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May 15, 2025
Conn. Justice Warns DMV Rule May Destroy Towing Program
If the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles is correct in its interpretation of how towing companies can be paid for certain services, a state police program for clearing wrecks will evaporate because participating will not be profitable, a justice of the state Supreme Court warned Thursday.
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May 15, 2025
Fla. High Court Won't Rule On Condo Insurance Dispute
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday declined to wade into a dispute between a Miami condominium and its insurer over a claim for damage caused by Hurricane Irma, leaving in place an appellate ruling that the association provided sufficient notice to the insurer that it intended to add or reopen its damage claim.
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May 15, 2025
Insurer Wants Smokestack Demo Cos. To Pay For Damage
Erie Insurance is seeking to make the companies that demolished two smokestacks at a former Western Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant pay $375,000 for damage that flying dust, debris and shock waves did to a neighboring property, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.
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May 15, 2025
Golden Corral Can't Resurrect COVID-19 Coverage Case
A North Carolina federal court blocked Golden Corral's last-ditch effort at COVID-19 insurance coverage, finding that although similar policyholders scored a recent win before the state's supreme court, that victory wasn't "extraordinary" enough to disturb a final judgment against the restaurant chain.
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May 15, 2025
Ex-LA DA's Atty's AI Use 'Affirmatively Misled' Special Master
The retired California federal judge serving as special master for former Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey's insurance coverage suit — stemming from her husband's holding a gun in their home's doorway in 2020 — has ordered litigation sanctions against Lacey's legal team, finding the lawyers submitted "bogus AI-generated research" that initially tricked the judge.
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May 15, 2025
NC Furniture Maker Gets Pretrial Win On Helene Coverage
A federal judge gave a North Carolina furniture manufacturer a pretrial win in its suit seeking Hurricane Helene coverage from Fireman's Fund Insurance Co., ruling that the policy at issue had an exclusion for flood damages but that the exclusion had a carve-out for "named storms."
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May 14, 2025
Insurer Ends Case Blaming Panda Express For Water Leak
An insurance company on Wednesday dropped its case seeking more than $176,000 from Panda Express Inc. for damages allegedly caused when grease-filled pipes at one of the chain's restaurants backed up and leaked water into a clothing store covered by the insurer.
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May 14, 2025
Idaho Murderer's Family Can't Get Coverage, Judge Says
The wealthy mining family of a mentally ill man who murdered and allegedly ate his victim's genitalia was denied insurance coverage for underlying litigation brought by the decedent's survivors when an Idaho federal judge determined the killing wasn't unforeseen and the killer's subjective motives weren't relevant.
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May 14, 2025
NC Progressive Customers Get Class Cert. In Car Value Suit
A class of Progressive Auto Insurance customers in North Carolina suing over the company's alleged practice of making adjustments that reduced their compensation for total loss claims has been certified by a federal judge.
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May 14, 2025
3M Payment Satisfied Policy Requirements, Del. Justices Told
An attorney for 3M and its subsidiary Aearo Technologies argued that the parent company's payment of defense costs in multidistrict litigation over combat earplugs satisfied the self-insured retention of the subsidiary's insurance policies, telling the Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday the insurers "got exactly what they bargained for."
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May 14, 2025
Insurer Blamed For Unpaid $3.2M Horse-Related Theft Deal
A show horse company that said an equestrian and his associate stole prize money, horse sale proceeds and valuable stallion semen blamed an insurer for covering protracted underlying litigation in bad faith, telling a Florida federal court that nothing was left for an eventual $3.2 million settlement.
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May 13, 2025
Senators Grill Allstate, State Farm Heads On Disaster Claims
Officials from Allstate and State Farm defended their claims-handling procedures for natural disasters before a U.S. Senate committee Tuesday amid testimony that the two major homeowners insurers routinely altered estimates and underpaid policyholders to protect their profits.
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May 13, 2025
State Farm's Emergency Rate Hike Request Approved In Calif.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Tuesday that he had adopted a judge's recommendation to approve State Farm General Insurance Co.'s request for an emergency rate increase for property insurance in the state, following January wildfires that have already cost California insurers $12.1 billion.
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May 13, 2025
3rd Circ. Upholds Most Of Boy Scouts' Ch. 11 Plan
The Third Circuit upheld the bulk of the Boy Scouts of America's Chapter 11 plan to deal with thousands of childhood sex abuse claims, but agreed Tuesday with one objecting insurer that its rights were impermissibly altered under the plan.
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May 13, 2025
Crypto Co. Seeks $1.9M Coverage For Mining Equipment Theft
A cryptocurrency company told a Colorado federal court that its Markel insurers failed to cover more than $1.9 million in losses from a theft of mining hardware, saying the insurers have either failed to respond or provided no reasonable explanation for their refusal.
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May 13, 2025
Ga. Property Owner Says Insurer Must Pay For Burst Pipes
A property owner told a Virginia federal court that although its insurer received late notice of property damage after a 2022 winter freeze burst pipes at its Georgia property, it was still owed coverage under a more than $30 million policy because the insurer accepted its reasons for the delay.
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May 13, 2025
Texas House OKs Bill Expanding Biz Court Disputes
A bill that would bring sweeping changes to the state's business court is one step closer to becoming law after approval by the Texas House on Tuesday.
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May 13, 2025
Ga. Justices Nix Atty Immunity Doctrine, Uphold Tossing Case
The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a long-standing attorney immunity doctrine that a lower court found shielded Barnes & Thornburg LLP from a legal malpractice suit, but the justices concluded that a onetime client's claims still fell short.
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May 13, 2025
Insurers Say McCarter Can't Blame NY Town In $22M Loan Suit
Two insurers asked a Connecticut judge to nix four of McCarter & English LLP's defenses in a $22.3 million lawsuit over the firm's role in crafting loans for recreational improvements in a Long Island, New York, town, saying the firm can't blame municipal officials while defending contract and malpractice claims.
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May 13, 2025
Fla. Medical Cos. Sue Akerman For Malpractice, Fight Fees Bid
After Akerman LLP filed suit against Rennova Health Inc. and medical laboratories for unpaid fees last month, the healthcare services company swung back with a motion to dismiss that case, while the labs filed their own malpractice lawsuits.
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May 13, 2025
Insurer Calls To Ax Mogul's Receivership Appeal As Sanction
An insurer seeking to collect on a $524 million arbitration award against convicted insurance mogul Greg Lindberg has asked the North Carolina Court of Appeals to toss Lindberg's attempt at undoing a receivership order as a sanction for allegedly flouting court deadlines.
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May 13, 2025
Builder Says Zurich Owes $2.6M For Bronx School Damage
A contractor said a Zurich unit owes it at least $2.6 million for costs incurred after a construction site collapse at a Bronx school, telling a New York federal court the insurer failed to timely adjust its claim and wrongfully refused to pay out any funds for the loss.
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May 12, 2025
Murder Is Not Assault, Drywall Co. Says In Indemnification Bid
A drywall company told a Texas federal judge that Knight Specialty Insurance Co. cannot use an assault and battery exclusion to escape its obligation to defend the company after one of its employees murdered a woman, saying Monday "murder is different than assault or battery."
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May 12, 2025
Asbestos Spiked Cost To Demolish Power Plant, Suit Says
A subcontractor doing demolition at a former Boston power plant undergoing redevelopment says it is owed more than $22 million for additional work after finding hidden pockets of asbestos in multiple locations.
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May 12, 2025
Insurer Must Pay Part Of $2M Construction Defect Settlement
A Minnesota state appellate court on Monday upheld a lower court's ruling that found an insurer must cover over $170,000 of a $2 million settlement between a marina and a contractor over alleged construction defects.
Expert Analysis
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Evidence Rule May Expand Use Of Out-Of-Court Statements
A proposed amendment to Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(1)(A) would broaden the definition of nonhearsay, reflects a more pragmatic approach to regulating the admissibility of out-of-court statements by declarant-witnesses, and could help level the playing field between prosecutors and criminal defendants, say attorneys at Hangley Aronchick.
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Series
Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.
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Opinion
Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence
Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.
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The Math Of Cross-Examination: Less Is More, More Is Less
When conducting cross-examination at trial, attorneys should remember that “less is more, and more is less” — limiting both the scope of questioning and the length of each query in order to control the witness’s testimony and keep the factfinders’ attention, says Thomas Innes at the Defender Association of Philadelphia.
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Appealing An Interlocutory Order On Insurer Duty To Defend
A recent First Circuit decision on a motion regarding an insurer's duty to defend underlying litigation highlights how policyholders may be able to pursue immediate appeals of interlocutory orders, especially in light of other circuit courts' stances on this issue, say attorneys at Anderson Kill.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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How Design Thinking Can Help Lawyers Find Purpose In Work
Lawyers everywhere are feeling overwhelmed amid mass government layoffs, increasing political instability and a justice system stretched to its limits — but a design-thinking framework can help attorneys navigate this uncertainty and find meaning in their work, say law professors at the University of Michigan.
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Tools For Witness Control That Go Beyond Leading Questions
Though leading questions can be efficient and effective for constraining a witness’s testimony, this strategy isn’t appropriate for every trial and pretrial scenario, so techniques like headlining and looping can be deployed during direct examination, depositions and even witness interviews, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.
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Del. Justices' D&O Ruling Clarifies 'Related' Claim Analysis
In its recent decision in the Alexion Pharmaceuticals coverage case, the Delaware Supreme Court adopted a "meaningful linkage" standard for relatedness analysis, providing further guidance to Delaware policyholders on how to navigate those directors and officers insurance disputes, say attorneys at Hunton.
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Navigating Mortgage Insurance Provisions After LA Fires
As homeowners affected by the Los Angeles wildfires consider rebuilding, mortgage lenders and servicers must negotiate the complex intersection between the standard deed of trust and property insurance, says Heather Wright at Buchalter.
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4 Do's And Don'ts For Trial Lawyers Using Generative AI
Trial attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools should review a few key reminders, from the likelihood that prompts are discoverable to the rapid evolution of court rules, to safeguard against embarrassing missteps, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.
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Series
Competitive Weightlifting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The parallels between the core principles required for competitive weightlifting and practicing law have helped me to excel in both endeavors, with each holding important lessons about discipline, dedication, drive and failure, says Damien Bielli at VF Law.
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NC COVID Ruling May Have Greater Coverage Implications
While the North Carolina Supreme Court's recent finding in favor of policyholders in a suit for business interruption coverage due to COVID-19 comes too late for most insureds to benefit, it should nonetheless have coverage implications far beyond COVID-19 claims, say attorneys at Robinson Bradshaw.
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Year Of The Snake Will Shake Up RE And Mortgage Finance
The year ahead may bring profound transformation and opportunities for growth in the real estate and mortgage finance sectors, with significant issues including policy battles and questions surrounding the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, says Marty Green at Polunsky Beitel.
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11th Circ. TCPA Ruling Signals Erosion Of Judicial Deference
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently came to the rescue of the lead generation industry, striking down new regulations that were set to go into effect on Jan. 27, a decision consistent with federal courts' recent willingness to review administrative decisions, say attorneys at Troutman.