Court Rejects Attempt to Broaden "Employer's Liability" Exclusion, Requiring Coverage -
Why it matters: A New York federal court recently ruled that an "Employer's Liability" exclusion in a CGL policy applies only when...more
12/7/2015
/ Ambiguous ,
Commercial General Liability Policies ,
Condition Precedent ,
Construction Defects ,
Denial of Insurance Coverage ,
Faulty Workmanship ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Late Notices ,
Loss Coverage ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Property Damage
Despite Prior Suits, Policyholder Entitled to Coverage for DOJ Investigation -
Why it matters: A policyholder was entitled to coverage for a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation despite already facing possibly...more
11/5/2015
/ Advertising Injury ,
Applications ,
Breach of Contract ,
Breach of Duty ,
Commercial General Liability Policies ,
Construction Defects ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing ,
Cross Motions ,
D&O Insurance ,
Denial of Insurance Coverage ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Discovery ,
Duty to Defend ,
Food Recalls ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Heinz ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Motion for Reconsideration ,
Motion for Summary Judgment ,
Omissions ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Policy Limits ,
Qui Tam ,
Right to Control ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Travelers ,
Treble Damages ,
Unfair Competition
Unfair Trade Practices Exclusion Doesn't Cover Consumer Protection Suits -
Why it matters: An unfair trade practices clause did not bar coverage for a policyholder's subsidiary, an Illinois federal court ruled, ordering...more
10/9/2015
/ Anticompetitive Behavior ,
Bad Faith ,
Bargaining Power ,
Breach of Contract ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Insurance Policies ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Consumer Fraud ,
Cumis Counsel ,
Duty to Defend ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Insureds ,
Legal Ethics ,
Negligent Misrepresentation ,
NV Supreme Court ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Reservation of Rights ,
Subsidiaries ,
The Clayton Act ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Unjust Enrichment
Exception to Mold Exclusion Requires Defense of Suit Alleging Injuries From Moldy Water -
Why it matters: An exclusion for "Fungi or Bacteria" did not prevent a federal court judge in Tennessee from ordering an insurer...more
9/10/2015
/ Ambiguous ,
Breach of Duty ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Claims Made Policy ,
Commercial General Liability Policies ,
Duty to Defend ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Insurance Contracts ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Insureds ,
Mold Litigation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Reservation of Rights
Good News for Corporate Policyholders: Insurer Cannot Refuse Coverage Based on Insured's Assignment of Rights Under Policies After Loss Has Occurred -
Why it matters: Reversing its holding in a 2003 case, the Supreme...more
8/28/2015
/ Abatement ,
Asbestos Litigation ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Bad Faith ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Carbon Emissions ,
CERCLA ,
Clean Air Act ,
Commercial General Liability Policies ,
Consent Decrees ,
Consent to Assignment ,
Cumis Counsel ,
D&O Insurance ,
Duty to Defend ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Remediation Costs ,
FDIC ,
Fluor ,
Hartford Casualty Ins. ,
Hartford Insurance Company ,
Indemnification ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Insureds ,
Liberty Mutual Insurance Company ,
Mitigation ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Receivership
Insured's Notice to Broker Satisfied Policy Requirements, Illinois Court Rules -
Why it matters: An insured's notice to its broker satisfied the policy's notice requirements, an Illinois appellate panel recently...more
8/14/2015
/ Apparent Authority ,
Auto Insurance ,
Bad Faith ,
Breach of Contract ,
Car Accident ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Civil Conspiracy ,
Class Action ,
Cyber Insurance ,
Data Breach ,
Duty to Defend ,
Fraud ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insureds ,
Mediation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Nuclear Waste ,
Patient Privacy Rights ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Public Officials ,
Reservation of Rights ,
Settlement ,
Workplace Injury
California Court: Rejected Demand Within Policy Limits Not Necessary for Bad Faith Claim -
Why it matters: Insurers must proceed with caution when they become aware that a settlement within policy limits is possible,...more
7/16/2015
/ Appeals ,
Bad Faith ,
Breach of Contract ,
CERCLA ,
Commercial General Liability Policies ,
Counterclaims ,
D&O Insurance ,
Declaratory Relief ,
Duty to Defend ,
Duty to Settle ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Homeowner's Insurance ,
Homeowners Association (HOA) ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Insureds ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Policy Limits ,
Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) ,
Scope of Coverage ,
Scope of the Claim ,
Summary Judgment ,
TX Supreme Court
In the Context of a Bad Faith Claim, Insurer’s Defense That Coverage Denial Was Reasonable Put at Issue Otherwise Protected Attorney-Client and Work Product Communications -
Why it matters: Recognizing the “conflicting...more
7/3/2015
/ Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Bad Faith ,
Breach of Contract ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Commercial General Liability Policies ,
Commercial Insurance Policies ,
Cross-Claims ,
Discovery ,
Due Diligence ,
False Advertising ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Misrepresentation ,
Motion for Reconsideration ,
Notice Requirements ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Summary Judgment ,
Work-Product Doctrine
No Policy? No Problem, The First Circuit Rules In A Coverage Dispute -
Why it matters: This case addresses the standard for pleading a missing insurance policy where the alleged insured, a private educational...more
6/22/2015
/ Commercial General Liability Policies ,
Commercial Insurance Policies ,
D&O Insurance ,
E&O Policies ,
Exclusions ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Lloyds of London ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Restaurant Industry
No Policy? No Problem, The First Circuit Rules In A Coverage Dispute -
Why it matters: This case addresses the standard for pleading a missing insurance policy where the alleged insured, a private educational...more
New Jersey Supreme Court Rules Claimants May Be Entitled to Recover Attorneys’ Fees in Coverage Cases Even Without Establishing Liability in the Underlying Action -
Why it matters: The New Jersey Supreme Court recently...more
California Appellate Court: All Claims “Arising From” Ponzi Scheme Are Precluded -
Why it matters: Concluding that any claims related to a Ponzi scheme—even if they involved different investors, investments, or...more
5/7/2015
/ Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Claims Made Policy ,
Class Action ,
D&O Insurance ,
GA Supreme Court ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Investment Adviser ,
Liability Insurance ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Workplace Injury
Legal Issues Not Proper Expert Testimony -
Why it matters: As a good reminder concerning the boundaries for admissibility of expert opinions, a federal court in Texas recently granted a policyholder’s motion to strike an...more
4/4/2015
/ Asbestos ,
Asbestos Litigation ,
Buckyballs ,
Claims Made Policy ,
Duty to Defend ,
Expert Testimony ,
Indemnification ,
Insurance Industry ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Liability Insurance ,
Medical Malpractice ,
Policy Exclusions
More Important Rulings From J.P. Morgan's New York Coverage Litigation -
Why it matters:
A New York Appellate Court unanimously held that a group of insurers could not invoke a Dishonest Acts Exclusion in a...more
1/30/2015
/ Bear Sterns ,
Duty to Defend ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Insurance Litigation ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Late Notices ,
Liability Insurance ,
NYSE ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Professional Liability ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
TCPA
Insured v. Insured Exclusion Ambiguous When Applied to FDIC, 11th Circuit Rules -
Why it matters:
In the continuing split among courts considering insured v. insured exclusions, the Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court...more
1/14/2015
/ Appeals ,
Banks ,
Class Action ,
Counterclaims ,
D&O Insurance ,
Duty to Cooperate ,
Duty to Defend ,
Excessive Fees ,
FDIC ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Reservation of Rights ,
US Bank
Court’s Decision Prompts Policyholders to Seek Defense Quickly or Risk Awaiting Conclusion of Coverage Action to See Reimbursement -
Why it matters:
A policyholder who does not act promptly to seek advancement...more
10/23/2014
/ AIG ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Banks ,
Choice-of-Law ,
D&O Insurance ,
Duty to Defend ,
FDIC ,
Insurance Industry ,
Late Notices ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Voluntary Payments
Pollution Exclusion Doesn’t Bar Coverage for Worker Exposed to Hazardous Chemicals That Were Not “Dispersed”:
Why it matters -
A federal district court in Texas strictly construed a pollution exclusion in...more
9/23/2014
/ Bodily Injury ,
Commercial General Liability Policies ,
Default Judgment ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Environmental Remediation Costs ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Independent Counsel ,
Medical Records ,
Notice Requirements ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Pollution Exclusion ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Travelers Property Casualty Co. ,
Trucking Industry ,
Zurich America Insurance Co.
U.S. Bank Wins Coverage Under Delaware Law For $55 Million Overdraft-Related Settlement -
Why it matters:
In a victory worth tens of millions of dollars, a Minnesota federal court ruled that U.S. Bank is...more
Second Circuit: Insurer Must Defend Where Factual Allegations Create a Possibility of Coverage -
Why it matters:
In a recent pro-policyholder decision, the Second Circuit, applying New York law, reminded...more
New York Court Strictly Applies Draconian Policy Language, Holding Excess Coverage Forfeited By Settling With Underlying Insurers For Less Than Policy Limits -
Why it matters:
A New York appellate court has...more
Insurer Should Have Considered Extrinsic Facts When Determining Whether A Potential for Coverage Existed, Ninth Circuit Concludes -
Why it matters:
In a fascinating – albeit unpublished – decision from the Ninth...more