Policyholders vs. Insurers: 3 Arguments to Make When Selecting Defense Counsel & Hourly Rates
What is Subrogation and How Does it Affect Settlement Amounts?
In Donegal Mut. Ins. Co. v. Thangavel, No. 379, 2022, 2023 Del. LEXIS 227, the Supreme Court of Delaware (Supreme Court) considered whether the Sutton Rule prevented the plaintiff from pursuing subrogation against the...more
In Vermont Mutual Insurance Company v. Poirier, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that attorney’s fees awarded under M.G. L. c. 93A are not covered by a Businessowner’s Liability Policy, because such fees...more
Applying Illinois law, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has held that a D&O policy’s professional services and contract exclusions do not bar coverage for lawsuits seeking damages for fees and...more
In at least one state, California, the answer to the question of “Do issues related to long-term care and elder abuse intersect?” is yes. The California Welfare and Institutions Code defines “financial abuse” of an elder...more
In Great American Insurance Co. v. Hamel, 2017 WL 2623067 (Tex. June 16, 2017), the Texas Supreme Court more precisely defined the circumstances under which an insurance company that wrongfully fails to defend an insured may...more
The first-party insurance claims process has always been pretty simple for the typical insured: call the agent to report a claim, identify and quantify the claimed damage, work cooperatively with the insurance adjuster to...more
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
Any Texas lawyer with even a passing interest in insurance law knows that if you want to see sparks fly, just utter the word “appraisal” near a couple of insurance lawyers. If you really want fireworks, make sure one...more
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
For more than a decade, courts applying Texas law — including the Fifth Circuit, two federal district courts and several Texas courts of appeal — have uniformly held that an insurer’s full and timely payment of an appraisal...more
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
In Greene v. Farmers Insurance Exchange, the Texas Supreme Court clarified the scope and application of § 862.054 of the Texas Insurance Code, the “anti-technicality” statute, holding that the clause would only operate in...more
Last week, the Texas Supreme Court handed down a length opinion that involved the material breach doctrine. The doctrine — adopted twenty years ago in Hernandez v. Gulf Group Lloyds, 875 S.W.2d 691 (Tex. 1994) and...more
Orange v. The Travelers Indemnity Co., No. 7:13-CV-06790-NSR (S.D.N.Y. May 14, 2014). The Southern District of New York granted an insurer’s partial motion to dismiss insured’s separate claim of bad faith as...more
The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin recently held that an insurer’s timely payment of an appraisal award bars the insured’s extra-contractual tort claims. Michels v. Safeco Ins. Co. of...more
In D.R. Horton, Inc.—Denver v. Mountain States Mutual Casualty Co., No. 12-cv-01080 (February 25, 2013), another U.S. District Court judge for the District of Colorado determined a liability insured seeking defense costs from...more