Property
-
March 04, 2025
Insurer Can't Escape Fla. Condo's Hurricane Damage Dispute
An insurer can't escape a Florida condominium association's suit seeking coverage for property damage caused by a September 2020 hurricane, a New York federal court ruled, saying the association's update of a preexisting elevator replacement bid in light of storm damage was not clearly fraudulent conduct or misrepresentation.
-
March 04, 2025
Puerto Rico Cruise Port Says Insurer Must Cover Pier Damage
A San Juan cruise port operator said its Hartford insurer wrongfully denied coverage for damage to one of its piers after a cruise ship collided with the structure, telling a Puerto Rico federal court Tuesday that exclusions and clauses cited by the carrier were either inapplicable or misinterpreted.
-
March 03, 2025
Insurers Must Proceed With Arbitrating $40M Resort Dispute
A Hawaii federal judge scolded a group of foreign and domestic insurers for ignoring his order to arbitrate a claim for at least $40 million in storm losses at two resorts, saying his ruling "was not advisory."
-
March 03, 2025
Jet Co. Says Insurer Can't Modify Airport Damage Appraisal
A private jet charter company said a Liberty Mutual unit underpaid its claim for property damage to airport facilities following a March 2023 storm, telling a Kentucky federal court that the insurer is now seeking to unlawfully modify an ongoing appraisal of the claimed loss.
-
February 28, 2025
Insurer Gets Partial Early Win In Oil Pollution Coverage Suit
Because of a late notice, an insurer shouldn't have to defend an oil and gas company against litigation claiming it damaged neighboring land after it discharged wastewater, a U.S. magistrate judge recommended to a Texas federal court Friday, but indemnification might still be on table.
-
February 28, 2025
Coverage Claims Trimmed For Faulty Non-GMO Grain Silos
A grain storage company's insurer has no duty to cover some damages a grain seller is seeking over its leaky grain bin claims, an Indiana federal judge ruled, though finding the insurer can't yet avoid covering damages directly related to the allegedly faulty harvest itself and certain lost profits.
-
February 27, 2025
Calif. State Farm Meeting Raises Solvency Concerns
State Farm's emergency request for a 22% premium increase in California has raised questions about the insurer's financial health, but a prominent consumer group says the carrier hasn't justified that request and several others that would raise premium costs.
-
February 27, 2025
Insurers' High Court Bid In Virus Case Tests Tribal Jurisdiction
A group of insurers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit order directing them to litigate the Suquamish Tribe's COVID-19 coverage suit in tribal court, setting a potential showdown over the bounds of tribal jurisdiction and future tribal coverage disputes. Here, Law360 breaks down the case before the justices decide whether to take up the suit.
-
February 27, 2025
Q&A: Minnesota Law Prof On Hard-To-Read Insurance Policies
How hard is it to understand a homeowners insurance policy? For many, reading a policy will often raise more confusion about what's covered than if they hadn't read a policy at all, according to a new paper from experts in insurance and consumer law. Here, Law360 discusses the subject with Daniel Schwarcz, a University of Minnesota Law School professor who has built a career in studying the transparency of insurance markets.
-
February 27, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
New York's insurance regulator imposed over $20 million in fines against auto insurers, the Eighth Circuit found that a Missouri law barred an insurer's $60 million asbestos coverage suit and the Tenth Circuit affirmed that AIG doesn't owe coverage to a Colorado ski resort's homeowners association.
-
February 26, 2025
Auto Insurer Freed From Covering Gunshot Injury Litigation
An auto insurer doesn't have to cover a driver whose passenger was shot, court papers allege, by a neighbor who was incensed by what he perceived to be reckless driving, a Florida federal judge ruled.
-
February 26, 2025
Driver Accuses Geico Of Lying About Accident Forgiveness
Geico unlawfully disguises rate increases as surcharges, a driver alleged in a suit filed in Texas federal court, saying his premium nearly doubled after an accident despite being enrolled in an accident forgiveness program.
-
February 25, 2025
Chicago Escapes Bulk Of Insurer's $26M Willis Tower Suit
An Illinois federal judge dismissed the majority of a dozen counts brought by Travelers against the city of Chicago and its water district seeking repayment for $26 million in flood damage to Willis Tower, leaving only common law negligence claims.
-
February 25, 2025
Fla. Bill Targets Last-Resort Coverage For Unsafe Condos
A bill introduced ahead of Florida's 2025 legislative session looks to bar the state's Citizens Property Insurance Corp. from providing or renewing coverage policies for condominiums that fall short of inspection requirements.
-
February 24, 2025
Insurer Won't Have To Cover Sports CEO's Child Sex Suits
An insurance company doesn't have to defend the former leader of a sports equipment company against allegations of sexual assault against minors, a Washington federal court said Monday, making final an earlier ruling that said the policies offered no conceivable coverage.
-
February 24, 2025
Insurer Sues Valve Co. To Recoup Payout To Ohio School
The "catastrophic" flooding of a Cincinnati school was due to a faulty water stop valve, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday by an insurance provider that seeks to hold building products manufacturer Masco Corp. and its plumbing subsidiary liable for the nearly $225,000 in damages.
-
February 24, 2025
Penn National Settles NC Hurricanes Coverage Suit
Penn National Mutual Casualty Insurance Co. settled a property owner's insurance payout suit filed in North Carolina federal court just before the suit headed to trial.
-
February 21, 2025
Insurers Ask High Court To Review Tribal Jurisdiction Order
A group of insurers led by AIG unit Lexington Insurance Co. urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit ruling ordering them to litigate COVID-19-related property insurance claims in Suquamish Tribal Court despite the insurers' contention that the coverage claims related to "off-reservation conduct."
-
February 21, 2025
Morgan Lewis Adds Partner To Insurance Recovery Practice
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP announced that it has added a new partner and insurance expert in its Chicago office, in a move to bolster the firm's insurance recovery and dispute resolution capabilities for corporate policyholder clients.
-
February 21, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, V&E, Cravath, Dechert
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Diamondback Energy buys Midland Basin assets from another oil and natural gas company, GTCR closes its second strategic growth fund, Light & Wonder Inc. buys Grover Gaming's assets, and Barings acquires Artemis Real Estate Partners.
-
February 20, 2025
Calif. Subrogation Bill Sets Insurers Against Oil Cos.
A California bill that would incentivize insurers to recoup disaster losses from oil and gas companies is being hailed by supporters as a novel way to hold large polluters accountable for climate change, but carrier attorneys say the bill is full of cost-drivers.
-
February 20, 2025
NFIP Flood Claim Borrowing Raises Viability Concerns
FEMA's recent announcement that it was borrowing $2 billion from the U.S. Treasury to pay National Flood Insurance Program claims related to Hurricanes Helene and Milton emphasizes the insurance program's need for reform amidst threats of agency cuts under the Trump administration, experts say.
-
February 20, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
State Farm was asked to justify desired rate hikes in California after recent fires, Zurich said the LA fires would cost it over $200 million, an insurer got out of covering a blaze because of a policyholder blunder and a hydrofracking exclusion can't prevent an insurer from covering a fatal fire. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
-
February 19, 2025
Fla. Court Won't Revive Property Manager's COVID Claims
A Florida state appeals court on Wednesday said a lower court correctly ruled that a Miami property management company's insurance policy did not cover losses caused by COVID-19 closures because government shutdown orders were not specific to the business.
-
February 19, 2025
Insurers Must Cover Soybean Loss, NY Appeals Court Affirms
A commodities trading company is entitled to coverage for the loss of over 500,000 bushels of soybeans resulting from a Mississippi-based warehouse's entrance into bankruptcy, a New York state appeals court affirmed.
Expert Analysis
-
Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.
-
Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code
As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.
-
State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.
-
Defining All-Risk: Despite $30M Loss, Loose Bolt Not 'Damage'
A Massachusetts federal court’s recent ruling in AMAG Pharmaceuticals v. American Guarantee and Liability Insurance Co., denying coverage for $30 million in damages claimed when a loose bolt caused an air leak, highlights an ongoing debate over the definition of “direct physical loss or damage,” say Josh Tumen and Paul Ferland at Cozen O'Connor.
-
Sublimit And Policy Interpretation Lessons From Amtrak Case
The recently settled dispute between Amtrak and its insurers over sublimit coverage illustrates that parties with unclear manuscript policies may wish to avoid litigation in favor of settlement — as the New York federal court declined to decide the case by applying prior term interpretations, says Laura Maletta at Chartwell Law.
-
Climate Among Many Factors Driving Up RE Insurance Costs
A proactive approach to risk management may determine the viability of the U.S. commercial real estate sector as weather crises and other factors drive insurance costs higher, says Ulrick Matsunaga at Crosbie Gliner.
-
Fla. Insurer-Breach Cases Split On Unrepaired Property Issue
A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Universal v. Qureshi is directly at odds with a 2020 decision from another Florida appellate court, and raises important questions for policyholders and insurers about the proper measure of damages in breach claims involving unrepaired property, say Andrea DeField and Yaniel Abreu at Hunton.
-
NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In a relatively light few months for banking legal updates in New York, the state Department of Financial Services previewed its views on banking sector artificial intelligence use via insurer guidance, and an anti-money laundering enforcement action underscored the importance of international monitoring processes, say Eric McLaughlin and Dana Bayersdorfer at Davis Polk.
-
3 Coverage Tips As 2nd Circ. 'Swipes Left' On Tinder Claim
The Second Circuit's recent opinion in Match Group v. Beazley Underwriting, overturning Tinder's victory on its insurer's motion to dismiss a coverage action, reinforces three best practices policyholders purchasing claims-made coverage should adhere to in order to avoid late-notice defenses, say Lynda Bennett and Alexander Corson at Lowenstein Sandler.
-
What To Know About Insurance Coverage For Antitrust Risks
With all the regulatory activity surrounding antitrust and unfair competition claims, as highlighted by last month's D.C. federal court decision that Google is a monopolist, businesses must not only ensure compliance, but also understand their potential insurance coverage when such claims arise, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes Boone.
-
Keys To Successful Commercial Property Insurance Claims
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
While insurance needs for commercial leasing arrangements are driven by the characteristics of the premises and the nature of the tenants' intended operations, there are several universal best practices landlords and their counsel can follow when making claims after loss or damage.
-
Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss the muted nature of the property and casualty insurance class action space in the second quarter of the year, with no large waves made in labor depreciation and total-loss vehicle class actions, but a new offensive theory emerging for insurance companies.
-
Ore. Insurance Litigation Is Testing The Bounds After Moody
Despite the Oregon Supreme Court’s attempt to limit application of its 2023 decision in Moody v. Oregon Community Credit Union, which for the first time awarded extracontractual damages stemming from alleged negligent claims handling, recent litigation shows Oregon insurance companies face greater exposure, says Sarah Pozzi at Cozen O’Connor.