an injunction blocking a stock restructuring designed to preserve its founders' control, while setting a January hearing in a similar dispute over Meta Platforms Inc.'s plan to create nonvoting shares.

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High Court Disbars Judicial Watch Founder Larry Klayman

By David Minsky

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday disbarred Judicial Watch founder and Florida conservative activist attorney Larry Klayman following his 18-month suspension issued last year by the D.C. Court of Appeals. 

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Firms Must Face RICO Claims In Asbestos Fraud Suit

By Emily Field

An Illinois federal judge on Friday held that Simmons Hanly Conroy LLP and Sokolove Law must face racketeering claims brought by a Los Angeles industrial pipe manufacturer alleging that the firms brought baseless asbestos claims, finding that an antitrust doctrine shielding those who petition the courts does not apply.

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DOJ's Civil Division Head Joins Agency Exits After Midterms

By Jack Karp

The leader of the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Division, Brett A. Shumate, on Monday became at least the fifth top DOJ official to step down following Republicans' defeat in last week's midterm elections.

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Trump Eyes OLC Chief For Texas Judgeship After Midterms

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump is considering the head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel for a federal judgeship in Texas, a process that started right after the Democrats won big in last week's midterm elections.

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Goldstein Says Gov't Conceded Key Trial Errors

By Jared Foretek

SCOTUSblog co-founder Thomas Goldstein told the Fourth Circuit that the federal prosecutors who netted 12 tax and mortgage fraud convictions effectively conceded they hid evidence by steering a key witness to new testimony mid-trial and had reversed their stance on jury instructions, two key issues in Goldstein's appeal.

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AAA Says Consumers' Monopoly Claims Lack Factual Support

By Caroline Simson

The American Arbitration Association is lashing out against consumers who accuse the institution of monopolizing the consumer arbitration services market, telling a federal judge on Monday that they should be sanctioned for including "false, misleading, and unsupported allegations" in an amended complaint.

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Wash. Panel Nixes $10K Sanctions On Monsanto PCB Attys

By Rachel Riley

A Washington Court of Appeals panel has overturned a combined $10,000 in sanctions against four attorneys who defended Monsanto from chemical poisoning claims, concluding Monday that the trial court overstepped its authority by personally punishing the lawyers for late disclosure of expert witnesses.

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