Specialty Lines
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January 09, 2025
Calif. Insurance Chief Blocks Policy Cancellation In Fire Zones
Insurance companies can't cancel or refuse to renew homeowners coverage for policyholders in the immediate vicinity of the Los Angeles wildfires for one year, the California Department of Insurance announced as fires continue to ravage Southern California.
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January 08, 2025
Captive Insurer Says Reinsurer Must Cover Legionnaires' Row
The captive insurer of a Michigan healthcare system asked a federal court Wednesday to find that its reinsurer couldn't sell off coverage responsibilities and owes payment for underlying suits alleging various patients contracted Legionnaires' disease.
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January 07, 2025
Insurer Seeks Exit From Engineering Co.'s $1M Settlement
An engineering company's insurer told a Texas federal court it needn't cover the company's $1 million payment to settle a man's personal injury claims, arguing the company failed to give proper notice after the underlying court had already entered an over $7.2 million default judgment that was ultimately vacated.
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January 06, 2025
Insurance Execs Seek Defense Costs For Self-Dealing Suit
Insurance company executives who were fired amid accusations they stole assets from their company to start a competing venture demanded coverage for the dispute from their new business's insurer in Georgia Federal Court.
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January 03, 2025
Del. Court Rules Against Insurers In Harman 'Bump-Up' Case
In a closely watched ruling on director and officer insurer denials of mergers and acquisitions cost "bump-up" payouts, a Delaware judge sided on Friday with Harman International Industries' claims that insurance providers unjustifiably denied coverage for a $28 million settlement of challenges to Harman's 2017 merger with Samsung Electronics America Inc.
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January 02, 2025
Year In Review: AI Tops Insurance Issues Amid Mass Adoption
2024 marked the year when generative artificial intelligence systems moved past their headline-grabbing debut to widespread adoption across industries, providing opportunities and challenges to policyholders and their insurers looking to navigate risks associated with the technology's use. Here, Law360 speaks to experts in insurance and technology law to explain how AI adoption and risks developed over the past year and what insurers and their insureds should focus on in the new year.
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January 02, 2025
D&O, Cyber Issues Top Specialty Line Cases To Watch In 2025
2025 promises to usher in significant developments in ongoing litigation fights over crucial specialty line insurance issues, including directors and officers and cyber risk policies. Here, Law360 speaks to experts for carriers and policyholders on the top cases to watch in the new year.
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January 02, 2025
Top Specialty Lines Insurance Cases of 2024
The past year featured litigation over bump-up exclusions and the rights of excess insurers, a court split over clauses that limit policyholders' ability to seek coverage, and another appeal by Towers Watson over coverage for its failed merger with Willis. Here, Law360 takes a look at the top five cases involving specialty lines insurance policies in 2024.
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December 23, 2024
Ethics Disclosure Fail Sinks Firm's Coverage, NJ Panel Says
A law firm that failed to reveal an attorney's ethics case when applying for malpractice insurance coverage effectively secured the policy using misrepresentations, the New Jersey state appeals court ruled, declining to revive the firm's suit over the rescission of its policy.
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December 20, 2024
Insurer Gets Out Of Ga. Sperm Bank's Bad Seed Claims
A Georgia federal judge said Allied World Surplus Lines Insurance Co. has no duty to defend a sperm bank that has been sued in Canada and the United States for allegedly selling semen from a donor with genetic abnormalities.
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December 19, 2024
State And Federal Insurance Regulations To Watch For In 2025
The insurance market will likely face regulatory challenges and opportunities in 2025 as regulators on the state and federal level gear up to reverse major trends and tackle emerging developments. Here, Law360 looks at a few key pieces of regulation and regulatory areas that will be closely watched by the insurance industry.
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December 19, 2024
Policyholders See Notable But Limited Win In NC Virus Suit
North Carolina's top court handed policyholders a rare victory last week in finding that the "direct physical loss" requirement for "all-risk" insurance can cover losses connected to the coronavirus pandemic, but experts say the ruling's late-in-game arrival will limit its impact.
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December 19, 2024
Overlooked Evidence In Katrina Suit Highlights Insurers' Risks
The Mississippi Supreme Court's ruling affirming a $10 million Hurricane Katrina damages award against USAA emphasized the risk a carrier runs when ignoring evidence while investigating a claim, while an additional $4.5 million awarded in attorney fees by the court raised eyebrows, insurance experts told Law360.
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December 19, 2024
Insurer Win In Lead Abatement Row A Blow To Policyholders
The Ohio Supreme Court's ruling that insurers for Sherwin-Williams Co. needn't cover the paint-maker's portion of a $305 million settlement to abate lead paint in California marked another win for carriers in public nuisance litigation, as policyholder experts remain unconvinced by the court's evaluation of "damages" in commercial general liability policies.
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December 19, 2024
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The North Carolina Supreme Court handed policyholders a rare win in a COVID-19 coverage suit, the Eleventh Circuit revived a citrus grower's bid for damages and a North Carolina state appeals court threw out a nearly $29 million judgment against an insurance company. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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December 19, 2024
The 5 Strangest Insurance Cases Of The Year
Insurance protects policyholders from the unforeseen, but some circumstances are so strange that even insurers couldn't have predicted them. While 2022 was wild and 2023 was weird, 2024 saw cases involving bear costumes, cannibalism, vulture infestation, a severe bug problem and a former Allstate employee with animation skills and an alleged vendetta. Here, Law360 looks back on the strangest insurance cases of 2024.
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December 17, 2024
Insurer Can't Duck Coverage Of Fire Suit, Texas Jury Finds
A Texas federal jury rejected an insurer's bid to escape covering a trucking company in an underlying suit over a fire at a saltwater disposal facility that killed one of the company's employees, finding that the incident was not caused by the excluded act of hydrofracking.
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December 16, 2024
11th Circ. Says Citrus Grower's Coverage Row Was Ripe
A citrus grower's bid for damages from its insurer in connection with environmental remediation costs was ripe, the Eleventh Circuit said, reviving the case after finding that a Florida district court wrongly dismissed it by conflating the issue of ripeness with the merits of the grower's claims.
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December 13, 2024
Retirees Say Lumber Co.'s $1.5B Pension Transfer Upped Risk
A wood product manufacturer violated federal benefits law when it transferred $1.5 billion of pension obligations to a private equity-backed insurance company, substantially increasing the risk that retirees will see their benefits slashed, according to a proposed class action filed in federal court.
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December 13, 2024
NC Justices Topple Insurer Victory In COVID Coverage Battle
The North Carolina Supreme Court handed policyholders a rare win Friday in their bid to get property insurance coverage for their pandemic-related business interruption losses, unanimously finding that the insuring phrase "direct physical loss" included the loss of use of property due to COVID-19 public health orders.
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December 12, 2024
BIPA Ruling Split Muddies Policyholders' Hopes For Relief
Two opposing district court decisions on the application of a law limiting damages under an Illinois biometric privacy law marked a setback for policyholders searching for relief from an avalanche of litigation that has posed a challenge to coverage.
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December 12, 2024
Call To Scrap Insurance Monitor Raises Issue Of Federal Role
A recent call from North Carolina's insurance chief to eliminate the U.S. Department of the Treasury's insurance monitor could portend trouble for the office and federal initiatives to better understand climate risks to consumers, but experts say the monitor is already limited in power.
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December 12, 2024
USAA Inks $3.25M Data Breach Deal With 22K Customers
More than 22,000 USAA customers have asked a New York federal judge to grant preliminary approval to a $3.2 million settlement to resolve a proposed class action alleging the company's security failures in its online insurance quote system allowed cybercriminals to open fraudulent memberships.
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December 12, 2024
Recent M&A Surge Signals Boon In Reps & Warranties Market
An expected surge in mergers and acquisitions under President-elect Donald Trump's business-friendly agenda points to a positive outlook for an evolving representations and warranties insurance market, experts say, bringing welcome growth following a recent slump in M&A activity.
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December 11, 2024
Pillsbury Atty Talks Terrorism Liability Safeguards For CRE
Owners of commercial real estate properties such as office towers and concert venues can limit their liability in the event of a terrorist attack by bolstering their legal defenses through the federal Safety Act, a Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP public policy partner told Law360 Real Estate Authority.
Expert Analysis
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Del. Insurance Co. Liquidation Reveals Recovery Strategies
Arrowood's recent liquidation in the Delaware Chancery Court offers a positive development for policyholders and claimants, providing access to guaranty association protections amid the company's demise, say Timothy Law and Ann Kramer at Reed Smith.
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The Basics Of Law Firm Cyber Liability Insurance Applications
Cyber liability insurance has become a common consideration for law firms as cyber threats have escalated, but these insurance forms can be quite complicated given the nature of the industry and associated risks, so simply filling out the form won't necessarily result in an ideal policy for your firm, says Kevin Haight at WAMS.
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Insurance Considerations For Cos. Assessing New AI Risks
Because no two businesses will have the same artificial intelligence risk profile, they should consider four broad risk categories as a baseline for taking a proactive approach to guarding against AI-related exposures, say attorneys at Hunton.
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AI Brings New Insurance Concerns For Healthcare Providers
As the healthcare industry increasingly invests in medical artificial intelligence tools, it confronts a variety of liability risks that necessitate careful consideration and potential recalibration of providers' insurance programs, say Marialuisa Gallozzi and Megan Mumford Myers at Covington.
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3 AI Regulation Developments Insurers Must Follow
Insurance regulators continue to actively develop regulations and guidance on the use of artificial intelligence, so insurers should be aware of recent developments from the Colorado Division of Insurance, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the New York Department of Financial Services, say attorneys at Willkie.
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Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint
In the face of a pending "mega-trial" over leased airplanes held in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, a settlement between leading aviation lessor AerCap Holdings NV and NSK, the Russian state-controlled insurance company, could pave the way for similar deals, say Samantha Zaozirny and Timeyin Pinnick at Browne Jacobson.
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How Shareholder Activists Are Targeting Insurers
As shareholder activists take a closer look at the insurance industry, they are pushing insurers to take value-enhancing and climate-related measures — but insurers can prepare by anticipating activist concerns, maintaining robust shareholder engagement, and considering changes in response to the universal proxy rules, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Unlocking Value In Carve-Out M&A Transactions
Some of the largest mergers and acquisitions in 2023 were carve-out transactions, and despite their unique intricacies and challenges, these transactions offer both buyers and sellers the opportunity to generate outsized returns in an otherwise vigorously competitive landscape, when carefully planned and diligently executed, say Kevin Crews and Rami Totari at Kirkland.
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Tips For Negotiating Strong D&O Insurance Protection
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
D&O insurance is often the last line of defense for the personal assets of a director or officer, so taking the time to negotiate improvements to their D&O policies and ensuring that the coverage is appropriate for the insureds' risk profile can greatly improve the chances that their policies will protect them when they need coverage the most, says Thomas Bentz at Holland & Knight.
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Insurers Should Prepare For 'Black Swan' Climate Disasters
As rapid climate change results in increased risk of casualties and property loss from rare, severe weather events, the insurance industry should take five crucial steps toward evolving and continuing operations, including advanced analytic techniques and investments in alternative energy sources, say Stephen Brown and Irena Maier at Wilson Elser.
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3 Quirks Of New Jersey Insurance Coverage Law
There are a multitude of state-specific requirements and nuances that make New Jersey insurance law unique, including in the areas of duty to defend, reservation of rights and bad faith, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.
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How Del. 'Arising Out Of' Ruling May Affect Insurance Cases
The Delaware Supreme Court decision in Ace American Insurance v. Guaranteed Rate focused on a professional services exclusion, but the ruling has wide-ranging application in insurance coverage disputes involving any exclusions that employ "arising out of" or similar prefatory language, say Keith McKenna and Maria Brinkmann at Cohen Ziffer.
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Assessing D&O Coverage Amid Challenges To DEI Policies
As the recent backlash against corporate diversity, equity and inclusion policies leads to shareholder litigation and other legal challenges, companies bolstering their DEI efforts should ensure that their directors and officers and employment practices' liability insurance policies provide sufficient coverage for potential claims, say Peter Gillon and Patrick Blood at Pillsbury.