The Standard Formula Podcast | Understanding Insurance Resolution Regimes
In this month’s update, we discuss Russian-seized planes, Starbucks-caused traffic jams, a squabble over the use of a family name, a restaurant’s pandemic-based loss, a poorly built house, and whether insurance covers any of...more
On March 26, a containership struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, resulting in the collapse of the highway infrastructure and tragic loss of life. As communities grieve the loss of their loved ones,...more
At the start of each new year, we are offered the chance to reflect on everything we did throughout the previous year, as well as all we learned. In 2023, a plethora of coverage opinions, published and unpublished, were...more
In most property insurance coverage litigation, the parties engage experts to elucidate the issues in the case. This is particularly true when there are multiple causes of loss, covered and not covered, that combine to cause...more
All eyes are on the New Jersey Supreme Court as we await oral arguments on the latest business interruption coverage dispute. In the lawsuit, an Atlantic City casino, Ocean Walk, seeks reimbursement for costs incurred during...more
Along with seeking to analogize COVID-19 physical loss or damage to that in the fumes or contaminants context, policyholders are now also attempting to rely on cases discussing the bounds of physical loss or damage in the...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of a policyholder’s COVID-19 insurance coverage action in Santo’s Italian Café LLC v. Acuity Insurance Co., No. 21-3068 (6th Cir. Sept. 22,...more
As the second quarter of 2021 continues, one thing is clear: COVID-19 business interruption claims are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Some legislators have proposed bills that would force insurers to cover certain...more
Record-breaking winter weather in Texas has had devastating impacts across the state, and challenges still remain. Millions of homes and businesses were without power, water, internet and other services, leaving employees...more
Following up on our prior discussion of Studio 417, Inc., et al. v. The Cincinnati Ins. Comp., a different federal judge in the Western District of Missouri recently ruled in Zwillo V, Corp. v. Lexington Insurance Co. that a...more
In Balfour Beatty Construction, LLC v. Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company, No. 19-20216 (August 3, 2020), the Fifth Circuit determined that Liberty Mutual’s policy does not cover a construction company’s claim for window...more
Two recent opinions addressed the trigger of coverage language requiring a “direct physical loss.” In Mama Jo’s Inc., d.b.a Berries v. Sparta Insurance Company, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment...more
For businesses that were shut down by COVID-19 a common question is whether there is coverage for business interruption. In New York, the answer is no. This should be the answer nationwide. Coverage for business interruption...more
In the context of the numerous lawsuits have recently filed by policyholders seeking compensation for lost business income occasioned by the pending pandemic, a key issue will be whether those policyholders have suffered...more
The Situation: This month, a Michigan state trial court dismissed the COVID-19-related business interruption coverage lawsuit filed by two policyholder restaurants on the pleadings, finding that they had failed to allege any...more
As more and more businesses seek coverage for the loss of income arising from the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, one of the key issues in determining whether there is coverage under commercial property insurance policies...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government is taking steps to address the economic concerns of businesses across the nation through the proposal of legislation entitled the Pandemic Risk Insurance...more
Many homeowners insurance policies allow the insurer or the insured to invoke appraisal to resolve disagreements about the amount of the loss. Nonetheless, when one party invokes appraisal, the other party will sometimes...more
In this episode of OnRisk, K&L Gates attorneys John Sylvester and Paul Fuener discuss business interruption insurance for hurricane losses, highlighting important steps that policyholders can take to protect their interests...more
Many in the Houston area are keenly aware of the devastating impact the rain from Hurricane Harvey had on the region. There are countless stories of residents and business owners who had never flooded that are now living...more
Taxpayers that have sustained property damage (for example, damage to homes and vehicles) as a result of Hurricane Harvey may be entitled to deduct the amount of such casualty loss against their income for federal income tax...more
It is estimated that less than 20% of those affected by Hurricane Harvey, and a week later Hurricane Irma, had flood insurance. Home owner’s and renter’s insurance policies exclude damage caused by floods. Those affected...more
Professional Lines Alert - APM, LLLP v. TCI Insurance Agency, Inc., No. 20150243, Supreme Court of North Dakota, March 15, 2016 - Plaintiff, a property management company, was seeking a builder's risk insurance...more
In determining whether a property insurance policy responds to a loss, the fundamental, threshold question to be answered is whether or not the policyholder sustained “physical loss or damage” to insured property. In the...more
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