SVB's $73M Fraud Losses Not Covered, Insurers Say

By Hope Patti

Two insurers said they owe no coverage for a fraudulent scheme that caused the failed Silicon Valley Bank to lose $73 million, telling a North Carolina federal court that the bank has not satisfied all requirements under its financial institution bonds' extended forgery coverage provision.

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NC Law Firm Can Pursue Coverage In $510K Loan Fraud Row

By Danielle Ferguson

A North Carolina federal judge on Tuesday said a professional liability insurer must face claims that it has to defend a law firm against allegations it was responsible for a $510,000 fraudulent home loan, finding documents in the closing package could preserve coverage. 

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Insurer Loses Bid To Recoup $3.4M Coverage For Grill Fire

By Danielle Ferguson

An insurer attempting to recoup more than $3.4 million it paid to homeowners whose house was greatly damaged in a grill fire lacks the proof needed to claim the negligence by the grill-maker caused the fire, a Tennessee federal judge ruled Monday in dismissing the case.

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Wash. Panel Revives GLP-1 Health Plan Coverage Fight

By Gianna Ferrarin

A Washington state appeals court revived a proposed class action by state employees alleging their benefit plan discriminatorily barred health coverage for GLP-1 medications treating obesity, finding a lower court should have allowed the case to proceed to discovery.

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Court Backs MassMutual's $1.5M Life Policy Termination

By Hope Patti

A Texas federal court ruled that MassMutual did not prematurely terminate a $1.54 million universal life insurance policy after a company failed to pay the minimum amount required to keep the policy active during a grace period.

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Travelers Unit Says No Coverage In Cannabis Explosion Suits

By Mike Curley

A Travelers Property Casualty Corp. unit is suing two of its insureds in California federal court, seeking a declaration that its insurance policies don't cover defense and indemnity of suits over a deadly explosion allegedly caused by an illegal cannabis operation.

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Analysis

ERISA Recap: 5 Litigation Developments From April

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Supreme Court turned down a bakery company's bid for review of a union multiemployer pension withdrawal bill, the Fourth Circuit held a bonus plan was exempt from federal benefits law, and the Sixth Circuit ruled federal law preempted Arkansas pharmacy benefit manager laws and regulations. Here's more on those and two other major decisions from April that benefits attorneys may want to know.

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Contractor Says Early Exit Is Unsupported In Premium Hike Suit

By Elaine Briseño

Hartford Insurance members should not be granted summary judgment in a $1.7 million premium suit, a government contractor has said, arguing in Connecticut federal court the contractor has successfully pled its breach of contract claims.

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Feds Say Stolen BigLaw Deal Info Aided Huge Trading Scheme

By Chris Villani

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday unveiled indictments outlining a massive insider trading scheme that allegedly netted tens of millions of dollars using nonpublic information about mergers and acquisitions worked on by some of the nation's biggest law firms.

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McDermott Is Cutting Its Associate Ranks

By Aebra Coe

McDermott Will & Schulte is downsizing its associate ranks less than a year after the firm was created via a combination of legacy firms McDermott Will & Emery and Schulte Roth & Zabel, the law firm confirmed Wednesday.

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Roberts Says High Court's Job Is To Make Unpopular Rulings

By Katie Buehler

Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday that the U.S. Supreme Court often must issue "unpopular" opinions, as the high court faces widespread backlash over its recent ruling limiting the Voting Rights Act's use in challenging racial discrimination in congressional redistricting.

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The Top Law Schools For Every Career Path: Class Of 2025

Where do law school graduates end up once they dive into the job market? Find out which schools came out on top for job placements in BigLaw, federal and state court clerkships, and other legal industry sectors.

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Atty Sanctioned Over Bogus Citations In Forced Labor Case

By Jake Maher

A Maine federal judge has sanctioned an attorney for submitting court filings with fake legal citations to oppose the dismissal of a forced labor trafficking suit against a school, after using an artificial intelligence platform.

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Feds Say 4th Circ. ICE Ruling Doesn't Help Ex-Wis. Judge

By Ryan Boysen

Former Wisconsin state judge Hannah C. Dugan can't use a recent Fourth Circuit ruling to overturn her conviction for obstructing ICE officers, the federal government said Wednesday, calling that ruling "merely relevant" and not at all binding.

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NC Man Pleads Guilty To Doxxing Justice's Home Address

By Bonnie Eslinger

A North Carolina man who posted the home address of a U.S. Supreme Court justice online and suggested violence against members of the high court pled guilty Wednesday to a "doxxing" charge with the intent to "threaten, intimidate, or incite a crime of violence" against the justice.

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Judge Won't Force Hunter Biden's Foreign Agent Registration

By Jack McLoone

A Washington, D.C., federal judge won't force the U.S. Department of Justice to register Hunter Biden as a foreign agent, dismissing a suit brought by a group founded by now-Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller because it can't establish it suffered an injury.

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