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Filing Insurance Claims After the Texas Winter Storm
Subro Sense - The ABC's of RCV and ACV
K&L Gates Triage: Emergency Preparedness and Response in Long Term Care - Part II
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An intentional act may not be an “occurrence” even when there is no intent to cause harm, according to a California appellate court’s recent ruling in Ghukasian v. Aegis Security Insurance Co.1 Ghukasian involved an insured...more
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that, under Iowa law, an insurer is not liable for breach of contract or bad faith if its coverage decision was objectively reasonable at the time it was made. In Hallmark...more
In first-party breach of insurance contract actions, the parties oftentimes dispute whether the policyholder may seek damages that are not explicitly provided for in the policy, with the policyholder arguing such indirect...more
On January 21, 2021, the Supreme Court of Florida issued an important decision in Citizens Property Insurance Corp. v. Manor House, LLC, et. al., SC19-1394 (Fla. 2021), disallowing an insured to recover extra-contractual,...more
When it comes to commercial general liability coverage, sometimes things are not what they seem. Some policy language looks like it has a clear meaning. But it turns out that there is more than meets the eye. To see this, you...more
“[T]here is no separate cause of action of institutional bad faith,” the Pennsylvania Superior Court recently concluded, referencing Pennsylvania’s bad-faith statute, 42 Pa.C.S. § 8731, in an action by two homeowners against...more
Pennsylvania law suggests construction defects generally are not considered an "occurrence" under most CGL insurance policies because defects are not true accidents, e.g., a fortuitous event. However, an exception generally...more
Skinner v. Horace Mann Ins. Co., No. 4:18-CV-00922-RBH, 2019 WL 935243 (D.S.C. Feb. 26, 2019) - Plaintiff Annie Skinner (Skinner) allegedly suffered severe injuries and extensive property damage as a result of a February...more
After a fire damaged their home, Robert and Janet Fuller submitted a claim under their homeowners policy with Safeco Insurance Company. Safeco denied the Fullers' claim on the basis that it had cancelled the policy for...more
Mitchell v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, No. 3:17cv00170-M, 2018 WL 4572664 (N.D. Miss. Sept. 24, 2018) - Lorine Mitchell submitted a claim to State Farm for damage to her property from a storm. Under the terms of...more
After heavy snow destroyed a Slaubaugh Farm poultry house in Delaware, the farm called on its insurer to cover its loss. After its claim was denied, the farm sued the insurer, alleging bad faith denial of coverage under...more
One year after its initial decision in a significant bad faith case, the Texas Supreme Court has issued its much-awaited opinion in USAA Tex. Lloyds Co. v. Menchaca. The case involved a homeowner whose post-Hurricane Ike...more
Under New Jersey law, an insurer cannot be held liable for bad faith in denying an insurance claim if the claim is “fairly debatable.”...more
JP Energy Marketing, LLC v. Commerce & Industry Insurance Company, et al., No. 115285, 2018 Okla. LEXIS 11 (Okla. Feb. 5, 2018) - Oklahoma Supreme Court in a case of first impression authorizes an award of appeal-related...more
The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals recently closed an avenue for bad faith claims. In this case, the insured, CMD, sued its own liability insurance company, State Auto, for not settling the claims asserted against it...more
In Chukly v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., 2017 WL 3262541 (D.Ariz. Aug. 1, 2017) (Order), a breach of contract and insurance bad faith case arising from a homeowners claim after a microburst and “massive rain,” the Arizona...more
Mississippi essentially has three levels of claim when insurance is at issue: (1) mere breach of contract, allowing recovery of contract damages; (2) breach of contract + no arguable basis for breach, which entitles recovery...more
Virtually all property insurance policies contain an appraisal clause, which outlines the appraisal procedure in broad terms. Those broad terms sometimes do not provide much guidance about the process, or about the effect...more
On May 14, 2015, the Florida Supreme Court held that a government-created insurance company, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, was immune from statutory first-party bad faith claims. The Florida Legislature created...more
In Albert v. Mid-Century Insurance Co. (No. B257792, filed 4/28/15, ord. pub. 5/20/15), a California Court of Appeal held that an insured’s trimming of a neighbor’s trees which allegedly damaged the trees was not an accident...more
Boulware v. Liberty Ins. Corp., No. 3:13-CV-1541, 2015 WL 1219283 (M.D. Pa. Mar. 17, 2015). After a portion of the insured’s deck collapsed, the insurer denied coverage based on a brief inspection without hiring an...more
What’s the latest news on Arizona’s civil defense verdicts? Here are some interesting defense verdicts from 2014: - Steak Out Restaurant & Saloon, L.L.C. et al. v. Old Lobos T&T, L.L.C. et al. Steak Out Restaurant...more
Eastman v. Allstate Ins. Co., No. 14cv0703, 2014 WL 5355036 (S.D. Cal. Oct. 20, 2014) - Southern District of California denies motion to dismiss bad faith claim in connection with coverage dispute under homeowners...more
A Florida appeals court recently held in Cammarata v. State Farm Florida Insurance Co. that an insured is not required to show that its insurer breached the insurance policy before it can bring a claim for bad faith. Although...more
Meuser v. Allstate Ins. Co., A136243, 2014 WL 802535 (Cal. Ct. App. Feb. 28, 2014). Court of Appeals of California finds no breach of contract or bad faith where actual cost of repairing fire-damaged home was higher...more