Property
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April 24, 2025
Judge Lifts Arbitration Order In Hurricane Coverage Suit
A Louisiana federal judge Wednesday reversed his decision compelling arbitration of an insurance dispute over coverage for hurricane damage in light of new precedent from the state's top court, pointing to a "crucial" mandate requiring that the underlying policies be interpreted as separate contracts.
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April 24, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
California property owners affected by recent wildfires accused hundreds of insurers of collusion, Colorado's justices said no exception exists to the state's economic loss rule for willful and wanton conduct claims, and a California federal judge questioned insurers' bid to litigate coverage for injury claims against Meta in Delaware. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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April 24, 2025
Pest Co.'s Ex-Employee Not Covered In Child Assault Suit
An insurer for a pest control company needn't cover a suit alleging a former employee assaulted a minor whom he recruited to work at the business, a Mississippi federal court ruled, finding that neither the employee nor his insulation company is insured under any available insurance policy.
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April 24, 2025
Parametric Insurance Offers Hope Amid Systemic Challenges
Insurers are increasingly adopting parametric insurance policies as one means of offsetting broader systemic challenges to the industry, even as questions persist about the scope and regulation of these products, which offer automatic payouts.
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April 24, 2025
Law Prof Pushes For Regulating Sustainability In Insurance
Consumers should have more information about the sustainability features of their ordinary insurance products, but existing regulations in the United Kingdom and Europe don't encourage transparency or innovation of sustainable-minded products. Franziska Arnold-Dwyer, an associate law professor at University College London, spoke to Law360 about sustainability in insurance and her recent paper on the matter.
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April 23, 2025
Xcel Says Holding Co. Doesn't Belong In Colo. Wildfire Case
Xcel Energy Inc. told a Colorado state court it shouldn't be named as a defendant in consolidated litigation seeking to hold it and two subsidiaries liable for a 2021 wildfire, arguing that the plaintiffs couldn't show that the court retains personal jurisdiction over it.
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April 23, 2025
9th Circ. Asked To Modify Ruling In LA Port Co. Coverage Row
A Los Angeles port operator's insurer asked a three-judge panel in the Ninth Circuit to rethink part of its decision ordering a jury trial on the amount of defense costs the operator incurred while litigating pollution claims brought by the city, arguing they improperly relied on a depublished decision.
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April 21, 2025
Real Estate Co.'s $1.9M Title Insurance Suit Gets Tossed
A real estate company could not show that its suit seeking $1.9 million in coverage for a title defect that limited access to its San Diego industrial property belonged in federal court, a California judge found Monday, tossing the case.
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April 21, 2025
Justices Nix Appraiser's Petition Seeking Arbitral Immunity
An insurance appraiser failed Monday to get the U.S. Supreme Court to define what "arbitration" actually means under the Federal Arbitration Act, seeking immunity after a Colorado state jury found he fraudulently inflated a $1.6 million appraisal award against a Travelers unit that was ultimately vacated.
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April 21, 2025
Calif. Homeowners Say Insurers Colluded To Limit Coverage
California property owners affected by the Los Angeles wildfires accused over 300 insurers of conspiring to eliminate competition in the marketplace, forcing consumers to instead obtain fire insurance from the state's insurer of last resort, according to two lawsuits filed in state court.
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April 18, 2025
Zurich Stuck With $12.2M Solar Farm Verdict, Judge Rules
A Georgia federal judge has shot down Zurich American Insurance Co.'s bid to escape a $12.2 million judgment that followed a January trial where a jury found the insurer shortchanged a Peach State solar farm's claim for storm damage.
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April 17, 2025
Colo. FAIR Plan Gives Policyholders Options At A Cost
Colorado launched the country's first new Fair Access to Insurance Requirements, or FAIR, Plan in 40 years to offer residents another tool in an increasingly challenging wildfire, hail and wind market, but experts emphasized that this limited form of coverage is not intended to address affordability concerns.
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April 17, 2025
Colo. Insurance Bills Offer Promise But Uncertain Costs
Colorado lawmakers are contemplating insurance bills that experts say could help improve the state's market by boosting home resilience, but there are still cost concerns and skepticism that other proposals are workable, like a state reinsurance program.
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April 17, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
Auto insurers can't shake feds' "forced coverage" claims, the Suquamish Tribe asks the U.S. Supreme Court not to weigh in on its COVID-19 coverage case, saying its court has jurisdiction, IBM wants coverage for $900 million in environmental expenses and Consumer Watchdog sues California's insurance chief over proposed post-wildfire insurance surcharges.
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April 17, 2025
General Aviation Insurance Stays Steady Through Turbulence
The general aviation and airline insurance industry remains steady despite supply-chain concerns and a rise in accident rates. Here, Philip Stafford, a senior partner in Gallagher's aerospace division, shares his thoughts on the current state of this sector with Law360.
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April 17, 2025
Insurance Regulators Urged To Address Climate Change Risks
Insurance regulators must strengthen their understanding of the threats posed by climate change and better consider how those risks will shape the stability of the sector, a group of international regulators said in a report.
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April 16, 2025
Texas Oil Cos. Seek Pass-Through Pollution Claims Coverage
Oil and gas companies told a Texas federal court on Wednesday that their insurer must pay to defend them against pass-through claims in connection with underlying pollution lawsuits thanks to a purchase and sale agreement they entered into with another company.
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April 16, 2025
Justices Urged To Deny Insurers' Tribal Jurisdiction Challenge
The Suquamish Tribe told the U.S. Supreme Court it shouldn't hear a group of insurers' bid to litigate COVID-19-related property insurance claims outside tribal court, arguing the Ninth Circuit correctly held that the insurers' coverage of tribal property sufficiently established tribal jurisdiction.
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April 15, 2025
La. Parish Still Wants 5th Circ. To Remand Insurance Case
A Louisiana parish has again urged the Fifth Circuit to send its dispute over coverage for property damage caused by a pair of hurricanes back to district court, saying "everyone agrees" that the lower court made a procedural misstep that was subsequently wrongly appealed.
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April 15, 2025
Massive Calif. Fire Assessment Pass-Through Sparks Suit
Public interest nonprofit Consumer Watchdog sued California's insurance chief in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday to stop him from allowing insurance companies to offset hundreds of millions of dollars in assessment costs as surcharges onto policyholders, claiming the decision was made without any public input, in violation of the state's Administrative Procedure Act.
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April 15, 2025
Insurer Denies Coverage For Short Seller Cohodes' Libel Case
Short seller Marc Cohodes, who was accused by a financial advisory firm of causing $5 million in reputational damage via libelous posts on X, cannot have coverage for the litigation, an insurer told a Montana federal court, noting that his homeowners policy excluded intentional wrongdoing.
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April 14, 2025
Allianz Unit Challenges Augusta Golf Club's $2.4M Award
Allianz SE subsidiary Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. on Friday asked a federal judge to strike down a $2.4 million storm damage appraisal in favor of an Augusta, Georgia, golf club that the insurer said goes far beyond what it agreed to cover.
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April 14, 2025
Conn. Justice Hints Lapsed Policy Row Should Go Before Jury
A jury may need to decide whether a Connecticut insurance agency was duty-bound to tell a couple that their homeowners policy was not renewed ahead of a ruinous fire, a justice of the state's Supreme Court signaled Monday.
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April 14, 2025
1st Circ. Can't Hear Class Suit Coverage Row, Oil Co. Says
A heating oil company urged the First Circuit to toss an appeal its insurers filed following a ruling that they must continue defending the company and several executives in a class action over alleged damage caused by oil containing elevated levels of biodiesel, saying the court doesn't currently have jurisdiction.
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April 11, 2025
Insurers Allowed To End Chemical Explosion Coverage Suit
Insurers were allowed Friday to dismiss their case in Texas federal court against Team Industrial Services Inc. seeking to disclaim coverage for underlying suits filed against the company in connection with injuries from a 2021 explosion at a chemical plant.
Expert Analysis
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Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code
As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.
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Defining All-Risk: Despite $30M Loss, Loose Bolt Not 'Damage'
A Massachusetts federal court’s recent ruling in AMAG Pharmaceuticals v. American Guarantee and Liability Insurance Co., denying coverage for $30 million in damages claimed when a loose bolt caused an air leak, highlights an ongoing debate over the definition of “direct physical loss or damage,” say Josh Tumen and Paul Ferland at Cozen O'Connor.
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Sublimit And Policy Interpretation Lessons From Amtrak Case
The recently settled dispute between Amtrak and its insurers over sublimit coverage illustrates that parties with unclear manuscript policies may wish to avoid litigation in favor of settlement — as the New York federal court declined to decide the case by applying prior term interpretations, says Laura Maletta at Chartwell Law.
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Climate Among Many Factors Driving Up RE Insurance Costs
A proactive approach to risk management may determine the viability of the U.S. commercial real estate sector as weather crises and other factors drive insurance costs higher, says Ulrick Matsunaga at Crosbie Gliner.
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Fla. Insurer-Breach Cases Split On Unrepaired Property Issue
A Florida appellate court's recent decision in Universal v. Qureshi is directly at odds with a 2020 decision from another Florida appellate court, and raises important questions for policyholders and insurers about the proper measure of damages in breach claims involving unrepaired property, say Andrea DeField and Yaniel Abreu at Hunton.
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NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In a relatively light few months for banking legal updates in New York, the state Department of Financial Services previewed its views on banking sector artificial intelligence use via insurer guidance, and an anti-money laundering enforcement action underscored the importance of international monitoring processes, say Eric McLaughlin and Dana Bayersdorfer at Davis Polk.
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3 Coverage Tips As 2nd Circ. 'Swipes Left' On Tinder Claim
The Second Circuit's recent opinion in Match Group v. Beazley Underwriting, overturning Tinder's victory on its insurer's motion to dismiss a coverage action, reinforces three best practices policyholders purchasing claims-made coverage should adhere to in order to avoid late-notice defenses, say Lynda Bennett and Alexander Corson at Lowenstein Sandler.
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What To Know About Insurance Coverage For Antitrust Risks
With all the regulatory activity surrounding antitrust and unfair competition claims, as highlighted by last month's D.C. federal court decision that Google is a monopolist, businesses must not only ensure compliance, but also understand their potential insurance coverage when such claims arise, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes Boone.
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Keys To Successful Commercial Property Insurance Claims
Excerpt from
While insurance needs for commercial leasing arrangements are driven by the characteristics of the premises and the nature of the tenants' intended operations, there are several universal best practices landlords and their counsel can follow when making claims after loss or damage.
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Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss the muted nature of the property and casualty insurance class action space in the second quarter of the year, with no large waves made in labor depreciation and total-loss vehicle class actions, but a new offensive theory emerging for insurance companies.
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Ore. Insurance Litigation Is Testing The Bounds After Moody
Despite the Oregon Supreme Court’s attempt to limit application of its 2023 decision in Moody v. Oregon Community Credit Union, which for the first time awarded extracontractual damages stemming from alleged negligent claims handling, recent litigation shows Oregon insurance companies face greater exposure, says Sarah Pozzi at Cozen O’Connor.
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What's In NYDFS Guidance On Use Of AI In Insurance
Matthew Gaul and Shlomo Potesky at Willkie summarize the New York Department of Financial Services' recently adopted circular letter on the use of artificial intelligence in insurance underwriting and pricing, and highlight the material changes made to it in response to comments on the draft circular letter.