General Liability
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April 02, 2025
No-Fault Tolling Not Retroactive, Mich. Justices Say
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that an element of no-fault reforms pausing the one-year rule for recovery of personal injury protection benefits until an insurer formally issues a denial is not retroactive, finding the Legislature didn't clearly add retroactive language and that applying the provision to preamendment claims would impose new obligations on insurers. Â
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April 01, 2025
Berkshire Unit Denied Reimbursement For Asbestos Coverage
Two excess insurers for a drywall company have no duty to reimburse another excess insurer for payments it made to settle two asbestos injury lawsuits, a Texas federal court ruled, finding those lawsuits didn't allege an occurrence within the two excess insurers' policy periods.
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April 01, 2025
Chamber, Trade Groups Back Insurer's Class Cert. Review Bid
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and major insurance industry groups urged the U.S. Supreme Court to undo a Ninth Circuit decision allowing a class action to proceed against State Farm over its use of "negotiation adjustments" to calculate payouts for totaled vehicles.
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April 01, 2025
Homeowners Premiums Rose 24% In 3 Years, Report Says
Average homeowners insurance premiums in the United States rose by 24% from 2021 to 2024, a national crisis that is putting pressure on Americans with mortgage burdens, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Consumer Federation of America.
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March 31, 2025
Trucking Co. Says Insurers Owe Coverage For BIPA Suit
A trucking company's insurers owe coverage for underlying litigation brought by a former employee who said the company violated his biometric privacy rights by using a hand-scanning timekeeping system that stored his protected personal data, the company told an Illinois federal court.
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March 31, 2025
Insurer Can Limit Rates But Not Counsel In Utility Litigation
A Swiss Re unit can limit the rates it pays to defend utility company Aqua's successor entity in litigation over alleged lead contamination in a Chicago suburb's water supply, a Pennsylvania federal judge has ruled, adding that the insurer cannot make Aqua change its counsel.
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March 31, 2025
Insurer Denies Coverage For Crushing Death, Alleging Lies
A wood company's insurer said it owed nothing in connection with the crushing death of a recycling company worker who was killed by equipment rented from the wood seller, telling a California federal court that its insured misrepresented itself when claiming it didn't lease equipment on its coverage application.
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March 31, 2025
Del. Court Says Mattel Sleeper Claims Are One Occurrence
Injury claims against toy-makers Mattel and subsidiary Fisher Price over their Rock n' Play Sleeper products constitute a single occurrence under Mattel's various commercial general liability policies, a Delaware state court ruled, though further finding that individual alleged injuries must still fall under different policy years.
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March 28, 2025
AIG Unit Wins No-Defense Ruling For NY Ghost Gun Suits
An AIG unit has no duty to defend a Washington-state-based firearms retailer in three underlying lawsuits accusing the retailer of knowingly selling unfinished components that could be used to assemble what are commonly known as ghost guns, a New York federal court ruled, finding the complaints do not allege accidental conduct.
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March 28, 2025
LA Zoo Org. Not Covered In City Contract Row, Insurer Says
An insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify the Los Angeles Zoo's nonprofit arm in a contractual dispute brought by the city, the carrier told a California federal court, saying claims arising out of a breach of contract or related to the association's professional services are excluded.
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March 28, 2025
Insurer Denied Early Win In $6.1M Cargo Loss Coverage Suit
A New York federal judge said there was too much controversy to hand an early win to a stone company in its case seeking coverage of a more than $6.1 million loss over marble destroyed by a snail infestation.Â
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March 28, 2025
Feds Settle NC Insurer's Medicare Reimbursement Suit
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has settled a North Carolina state-created insurance association's suit arguing it did not need to pay back the federal Medicare program for claims that should otherwise be covered by private insurance, and the parties jointly dismissed the matter Thursday.
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March 28, 2025
NC Biz Court Bulletin: TikTok Duel Heats Up, NIL Suit Plays On
In March, the North Carolina Business Court readied for trial in an insurance coverage dispute involving Smithfield Foods, heard why TikTok is subject to the state's jurisdiction, and allowed the Cardiac Pack's NIL suit against the NCAA to proceed while a parallel case plays out.
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March 27, 2025
P&C Insurers Return To Profits Amid Economic Uncertainty
Property and casualty insurers collected record-setting profits in 2024, but macroeconomic conditions and other factors threaten to stymie their growth, says a broker and author of a recent report. Here, Law360 speaks to Vince Gaffigan about what drove growth, the looming risks ranging from inflation to catastrophic weather events, and what brokers and insureds should do to ready themselves against an array of uncertainties.
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March 27, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
An insurer will pay nearly $1 million to resolve claims it failed to protect drivers' data, Michigan's top court will take up two car insurance appeals, the Fifth Circuit was asked to set precedent with an assault coverage ruling and PNC Bank NA can't get coverage for a more than $106 million judgment. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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March 27, 2025
Chubb Unit Wins Reimbursement For $9M Worker Injury Deal
Mt. Hawley Insurance Co. must help cover a Chubb unit's nearly $9 million payment to settle an underlying worker injury lawsuit stemming from an office renovation project, a New York federal court ruled, finding Mt. Hawley's policy was primary to Chubb's and that Mt. Hawley's "designated work" exclusion didn't apply.
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March 27, 2025
$6.3M Default Against Cannabis Co. Not Covered, Insurer Says
An insurer said it doesn't owe coverage for a $6.3 million default judgment entered against a medical cannabis testing company related to its fraudulent operations, telling a Mississippi federal court that the company failed to provide notice of various developments in an underlying government investigation and the subsequent lawsuit.
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March 26, 2025
Sotomayor Urges Caution On Nondelegation Doctrine Revamp
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor cautioned her colleagues during oral arguments Wednesday against using a challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's administration of a broadband subsidy program as a way to resurrect the long-dormant nondelegation doctrine. Several conservative justices, however, seemed willing to disregard that admonition.
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March 25, 2025
Baltimore Bridge Collapse: One Year Later
Federal accident investigators' recent determination that Maryland could've done more to protect Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge from a devastating collapse may complicate the sprawling legal battle over liability and damages in the year since a cargo ship struck the bridge and crippled a major East Coast transportation hub.
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March 25, 2025
Insurers Claim 4th Circ. Must Revisit Ruling For Aluminum Co.
Insurers in a coverage cap dispute with an aluminum company have asked the Fourth Circuit to reconsider an opinion holding that an ambiguous policy provision must be construed in the company's favor, calling it contrary to South Carolina law.
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March 25, 2025
Insurers Must Face Heating Oil Buyers' $35M Coverage Suit
Customers who allege they suffered $35 million in damage after purchasing substandard heating oil can continue to seek coverage of underlying litigation, with a Massachusetts federal judge saying Tuesday their case contained enough controversy to deny insurers summary judgment.
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March 25, 2025
5th Circ. Urged To Publish Assault Coverage Ruling
A Houston-based bar asked the Fifth Circuit to make precedential a recent ruling that found a lower court wrongfully limited an insurer's coverage obligations on an assault judgment rather than dismissing the case, saying the decision brought attention to existing case law that has been overlooked.
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March 25, 2025
Contractor Drops $1.1M Bond Dispute Against Liberty Mutual
A Delaware-based plumbing and HVAC company has withdrawn its federal suit claiming that a general contractor and Liberty Mutual improperly withheld $1.1 million in payments for work the company completed on a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers elementary school project.
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March 24, 2025
Skechers Says Insurer Shirked Defense Of Nonslip Shoe Suit
Skechers' insurer wrongfully refused to defend the shoe giant in a putative class action over slip-resistance problems with some of its shoes, Skechers told a California state court in seeking at least $750,000.
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March 24, 2025
Justices Won't Review Missing Comma Coverage Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court won't review an Eleventh Circuit decision that a missing comma in a Chubb unit's professional services policy did not alter its clear and unambiguous meaning excluding coverage for a food service company's audit, according to an order list Monday.
Expert Analysis
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Time To Step Up PFAS Due Diligence In Cross-Border M&A
Regulations in the U.S. and EU governing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances will likely evolve to become global standards out of necessity and scale, so PFAS due diligence — particularly for buyers, sellers, and lenders and investors involved in multijurisdictional mergers and acquisitions — will be essential in 2024, say attorneys at Shipman & Goodwin.
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3 Significant Ohio Insurance Updates From 2023
The past year saw some significant changes and developments in Ohio's insurance coverage landscape, from new bad faith discovery mechanisms relating to out-of-state property to the Ohio Supreme Court's interpretation of what constitutes an assault or battery for coverage purposes, say Jenna Pletcher and William Peseski at Brouse McDowell.Â
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Ill. Justices Set New Standard For Analyzing Defect Claims
The Illinois Supreme Court's recent ruling in Acuity v. M/I Homes of Chicago has effectively changed the landscape for how insurers may respond to construction defect claims in the state, so insurers should carefully focus their coverage analysis on whether the business risk exclusions are applicable, say Bevin Carroll and Julie Klein at Kennedys.
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Policyholders Must Object To Insurer Reorganizations
When insurance companies reorganize, policies often take years to ultimately pay out a fraction of what is owed, so policyholders should organize and urge insurance commissioners to take action when retroactive reinsurance deals are announced, says Jonathan Terrell at KCIC.
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Ill. BIPA Ruling May Spark Violation-Of-Law Exclusion Fight
An Illinois appeals court's recent holding in National Fire Insurance v. Visual Pak that a violation-of-law exclusion didn't preclude coverage for an underlying Biometric Information Privacy Act suit contradicts an earlier Seventh Circuit decision that aligns with long-standing insurance law principles — which may lead the state's high court to weigh in, says Tae Andrews at Pasich.
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3 Pointers From Tilton Case To Help Win Advancement Suits
The Delaware Superior Court’s refusal to let Lynn Tilton sue her advancers for legal fees, ruling she had not yet attempted to negotiate in good faith, suggests that policyholders may fare better if they attempt proactive strategies to narrow disputes over advancement agreements before taking their insurers to court, says Evan Bolla at Harris St. Laurent.
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What Insurers Gain When Litigating Coverage Denials
Lately, insurance companies have denied coverage for lawsuits alleging liability relating to the ordinary operations of highly regulated businesses, such as those in the pharmaceutical and energy sectors — demonstrating time and again how litigation can be a vehicle for carriers to mitigate their own costs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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NY Wrongful Death Law Revamp Retains Original's Drawbacks
If approved by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Grieving Families Act will transform the landscape of wrongful death law in New York by increasing the potential for damages, raising insurance premiums, burdening hospitals and courts, stifling the economy and subjecting parties to the unsettling effects of retroactive legislation, say attorneys at Shaub Ahmuty.
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SEC, NY Cybersecurity Rules Create Complexity For Insurers
Two separate cybersecurity rules recently adopted by the New York Department of Financial Services and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pose distinct challenges for insurance industry participants, with important interactions, and potential tensions, for those required to comply with both frameworks, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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5 Trends To Watch In Property And Casualty Class Actions
In 2023, class action decisions have altered the landscape for five major types of claims affecting property and casualty insurers — total loss vehicle valuation, labor depreciation, other structural loss estimating theories, total loss vehicle tax and regulatory fees, and New Mexico's uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage sale requirements, say Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.
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Why Courts Are Nixing Insurer Defense Recoupment Claims
Following a recent trend, the Hawaii Supreme Court's decision in St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co. v. Bodell Construction Co. provides a concise explanation of the argument that an insurer generally may not recoup costs for defending claims, based on three considerations, says Bradley Nash at Hoguet Newman.
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Insurer's '600-Lb. Life' Win Shows Why Fraud Suits Don't Stick
A Texas federal court’s recent ruling that Philadelphia Indemnity Co. did not fraudulently induce Megalomedia, the production company behind reality show “My 600-Lb. Life,” into purchasing insurance, demonstrates why a policyholder’s fraudulent inducement claim against an insurer will rarely succeed, says Robert Tugander at Rivkin Radler.
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Insurance Considerations For Cos. Assessing New AI Risks
Because no two businesses will have the same artificial intelligence risk profile, they should consider four broad risk categories as a baseline for taking a proactive approach to guarding against AI-related exposures, say attorneys at Hunton.