In this month’s update, we discuss cases involving related wrongful acts, wildfires, concealment of a weapon, concealment of climate risks, and road rage. We begin in Delaware, where the state’s high court determines...more
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California, applying California law, has held that a retroactive date endorsement limited coverage to $1 million if a claim involved wrongful acts occurring prior...more
Many of us probably realized in law school the answer is often “it depends.” The specific fact-patterns shift the issues or trigger exceptions to the rule. Attorneys make a living navigating in those gray areas when the...more
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, applying California law, has held that without physical injury, emotional distress damages alone are insufficient to establish standing for a direct...more
The Appellate Court of Illinois has held that an underlying lawsuit was interrelated with another lawsuit brought against the insured by a different claimant, and thus precluded from coverage pursuant to the policy’s...more
The Appellate Court of Maryland, applying Maryland law, has held that an insurer had no duty to defend or indemnify an insured under a professional liability policy containing a contractual liability exclusion for a lawsuit...more
A Connecticut state court has held that an insurer owes no coverage to an insured law firm that misrepresented its prior knowledge of a potential malpractice claim to be filed by a former client. Evans & Lewis, LLC v. Nat’l...more
The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, applying Texas law, has held that an insured is not entitled to coverage under a claims-made-and-reported policy because the tendered lawsuit was...more
The Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, applying New Jersey law, has held that a professional liability policy afforded no coverage for a lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct because the insured had knowledge of...more
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, applying Florida law, has held that a professional liability insurer did not have a duty to defend or indemnify its insured in a lawsuit involving the...more
The Supreme Court of Delaware affirmed a trial court decision holding that a “run-off exclusion” in a management and company liability policy absolved an insurer of the obligation to advance defense costs. Ferrellgas Partners...more
The world knows that today was closing argument day in the Trump criminal trial associated with the payments made to Stephanie Clifford in connection with her claims of a sexual relationship with former President Trump....more
In the blink of an eye, a bad car wreck or another serious incident can result in a death. Losing a loved one is absolutely devastating. In North Carolina, when an individual's negligence, wrongful acts, or intentional acts...more
In a win for Wiley’s client, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, applying New York law, has held that a private company management and employment practices liability policy does not cover a...more
Dominance was the theme of this year’s NCAA basketball tournament, with the UConn men’s team winning back-to-back championships and the South Carolina women’s team reclaiming the title with a perfect record. But let’s not...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, applying New York law, has held that a letter asserting legal liabilities and threatening litigation constitutes a claim first made prior to the policy period. The...more
In a win for Wiley’s client, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, applying Pennsylvania law, determined that an insured was not entitled to coverage for a judgment against it because both...more
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, applying Florida law, has held that a law firm was not entitled to coverage under a professional liability policy for claims involving its allegedly...more
A federal district court, applying California law, has determined that an insurer owed a duty to defend because the policy’s retroactive date exclusion was ambiguous in that it could reasonably be interpreted to apply only to...more
The United States District Court for the Central District of California, applying California law, has held that an underlying pleading sufficiently alleged that an individual was sued in an insured capacity as an officer of...more
In recent months, the United States-Mexico border has seen an unprecedented surge of migrants. With this wave, various state and local authorities across the nation have expressed a strain on their public resources and...more
In a win for Wiley’s client, the California Court of Appeal, applying California law, affirmed the grant of an insurance tower’s motion for summary judgment, finding that an investment advisor’s unauthorized copying of a...more
The United States District Court for the Central District of California, applying California law, has held that, based on the initial pleadings, it could not determine in the insurer’s favor whether wrongful acts alleged...more
In a win for Wiley’s client, the Supreme Court of New York for New York County, applying New York law, has held that no coverage is available for a legal malpractice lawsuit because the “claim” was first made before the...more
Applying Illinois law, the First District Appellate Court of Illinois has held that a related wrongful acts provision barred coverage for a series of “claims” made over the course of six years because the claims—as the...more