Specialty Lines
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January 22, 2026
Top LA Fire Issues Implicated In Trio Of New Insurance Bills
Three recent insurance bills in California could significantly change coverage outcomes for policyholders in the wake of disasters and help address some of the issues that have most vexed homeowners following last year's fires in Los Angeles, while adding to a raft of newly enacted insurance laws, pros say.
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January 22, 2026
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
Under Armour's coverage for claims over its public financial forecasts and accounting practices is capped at $100 million, an insurer lost its appeals in two cases stemming from a $40 million drunk driving verdict and an AIG unit doesn't have to pay FedEx $200 million in post-judgment interest. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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January 21, 2026
FedEx Loses $200M Interest Claim Against AIG Unit
A Pennsylvania state judge Wednesday said an AIG unit won't have to pay FedEx $200 million in post-judgment interest following a fatal crash involving one of its drivers, but allowed bad faith and promissory estoppel claims to move forward against the insurer because those claims require a trial.
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January 21, 2026
Nationwide Unit Seeks Exit From Stock Dilution Scheme Suit
A Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. unit told a federal court that it doesn't owe coverage to a company and its officers for a shareholder derivative lawsuit alleging the officers schemed to dilute the stockholders' shares, saying the underlying suit doesn't allege a covered loss for disgorgement or restitution.
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January 21, 2026
Insurer Loses Appeals Over $40M NC Drunken Driving Verdict
A North Carolina appeals court on Wednesday rejected efforts by insurer Integon Indemnity Corp. to appeal decisions in a pair of cases stemming from a $40 million drunken driving verdict, saying the receivers suing for breach of contract were in the correct venue.
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January 20, 2026
Law360 Names Firms Of The Year
Eight law firms have earned spots as Law360's Firms of the Year, with 48 Practice Group of the Year awards among them, achieving milestones such as high-profile litigation wins at the U.S. Supreme Court and 11-figure merger deals.
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January 20, 2026
Cos. Seek Coverage For Military Housing Mold, Defects Suits
A property management company and an affiliated investment company have alleged in Pennsylvania federal court that subsidiaries of insurance giants Starr and Allianz wrongfully denied them coverage for suits filed over allegedly poor military housing conditions.
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January 16, 2026
Law360 Names Practice Groups Of The Year
Law360 would like to congratulate the winners of its Practice Groups of the Year awards for 2025, which honor the attorney teams behind litigation wins and significant transaction work that resonated throughout the legal industry this past year.
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January 16, 2026
Mich. Justices Let Nationwide's Combined Filing Win Stand
The Michigan Supreme Court declined Friday to review a lower court's ruling that allowed Nationwide entities to file combined returns and share tax credits among their members, with one justice suggesting the state Legislature should revise the combined filing rules for insurance companies.
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January 15, 2026
Litigation Costs, Mental Health Risks Strain Coverage For Jails
Liability policies for certain county jails aren't being renewed due to their failure to ensure statewide standards and excessive claims, prompting a review of county policies and available funding, experts say.
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January 15, 2026
Maduro Removal Raises Insurance Questions Around Oil, War
The U.S. military operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power could have significant insurance implications connected to the risk of increased oil trade and questions over whether the operation is viewed as an act of war.
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January 15, 2026
Insurer Owes $24.5M For Burn Case, Medical Spa Trustee Says
A trustee for the bankruptcy estate of a former medical spa owner alleged that Aspen Specialty Insurance Co. breached its duty to defend the woman in litigation over a client's burn injury, forcing her to face a $24.5 million default judgment.
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January 15, 2026
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to take up an appeal of the Sixth Circuit’s jurisdictional standard for mixed actions, the Sixth Circuit found no additional coverage for a religious organization’s code compliance costs and a Delaware state court said a biopharmaceutical company has coverage for a shareholder suit. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week’s top insurance news.
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January 14, 2026
Underwriters Fight Early Win Bid For RealPage MDL Coverage
Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's, London is fighting a landlord's bid for an early win in its suit seeking coverage for multidistrict antitrust litigation against property management software company RealPage Inc. and multiple landlords, arguing that Certain Underwriters' cyber insurance policy for the landlord applies only to data breach claims.
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January 13, 2026
Insurer, IT Co. Settle Coverage Claims Suit In Colo.
An insurance company, an IT company and an investment firm have reached a settlement in the insurer's federal lawsuit in Colorado that alleged it owed no coverage to the IT company, which a jury found liable for making misrepresentations and breaching its cybersecurity agreement with the investment company.
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January 13, 2026
Insurer Didn't Owe Defense To Telecom Co. In Merger Row
An insurer had no duty to defend a telecommunications company sued by a former board member in connection with a 2014 merger, a Wyoming federal court ruled, saying the suit is a single claim under its directors and officers policy and therefore falls under an "insured versus insured" exclusion.
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January 09, 2026
Biopharma Co. Secures D&O Coverage For Shareholder Suit
A biopharmaceutical company is entitled to coverage for a suit alleging its board breached fiduciary duties under a pair of primary and excess directors and officers policies, a Delaware state court ruled, saying the suit is "meaningfully linked" to a previously noticed demand for books and records.
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January 08, 2026
Wash. Climate Change Premium Suit A Sign Of More To Come
A Washington federal court suit accusing oil companies of contributing to increasing homeowners insurance premiums opened up a new consumer-oriented front in a wave of climate change litigation that experts say they only expect to see more of in the coming years.
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January 08, 2026
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed that Nationwide needn't cover a $10 million abuse verdict, a Florida state appeals court reversed a $1 million jury award against an insurance broker and remanded for a new trial, and a New Jersey state court said Margolis Edelstein must face an insurer's malpractice suit.
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January 08, 2026
Tariff-Driven Cost Increases Shift Focus To Property Limits
Construction costs remain high, partly because of tariffs, and questions remain as to the breadth of coverage available under property policies. Law360 spoke to Reed Smith LLP partners Richard P. Lewis and Nicholas M. Insua about their belief that first-party property policies' tariff-related construction cost increases are covered by replacement cost provisions.
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January 07, 2026
Firm In 'Maya' Verdict Seeks Coverage For Spinoff Fee Row
The firm that secured a $213 million award in favor of Maya Kowalski, the person at the center of the Netflix documentary "Take Care of Maya," told a Florida federal court that its professional liability insurer owed coverage for a spinoff suit involving trial consultant fees.
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January 05, 2026
Starr, Collection Co. Reach Deal Over $4.4M Bad Faith Dispute
Starr Indemnity & Liability Co. struck a deal resolving a collections company's bid for $4.4 million in bad faith damages over underlying litigation concerning a real estate development in Washington state.
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January 05, 2026
Payment Co., Insurer End $6.8M Fraud Coverage Dispute
An electronic payments company and its insurer have ended their dispute over whether the company's roughly $6.8 million loss from two fraud schemes fell within its policy's coverage for computer fraud, with an Iowa federal court agreeing Monday to dismiss the case.
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January 02, 2026
Top Property Insurance Trends To Watch In 2026
Homeowners insurance investigations, a novel climate suit accusing oil majors of contributing to high premiums, and a California action accusing carriers of collusion are some of the top property insurance matters attorneys will be watching this year.
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January 02, 2026
Celebrity Rows, D&O Woes Top '26 Specialty Insurance Cases
From high-profile celebrity coverage battles to high-stakes state supreme court rulings, the new year brings with it the promise of litigation developments that will reshape specialty line insurance policy disputes. Here, Law360 looks at a few of the top specialty line insurance cases to watch in 2026.
The Biggest Legal, Regulatory Developments From LA Fires
California's insurance landscape was permanently altered early last year after a series of deadly blazes broke out in the Los Angeles area that continues to challenge efforts to mitigate a statewide crisis associated with high insurance costs and low availability. Here, Law360 looks at a timeline of some of the most important insurance legal and regulatory events that followed the fires.
9th Circ. Casino Coverage Ruling Shakes Contract Exclusion
The Ninth Circuit overturned an AIG unit's win in a coverage dispute with the Las Vegas Sands over an underlying suit alleging the casino failed to pay an agent for his work, challenging the scope of a contract exclusion that is nearly ubiquitous in directors and officers policies, insurance experts say.
Top Specialty Line Insurance Decisions From 2025
The past year of litigation directly addressed key issues in specialty line insurance disputes, including related claims under directors and officers policies, breach of contract exclusions in liability policies, and the right to access insurer reserves. Here, Law360 breaks down some of the most important specialty line decisions of 2025.
Expert Analysis
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Reel Justice: 'Die My Love' And The Power Of Visuals At Trial
The powerful use of imagery to capture the protagonist’s experience of postpartum depression in “Die My Love” reminds attorneys that visuals at trial can persuade jurors more than words alone, so they should strategically wield a new federal evidence rule allowing for illustrative aids, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University.
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ISO's 'Litigation Funding Mutual Disclosure' Is Unenforceable
The Insurance Services Office has recently rolled out a "litigation funding mutual disclosure" form for optional use in policies, but the form is not only unnecessary but also unenforceable for four reasons, says Fiona Chaney at Omni Bridgeway.
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7 Predictions For Cyber Risk And Insurance In 2026
In 2026, cyber risk and insurance will be shaped by developments such as the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, ongoing privacy litigation and evolving regulatory requirements, as organizations that integrate AI into their operations contend with new vulnerabilities and a legal landscape that demands greater vigilance and adaptability, say attorneys at Wiley.
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Insights From 2025's Flood Of Data Breach Litigation
Several coherent patterns emerged from 2025's data breach litigation activity, suggesting that judges have grown skilled at distinguishing between companies that were genuinely victimized by sophisticated criminal actors despite reasonable precautions, and those whose security practices invited exploitation, says Frederick Livingston at McDonald Baas.
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2026 State AI Bills That Could Expand Liability, Insurance Risk
State bills legislating artificial intelligence that are expected to pass in 2026 will reshape the liability landscape for all companies incorporating AI solutions into their business operations, as any novel private rights of action authorized under AI-related statutes signal expanding exposures, say attorneys at Wiley.
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Athlete's Countersuit Highlights Broader NIL Coverage Issues
Former University of Georgia football player Damon Wilson's countersuit against the university's athletic association over a name, image and likeness contract offers an early view into how NIL disputes — and the attendant coverage implications — may metastasize once institutions step fully into the role of contracting and enforcement parties, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.
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Key Trends In PFAS Regulation And Litigation For 2026
As 2026 begins, the legal and regulatory outlook for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances is defined less by sweeping federal initiatives and more by incremental adjustments, judicial guardrails and state-driven regulations — an environment in which proactive risk management and close monitoring of policy developments will be essential, say attorneys at MG+M.
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Maximizing Cyberinsurance Coverage In 2026
One of the most significant risks policyholders face in 2026 is the risk of loss caused by infiltration of their computer systems or manipulation of their employees through the use of computers, highlighting the need for a comprehensive cyberinsurance policy review, say attorneys at Cohen Ziffer.
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Judges Carry Onus To Screen Expert Opinions Before Juries
Recent Second Circuit arguments in Acetaminophen Products Liability Litigation implied a low bar for judicial gatekeeping of expert testimony, but under amended Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, judges must rigorously scrutinize expert opinions before allowing them to reach juries, says Lee Mickus at Evans Fears.
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4 California Insurance Law Decisions To Know From 2025
California continued to shape the national insurance landscape in 2025, issuing a series of decisions that may recalibrate claims handling, underwriting strategy and policy drafting in areas from property damage claims after a wildfire to automobile coverage for delivery drivers in the gig economy, say attorneys at Nicolaides Fink.
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5 Coverage Considerations For Couture And Cosmetics Cos.
Fashion, beauty and cosmetic companies getting ready for 2026 shouldn't neglect important insurance considerations, including stand-alone policies for specialized risk and check-ins with supply chain partners on policy requirements, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Changes In Crypto, Cybersecurity Defined NY Banking In 2025
The major takeaways from 2025 in New York banking policy involve updated guidance, regulations and requirements primarily affecting innovation and digital banking, in areas such as cybersecurity, virtual currencies, and buy now, pay later programs, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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Ruling Upholds $11M Arbitration Award, Offers D&O Lessons
A New York federal court's recent decision in Flextronics v. Allianz, sustaining an $11 million arbitration award against the insurer, represents a significant affirmation of core policyholder protections in directors and officers insurance, specifically those dealing with allocation, insurability and best-efforts obligations, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.