General Liability
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February 18, 2025
Meta Repeats Push To Halt Social Media Coverage Row In Del.
Meta urged a Delaware federal court again to stay coverage proceedings over underlying claims it deliberately designed its platforms to be addictive to adolescents, noting the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation may soon transfer the case to California federal court, where the underlying litigation is taking place.
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February 18, 2025
Acccounting Firm Blames Broker For Losing $1M In Coverage
A Texas accounting firm accused its insurance broker of causing it to lose $1 million coverage by failing to inform an excess insurer that the firm was subpoenaed in connection with the investigation of a $12 million seismic data collection company embezzlement scheme, the broker told a Texas federal court.
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February 18, 2025
Calif. Insurance Chief Asks State Farm To Justify Rate Hikes
California's insurance commissioner asked State Farm General Insurance Co. to appear for an in-person "informal conference" later this month over its request for emergency rate hikes in the wake of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires in January, saying the insurer has not yet justified the move.
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February 14, 2025
Calif. Insurance Chief Backs Wildfire Mitigation, Recovery Bills
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced his support Friday for a slew of bills aimed at addressing wildfire mitigation and recovery, including measures to maximize insurance claim payouts and stabilize the state's insurer of last resort.
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February 14, 2025
Insurer Goes After Another In $3.5M Sewer Damage Suit
A subcontractor's insurer lodged a third-party complaint against a Liberty Mutual unit in Colorado federal court, accusing it of reaching a "collusive" $730,000 consent agreement in an underlying sewer rupture dispute and arguing that the unit should've paid its full $2 million limit instead.
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February 14, 2025
Nonprofit Not Covered For Palestine Protest Suit, Insurer Says
An insurer said it has no duty to defend or indemnify a social justice organization against a proposed class action concerning a Chicago protest in support of Palestine, telling a New York federal court the allegations against the Westchester County foundation don't fall within its policies' scopes of coverage.
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February 13, 2025
Blake Lively Defamation Suits Bring Insurance Center Stage
A stream of defamation lawsuits stemming from the movie "It Ends With Us" could have insurers gearing up to determine potential coverage obligations for such litigation, as the debate over settling versus going to trial marks a gap in the insurer-insured relationship for celebrity policyholders, experts say.
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February 13, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
A California appeals court used a high court pandemic insurance ruling to uphold a denial of fire debris coverage, the state's insurer of last resort will receive $1 billion in additional funding and the South Carolina Supreme Court considered receivership orders over foreign companies' insurance assets. Here, Law360 takes a look at this week's top insurance news.
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February 13, 2025
PFAS Claims Expose Insurance Industry To 'Next Asbestos'
With thousands of lawsuits pending nationwide over what plaintiffs and regulators allege are the harms caused by PFAS exposure and regulators pushing to limit the production and use of the chemicals, policyholders are bracing for both increased liabilities and uncertain scopes of insurance coverage.
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February 13, 2025
Insurers Say Adjuster Must Cover $66M Suit Over Boat Death
Insurers told a North Carolina federal court that a company they contracted with failed to perform its agreed-upon adjustment duties on claims related to a 2021 fatal Florida boat accident and didn't pay legal fees when a more than $66 million suit erupted over the incident.
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February 12, 2025
Insurer Needn't Pay For Leaky Window Arbitration Award
An insurer doesn't need to pay for an arbitration award entered against its policyholder and in favor of a Kansas county board of commissioners in a defective window installation dispute, a federal court ruled, saying the commercial general liability policy at issue doesn't cover the policyholder's breach of contract.
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February 11, 2025
Calif.'s Insurance Safety Net Gets $1B Infusion For Fire Claims
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has signed off on $1 billion in additional funding for California's FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, to ensure the plan can keep paying consumer claims to survivors of the Southern California wildfires, according to an order issued Tuesday.
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February 11, 2025
SC Justices Question Receivership Orders In Asbestos Row
The South Carolina Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared to agree with a trial court's imposition of sanctions against two Canadian companies found to disobey discovery orders in asbestos injury lawsuits, but questioned whether the judge's corresponding appointment of a receiver over their insurance assets was premature.
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February 11, 2025
Insurer Says $641M Deal Over Tainted Flint Water Not Covered
An insurer told a Michigan federal court Tuesday that it shouldn't have to pay any part of a $641 million settlement reached by a Flint, Michigan, medical center on behalf of patients who supposedly suffered from legionella and lead exposure because of unclean drinking water in the facility.
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February 11, 2025
Insurer May Need To Pay Landlord Row Atty Fees, Panel Says
A California state appeals court found in a partial reversal that an insurer may not be owed more than $300,000 in disputed attorney fees following a $925,000 settlement it contributed to on behalf of a landlord it insured over a tenant dispute.
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February 10, 2025
Calif. Ruling Holds Wildfire Debris Not A Coverable Loss
Two California homeowners didn't have a covered claim for wildfire debris that infiltrated their home, a state appeals panel ruled, saying there was no evidence the debris caused the kind of loss or damage required for coverage.
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February 10, 2025
Co. Not Covered For Background Check Suit, Insurer Says
An insurer told an Illinois federal court on Monday that a company isn't covered for an underlying lawsuit alleging that it mishandled a job applicant's background check, citing multiple policy exclusions.
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February 10, 2025
Trenton Diocese Sues Insurers Over Abuse Suit Coverage
The Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, accused Chubb, Hartford, Travelers and AIG units of violating the state's Unfair Claim Settlement Practices Act over an "onslaught" of child sex abuse lawsuits, telling a New Jersey federal court the parties have made "minimal progress" toward a cost-sharing agreement over defense expenses.
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February 10, 2025
Insurer Says No Coverage Owed For Toxic Hair Product Suit
The makers of a hair straightening treatment do not have coverage for a lawsuit alleging the product is carcinogenic because the claims against them came after the treatment was known to be hazardous, and after the policy had ended, an insurer told a California federal court.
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February 07, 2025
5th Circ. Upholds High School's Win In Gym Fire Suit
The Fifth Circuit on Thursday upheld a Louisiana high school's win in its suit claiming that a flooring company caused a gym fire, holding that the high school has a right of action for property damage to the gymnasium.
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February 07, 2025
Excess Insurer Says $50M Bad Wine Claims Not Covered
An excess insurer told a Washington federal court that it should not have to contribute to a settlement after an underlying lawsuit asserted more than $50 million in claims against a vineyard for allegedly damaging over 300,000 cases of wine, because there was no coverage.
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February 07, 2025
Insurers Say Meta MDL Row Should Be In Del. State Court
Coverage litigation with Meta over underlying claims that it deliberately designed its platforms to be addictive to adolescents ought to take place in Delaware state court, units of Chubb and Hartford told a Delaware federal court, arguing the court need only examine the fact that Meta is a Delaware citizen.
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February 07, 2025
Plaintiffs Lawyers Swarm Los Angeles Post-Fires
A deadly wildfire may be among the first covered by a new state fund that reimburses at-fault utility companies. This could mean billions of dollars for plaintiffs lawyers, and, if past fires are any indication, frustration and confusion for some victims.
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February 06, 2025
SC Justices To Weigh Jurisdictional Limits In Asbestos Cases
The South Carolina Supreme Court will consider Tuesday whether its first female justice and former chief, who now oversees the state's asbestos cases, can continue to exercise jurisdiction over companies not incorporated in the state or haven't directly done business there, and nevertheless appoint a receiver over their insurance assets.
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February 06, 2025
Pillsbury Adds Insurance Partner From Morgan Lewis
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has announced the addition of an insurance recovery expert from Morgan Lewis as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office to advise and represent insurance policyholders.
Expert Analysis
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7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight
Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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Key Insurance Implications Of Hawaii's Historic GHG Ruling
In Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance, the Hawaii Supreme Court became the first state court to classify greenhouse gasses as pollutants barred from insurance coverage, a ruling likely to be afforded great weight by courts across the country, say Scott Seaman and Gar Lauerman at Hinshaw & Culbertson.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: September Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy identifies practice tips from four recent class certification rulings involving denial of Medicare reimbursements, automobile insurance disputes, veterans' rights and automobile defects.
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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.
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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.
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Rise Of Transpo Contractors Brings Insurance Disputes
As more independent contractors are contracted and subcontracted in the delivery industry, companies must be prepared to defend claims from drivers who are injured on the job as they are often seeking to establish an employment relationship with one of the entities in the chain, says Nathan Milner at Goldberg Segalla.
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Finding Coverage For Online Retail Privacy Class Actions
Following recent court rulings interpreting state invasion of privacy and electronic surveillance statutes triggering a surge in the filing of privacy class actions against online retailers, companies should examine their various insurance policies, including E&O and D&O, for defense coverage of these claims, says Alison Gaske at Gilbert LLP.
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What We Know From Early Cyberinsurance Rulings
Recent cyber disruption incidents, like the Crowdstrike outage and the CDK Global cyberattack this summer, highlight the necessity of understanding legal interpretations of cyberinsurance coverage — an area in which there has been little litigation thus far, say Peter Halprin and Rebecca Schwarz at Haynes Boone.
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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.