Mealey's Insurance Bad Faith

  • February 06, 2024

    Bank’s Claim ‘Insurable’ As A Matter Of Ohio Law, 6th Circuit Rules In Reversal

    CINCINNATI — The Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reversed a lower federal court’s summary judgment ruling in favor of professional liability insurers in a bank insured’s breach of contract and bad faith lawsuit, finding that the bank’s underlying settlement payment to a bankruptcy trustee is “insurable” pursuant to Ohio law and that an ambiguous exclusion should be construed in the insured’s favor.

  • February 05, 2024

    Insured Cannot Recover Attorney Fees, Texas High Court Says In Answering Question

    AUSTIN, Texas —The Texas Supreme Court on Feb. 2 answered “yes” to a certified question from the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in an insured’s lawsuit alleging that its insurer violated the Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act (TPPCA), concluding that the TPPCA prohibits the insured from recovering attorney fees because the insurer voluntarily paid the full appraisal award for the insured’s tornado damage plus any statutory interest.

  • February 05, 2024

    Judge: No Coverage Owed For Unfair Competition Suit Brought Against Insured

    SAN DIEGO — A federal judge in California concluded that an insurer has no duty to defend its furniture delivery company insured against an underlying misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition lawsuit brought by a competitor, granting the insurer’s motion for summary judgment in the insured’s breach of contract and bad faith lawsuit.

  • February 05, 2024

    Federal Judge Says Insurer Had ‘Reasonable Basis’ For Not Paying Appraisal Award

    LAS VEGAS — A Nevada federal judge granted an insurer’s motion for summary judgment on a bad faith claim after determining that the insurer offered evidence showing that it had a “reasonable basis” for not paying an appraisal award.

  • February 02, 2024

    Judge Says Prompt Payment Claim Cannot Be Resolved Until Coverage Is Resolved

    FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas federal judge on Feb. 1 partially adopted a magistrate judge’s findings, conclusions and recommendations (FCR) after determining that a homeowners insurer is entitled to summary judgment on all but one extracontractual claim alleged against the insurer because the insured’s claim for violation of the Texas Prompt Payment Claims Act (TPPCA) is dependent on resolution of the coverage issue.

  • February 02, 2024

    Bad Faith, Insurance Code Violation Claims To Proceed Against Homeowners Insurer

    MARSHALL, Texas — An insured’s claims for bad faith and violation of the Texas Insurance Code will proceed to trial because questions of fact exist regarding the cause of a fire at the insured’s home and whether the homeowners insurer investigated the claim with the pretext of denying coverage on the basis that the fire was intentionally set by the insured, a Texas federal magistrate judge said in denying the insurer’s motion for summary judgment.

  • February 02, 2024

    Questions Of Fact Exist On Breach Of Contract Claim In Fire Coverage Suit

    TOLEDO, Ohio — An insured’s breach of contract claim against a homeowners insurer in a fire coverage dispute will proceed because questions of fact exist regarding the materiality of an insured’s alleged misrepresentations and regarding the insurer’s affirmative defense of arson; however, the insured’s bad faith claim cannot proceed because the insurer’s denial of coverage was not unreasonable, an Ohio federal judge said in partially granting the insurer’s motion for summary judgment.

  • February 01, 2024

    Breach Of Contract, Bad Faith Claims In Hurricane Damages Suit Fail, Judge Says

    NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana federal judge granted a homeowners insurer’s motion to dismiss an insured’s breach of contract and bad faith claims without prejudice to amend the complaint after determining that the insured fails to allege sufficient facts in support of the claims stemming from the insurer’s adjustment of a hurricane damages claim.

  • February 01, 2024

    Airline And Insurer Agree To Dismiss UCL, Bad Faith Suit Over Passenger’s Coma

    SAN FRANCISCO — A California federal judge on Jan. 31 entered an order of dismissal after an airline and two insurers entered a joint stipulation requesting dismissal of the airline’s suit accusing one insurer of violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and bad faith based on an allegedly improper denial of coverage for a separate lawsuit brought against the airline by the family of a quadriplegic man who fell into a coma while traveling, which recently settled for $30 million.

  • February 01, 2024

    Federal Judge Tosses Hurricane Coverage Case After Suspending Homeowner’s Counsel

    LAFAYETTE, La. — A Louisiana federal judge adopted a magistrate judge’s report and recommendation to dismiss for failure to prosecute after a homeowner failed to attend a status conference in her hurricane coverage suit against her now-insolvent insurer following the judge’s termination of her legal counsel.

  • February 01, 2024

    Breach Of Contract, Bad Faith Counterclaims Must Be Dismissed, Judge Says

    CHICAGO — An insured’s counterclaims for breach of contract and bad faith cannot proceed against a commercial property insurer because the breach of contract claim is duplicative of the insurer’s declaratory judgment claim and because the bad faith claim fails to state any facts in support of the insured’s allegation that the insurer acted unreasonably in handling the insured’s claim for property damages.

  • February 01, 2024

    Late Objection Bid Draws Opposition In Vesttoo Chapter 11 Cases

    WILMINGTON, Del. — Asserting that “Vesttoo’s defrauded creditors have overwhelmingly voted to accept” a Chapter 11 plan of liquidation for Vesttoo Ltd. and dozens of its affiliates, two creditors are among the entities urging a Delaware federal bankruptcy court to reject a motion to allow an untimely objection to claims against one of the affiliates.

  • January 31, 2024

    Wall’s Structural Instability Caused By Deterioration, Not Collapse, Judge Says

    CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — No coverage is owed for the replacement of an entire wall of a building undergoing renovations because the cause of the structural instability of the wall was deterioration and not the collapse of a limited number of bricks from the wall during the construction work, a Tennessee federal judge said Jan. 30 in entering judgment in favor of the insurer.

  • January 31, 2024

    Extracontractual Claims Against Insurer Dismissed For Failure To State Claim

    HOUSTON — A Texas federal judge dismissed an insured’s extracontractual claims alleged against an insurer in a property damage coverage dispute after determining that the insured failed to provide sufficient facts to support allegations that the insurer acted in bad faith and violated Texas law in its adjustment and handling of her property damage claim.

  • January 30, 2024

    Vice Chancellor Mostly Denies Dismissal In Suit Over Asset Dissipation

    WILMINGTON, Del. — Ruling on four long-pending motions in a suit over a complex asset-swap transaction that the plaintiffs argue resulted in the “dissipation of at least $250 million,” a Delaware vice chancellor granted dismissal only as to a claim of fraudulent trading under Cayman Islands law.

  • January 26, 2024

    Fact Issues Exist On Insured’s Roof Damages, Texas Federal Judge Determines

    HOUSTON — An insured’s claims for breach of contract and bad faith can proceed against a homeowners insurer because questions of fact exist regarding the extent of the damage to the insured’s home.

  • January 26, 2024

    4th Circuit Affirms Ruling For Professional Liability Insurer, Finds No Bad Faith

    RICHMOND, Va. — The Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed a lower federal court’s summary judgment ruling in favor of a professional liability insurer in a breach of contract and bad faith lawsuit, finding that the insured failed to create a genuine dispute of fact about the reasonableness of the insurer’s refusal to defend her against an underlying lawsuit.

  • January 25, 2024

    Vesttoo Bankruptcy Debtors: Proceeding In Israel Would Be More Efficient

    WILMINGTON, Del. — A variety of objections have been lodged in Delaware federal bankruptcy court regarding the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors’ Chapter 11 plan of liquidation for Vesttoo Ltd. and 48 affiliates, including one in which the debtors argue that the cases should be dismissed “so that more efficient insolvency proceedings can be filed in Israel.”

  • January 25, 2024

    Fact Issues Exist On Insureds’ Conduct, Insurer’s Handling Of Water Damage Claim

    DENVER — A Colorado federal judge on Jan. 24 determined that portions of a breach of contract claim and a bad faith claim against a homeowners insurer can proceed because questions of fact exist as to whether the insureds provided the insurer with all requested information regarding their claim for water damages and whether the insurer acted unreasonably in handling the insureds’ claim.

  • January 25, 2024

    Panel: LLC Was Sole Tenant, No Personal And Advertising Injury Coverage Owed

    SAN FRANCISCO — A California appeals court affirmed a lower court’s ruling in favor of an insurer in a breach of contract and bad faith lawsuit seeking coverage for an underlying cross-complaint in response to the insureds’ unlawful detainer lawsuit, finding that the policy’s personal and advertising injury coverage was not triggered because a limited liability company and not an actual person was the sole tenant sued.

  • January 23, 2024

    Judge OKs Adding Guaranty Association In Bad Faith Suit Against Insolvent Insurer

    NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana federal judge granted a homeowner’s motion to file an amended complaint to add as a defendant the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association (LIGA) in a breach of contract and bad faith suit against a now-insolvent homeowners insurer over its purported failure to adequately cover damage caused by Hurricane Ida, finding that amending the complaint is necessary due to the insurer’s insolvency and that the case must be remanded because complete diversity is destroyed.

  • January 23, 2024

    Insured Entitled To Depose Claims Handlers In Environmental Coverage Dispute

    DETROIT — An insured seeking coverage for underlying environmental contamination suits is entitled to depose an insurer’s claims handlers because the information sought by the insured is relevant to the insured’s coverage claim and is relevant in determining whether the insurer acted in bad faith in handling the claim, a special master appointed by a Michigan federal court said in granting the insured’s motion to compel deposition testimony.

  • January 23, 2024

    Insurer Removes Insured’s Complaint Seeking Coverage For Contamination Costs

    TACOMA, Wash. — An insured alleges in an amended complaint, recently removed to Washington federal court, that its insurer breached its contract, acted in bad faith and violated Washington law by denying coverage for environmental liabilities and defense costs incurred as a result of contamination allegedly caused by the insured’s marine operations.

  • January 22, 2024

    Infestation Exclusion Bars Coverage For Roof Damage, 4th Circuit Affirms

    RICHMOND, Va. — The Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Jan. 19 affirmed a Maryland federal court’s ruling that an insured’s claims for breach of contract and bad faith fail because the policy’s infestation exclusion precludes coverage for roof damage caused by an infestation of vultures.

  • January 22, 2024

    Insurer Asks 5th Circuit To Reconsider Affirmation Of $502,172 Bad Faith Judgment

    NEW ORLEANS — An insurer on Jan. 19 asked the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to reconsider its ruling that there was no reversible error in a jury’s conclusion that it acted in bad faith and underpaid its church insured for property damage that was caused by Hurricane Laura, challenging the panel’s ruling that affirmed the trial court’s $502,172.16 award in favor of the insured for damages, penalties and fees.

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