Policyholders vs. Insurers: 3 Arguments to Make When Selecting Defense Counsel & Hourly Rates
What is Subrogation and How Does it Affect Settlement Amounts?
In this episode of "Don’t Take No for an Answer," Lynda A. Bennett and Alexander B. Corson explore the complex issue of "allocation" in the context of defense costs in insurance claims. They discuss what steps to take when...more
In New Jersey Mfrs. Ins. Co. v. Lallygone LLC, No. A-2607-22, 2024 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 120, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey (Appellate Division) considered whether New Jersey Manufacturers...more
Here’s what we discuss in our October Insurance Update. Illinois: Environmental Suits Alleging Non-Compliance with Laws and Regulations Did Not Assert an “Occurrence”- Massachusetts (federal): Insurer May Consider Sums...more
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
Second Circuit Finds That Subcontract Did Not Incorporate GC’s Obligation To Obtain Additional Insured Coverage For Owners And That GC’s Primary Policy Was Primary To GC’s Additional Insured Coverage Under Sub’s Umbrella...more
In this episode, Eric Jesse explains ways to prevent your insurer from taking a one-size-fits-all approach to its defense obligations, from asserting your right to select your own counsel to challenging its definition of...more
It is an all-too-common scenario for insurance practitioners. Company A hires an independent contractor to perform work on its premises. Their agreement specifies that Contractor will procure liability insurance—often...more
Primary and excess insurance carriers and their counsel need to pay close attention to a new Texas Supreme Court case Exxon Mobil vs. National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Starr Indemnity &...more
In rejecting an insurer’s attempt to block confirmation of its insured’s bankruptcy plan, the Fourth Circuit found that an insurer may not interject itself into plan negotiations by invoking the duty to cooperate, nor does...more
The duty of a liability insurer to defend a policyholder from litigation is typically described as broad and expansive, extending beyond the insurer’s duty to indemnify. The duty to defend generally obliges an insurer to...more
In Optrics Inc. v Lloyd’s Underwriters, 2022 ABCA 26 [Optrics] the Alberta Court of Appeal highlights the limits on summary applications by insureds seeking confirmation that an insurer must defend a claim against the...more
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has held that an insured v. insured exclusion barred coverage for a lawsuit brought in the name of a music fraternity against its president and executive...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
MASS SHOOTINGS: MULTIPLE CLAIMANT CONSIDERATIONS - In 2020, despite nearly nationwide lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States sustained 611 mass shooting events. This represents an increase from 336 in...more
The Florida Supreme Court has given the proverbial “green light” for insurance companies to sue attorneys for negligent representation of an insured. Historically, to bring an action against an attorney for legal malpractice...more
California courts strictly enforce an insurer’s duty to immediately commence defending its insured. The insurer’s delay in doing so, even if the delay is short, constitutes a breach of this important duty. In fact, California...more
Insurance policies are legal documents. In the event of a dispute, their scope and meaning will be submitted to a court or arbitrator for interpretation. Most brokers are not attorneys. Most risk managers are not attorneys....more
United States District Court Orders Insured To Produce Certain Pre-Litigation Documents But Not Others Deemed Work Product 99 Wall sued Allied World seeking coverage under a property policy for water losses at 99 Wall’s...more
In its recent decision in Temple Insurance Company v. Sazwan, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta (Court) considered the scope of, and exceptions to, an insurer’s right and duty to defend. This is the first decision in...more
Scope: The “Comparison Test” - The defense obligation arises when a defense is needed: at the outset of the suit. It follows that, unlike the duty to indemnify (which depends on the “true” facts as they are determined in...more
• Relationships between insurer, insured and insurer-appointed defense counsel – also known as the "tripartite relationship" – have long been recognized as a potential source of conflicts of interest. By a 5-4 majority in...more
From 4 May 2017 it became possible for policyholders to recover damages from insurers who have not paid valid claims within a ‘reasonable period of time’. The change has been brought about by section 28 of the Enterprise...more
Last month the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued its anticipated decision in Indian Harbor Insurance v. Zucker, affirming a 2016 decision from a federal district court in Michigan that an Insured v....more
In a win for insurers, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) ruled on June 22, 2017 that a duty to defend does not require insurers to fund an insured’s counterclaim, even if it is “inextricably intertwined” with a...more
Recently, the New York Court of Appeals, in Burlington Insurance Company v. NYC Transit Authority, held that a common insurance policy endorsement extending coverage to additional insureds for liability for bodily injury...more