Property
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January 31, 2025
LA Fire Claims Tracker Reports More Than $4.2B In Payments
More than $4.2 billion in claims has been paid in connection with the devastating Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires in Los Angeles County that erupted in early January, according to data from a California Department of Insurance tracker.
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January 31, 2025
Supreme Court Eyes Its 'Next Frontier' In FCC Delegation Case
A case about broadband subsidies will give the U.S. Supreme Court the chance to revive a long-dormant separation of powers principle that attorneys say could upend regulations in numerous industries and trigger a power shift that would make last term's shake-up of federal agency authority pale in comparison. And a majority of the court already appears to support its resurrection.
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February 14, 2025
Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2025 Editorial Boards
Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2025 editorial advisory boards.
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January 30, 2025
LA Fires Raise Flood And Mud Risk, But Coverage Possible
Los Angeles' first significant post-fire rainfall last weekend heightened the prospect that the city could suffer more damage from flooding and mudslides in burn areas, but policyholder attorneys say coverage for those normally excluded perils is possible.
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January 30, 2025
Trump Tariffs Could Raise LA Fire Insurance Recovery Costs
Large new tariffs under the second Trump administration could increase the cost of recovery efforts in Los Angeles for a series of major fires that are already expected to come with record-setting expenses for the insurance industry, according to experts.
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January 30, 2025
Allstate Units Say No Coverage For Rental Home Fire Dispute
Two Allstate insurers told a Pennsylvania federal court Thursday that they shouldn't have to cover an underlying suit accusing a group of college students of breaching their lease agreement after the New Jersey-based property they were renting caught fire due to improper disposal of smoking materials.
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January 30, 2025
3-Year Rule Repeal In La. Shifts Risk To Policyholders
A new year brings legislative changes and Louisiana was no exception after Gov. Jeff Landry approved a bill repealing the state's "three-year rule," a move intended to increase insurance competition in the Pelican State that left experts split over whether carriers will be awarded flexibility at homeowners' expense.
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January 30, 2025
Crypto Cos. Seek $6.3M From Travelers Over Building Fire
A pair of cryptocurrency mining companies accused two Travelers units of exacerbating their fire loss, telling a Michigan federal court that they negligently allowed individuals to steal their mining machines and hired a debris removal contractor that caused the property to collapse, seeking more than $6.3 million in damages.
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January 30, 2025
Mass. High Court Backs Insurers' Lost Resale Value Exclusion
Language in Massachusetts auto insurance policies limiting coverage to "tangible losses" lets MAPFRE Insurance subsidiary Commerce and other companies off the hook for claims based on lost resale value after an accident, the state's highest court said on Thursday.
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January 30, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
An environmental remediation company must cover Anadarko Petroleum Corp. in a decade-old kickback suit, a Zurich insurer owes $12.2 million to a solar energy company for rain damage and the Baylor College of Medicine can't recover a $12 million award for its pandemic-related losses. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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January 29, 2025
Senate Banking Committee Forms NFIP Working Group
With the National Flood Insurance Program's authorization set to expire in March, the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking has formed a working group to reform the program and work toward long-term reauthorization, a press release from committee chairman and South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott said.
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January 29, 2025
Zurich Unit Says Bissell Subsidiary's Faulty Fan Caused Fire
A Zurich unit is seeking to recoup over $450,000 paid in connection with a fire that incurred over $2 million in damages allegedly caused by a defective fan sold by a Bissell Homecare Inc. subsidiary, according to a suit removed to Oregon federal court.
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January 28, 2025
Texas Panel Wipes Baylor's $12M COVID Insurance Verdict
An appellate panel wiped a $12 million jury verdict in favor of Baylor College of Medicine on Tuesday, writing that it was joining "the vast majority of courts" in ruling that the university's insurance policy didn't cover COVID-19 losses.
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January 27, 2025
Pa. Social Club Can't Revive COVID-19 Coverage Suit
The Pennsylvania Superior Court on Monday backed the dismissal of a Scranton social club's suit seeking to recover pandemic-related losses, citing the state high court's landmark ruling last year that physical loss or damage requires tangible alteration to property.
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January 27, 2025
Zurich Owes Solar Co. $12.2M For Rain Damage, Judge Says
Zurich American Insurance Co. owes over $12.2 million to a solar energy company for damages from heavy rainstorms at a 2,000-acre solar farm, a Georgia federal court ruled after a jury found the insurer liable for additional costs related to the rain events.
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January 24, 2025
Fla. Judge Splits Trial In Case Over DJ's Elevator Injuries
A Florida federal judge Friday bifurcated a trial between two insurance carriers and an elevator company that settled a Miami D.J.'s $5.5 million injury lawsuit, ruling that excess coverage claims will be tried first, with bad faith claims being tried after.
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January 24, 2025
Aircraft Leasing Co. Battles Insurer's Bid To Strike Witnesses
Aircraft leasing company Avmax is fighting an attempt by HDI Global to strike witnesses Avmax has in its suit over coverage of airplanes stranded in Russia, arguing that the insurer can't claim prejudice when it has four months before trial to speak to the witnesses.
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January 23, 2025
State-Backed Cyberattacks Highlight Coverage Challenges
A spate of reported state-affiliated cyberattacks on government agencies, telecommunications companies and third-party vendors is drawing the attention of companies and placing greater importance on the increasingly uncertain insurance coverage options available in the wake of an attack.
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January 23, 2025
Fed. Climate Insurance Report Confirms Crises, Need For Info
A new U.S. Treasury report analyzing climate risks and rising insurance costs is one of the most comprehensive studies of the U.S. homeowners market to date, but leaves out key data that could help inform a fuller understanding of the forces shaping the market.
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January 23, 2025
Fla. Insurer Tries To Toss Suit Blaming It For Black Mold Death
A Sunshine State insurer accused of wrongfully causing the death of a woman who died from black mold contamination after it didn't send a promised team to her home to fix hurricane damage has urged a Florida judge to dismiss the suit, calling it a bad-faith case in disguise trying to get around an already pending contract dispute.
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January 23, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
Arbitrations for domestic insurers are out in Louisiana, Freddie Mac ended its $32 million coverage dispute, a California woman wants the U.S. Supreme Court to consider her coverage case and the 10th Circuit seemed skeptical that an insurer's reliance on an expert could set any precedent.
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January 23, 2025
Anderson Kill Atty Gives Tips To Policyholders After LA Fires
The recent wildfires in California have underscored the importance of policyholders knowing the extent of coverage they purchased and their rights if they must ultimately take their insurer to court. Here, Law360 talks with Anderson Kill's Diana Shafter Gliedman about what policyholders should keep in mind when purchasing insurance coverage.
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January 21, 2025
La. Judge Lifts Arbitration Order In $7M Ida Damage Case
A Louisiana federal judge lifted a stay and vacated an order to arbitrate a $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim against domestic surplus insurers, ruling that a recent decision from Louisiana's top court represents an "'intervening change in the controlling law.'"
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January 21, 2025
Conn. Cannabis Co.'s Income Loss Not Covered, Judge Says
A cannabis product manufacturer cannot get more than $1.3 million in business interruption coverage from a Berkshire Hathaway unit for a fire in one of its "flowering rooms," a Connecticut federal court ruled, finding it failed to establish a causal link between a suspension of operations and lost income.
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January 21, 2025
10th Circ. Skeptical Ruling Would Invite Bogus Claim Denials
A Tenth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Tuesday that a lower court had cleared the way for the insurance industry to rely on flawed expert reports to justify claims decisions, with one judge suggesting the ruling was a limited one.
Expert Analysis
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Hurricane Coverage Ruling Clarifies Appraisal Scope In Fla.
In a case involving property insurance for hurricane damage, a Florida federal court recently enforced policy limits despite an appraisal award exceeding those limits, underscoring the boundaries between valuation and coverage — a distinction that provides valuable guidance for insurers handling post-catastrophe claims, says Tiffany Bustamante at Cozen O’Connor.
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4 Ways Attorneys Can Emotionally Prepare For Trial
In the course of litigation, trial lawyers face a number of scenarios that can incite an emotional response, but formulating a mental game plan in advance of trial can help attorneys stay cool, calm and collected in the moment, says Rachel Lary at Lightfoot Franklin.
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Presidential Campaign Errors Provide Lessons For Trial Attys
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign employed numerous strategies that evidently didn’t land, and trial attorneys should take note, because voters and jurors are both decision-makers who are listening for how one’s case presentation would affect them personally, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Total loss valuation cases and labor depreciation cases dominated the past quarter of insurance class actions, with courts continuing to reject challenges to condition adjustments in the former, and a pro-insured trend persisting in the latter, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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How Property Insurance Coverage Shrank After The Pandemic
Insurers litigating property claims are leveraging rulings that provided relief in the COVID-19 context to reverse the former majority rule on physical loss or damage in all contexts, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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Consider The Impact Of Election Stress On Potential Jurors
For at least the next few months, potential jurors may be working through anger and distrust stemming from the presidential election, and trial attorneys will need to assess whether those jurors are able to leave their political concerns at the door, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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NC Ruling Takes Practical Approach To Duty-To-Defend Costs
In Murphy-Brown v. Ace American Insurance, a case of first impression, the North Carolina Business Court adopted the commonsense rationale of many state courts in holding that policyholders' defense costs should be deemed presumtively reasonable when a insurer breaches its duty to defend, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
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What Hawaii High Court Got Right And Wrong In AIG Ruling
Though the Hawaii Supreme Court in its recent Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance decision correctly adopted the majority rule that recklessly caused harm is an accident for coverage purposes, it erred in its interpretation of the pollution exclusion by characterizing climate change as "traditional environmental pollution," say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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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.