Expert Analysis

Conn. Insurers Should Prepare To Explain Premium Hikes

As of Jan. 1, Connecticut insurers must provide a reasonable explanation for personal risk insurance premium incre... (more story)

8th Circ. Ruling Limits Receiver Insurance Recovery Rights

The Eighth Circuit's recent ruling in King v. Texas Insurance illustrates a practical limit on receivership powers... (more story)

What Insurers Need To Know About 2 New California Laws

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two measures last week that while addressing distinct issues — catastrophe cla... (more story)

Property More

Colo. Milling Co. Fights To Keep $6M Coverage Suit Alive

A Colorado-based flour processor urged a state court not to toss its claims over $6 million in coverage for equipment destroyed in a Texas mill explosion, contending insurance adjusters improperly refused to i... (more story)

Brit Units Sue Over Botched Hurricane Damage Payout

Two Brit units have sued a U.S. claims outsourcer over the company's allegedly botched handling of a payout caused by Hurricane Laura in Louisiana that the insurance companies contend left them on the hook for... (more story)

Insurers Can't Avoid $5.3M Motel Damage Suit, Court Told

A real estate development company urged a Washington federal court to reject its insurers' bid to avoid a suit seeking $5.3 million in coverage for damage to a motel that was supposed to be converted into affo... (more story)

Calif. Insurance Chief Hopefuls Debate Fix For Fire Market

The two Democratic candidates running to be California's top insurance regulator clashed Thursday in a debate over whether fire insurance should be reformed within the private market or become the remit of a p... (more story)

11th Circ. Backs Home Insurer In Debris Feud Coverage Row

A Georgia federal court had jurisdiction over a homeowners insurance coverage dispute when it determined that a Peach State couple wasn't entitled to coverage for a suit brought by their neighbors over debris ... (more story)

Data Center Insurance Market 'Highly Favorable,' Broker Says

A leader of data centers at Lockton says that the insurance market for the projects is strong despite their unique profiles and concentrated risks. James Nelson spoke to Law360 about the role all participants ... (more story)

Insurance Litigation Week In Review

Insurers must defend Walmart against opioid injury suits, former NFL players' concussion injury claims should be treated as separate occurrences, and the Michigan Supreme Court will consider whether touching a... (more story)

Late Notice Bars Roof Damage Coverage, 5th Circ. Affirms

An insurer owed no coverage under a 2022 commercial property policy for damage that a Texas building sustained during a June 2018 hailstorm, the Fifth Circuit said, finding that the carrier was prejudiced by t... (more story)

Chubb Sued By Ex-LA Times CEO Over Palisades Fire Damage

Chubb uses a "rotating cast" of biased consultants to downplay property damage and minimize its coverage obligations, alleges businessman and former Los Angeles Times CEO Austin Beutner, who accused Chubb in C... (more story)

Tesla Defect Sparked Garage Fire, Insurer Says

Tesla Inc. has been hit with product liability claims in Illinois state court by an insurer looking to recoup the money it paid a policyholder whose Model X was deemed a total loss after an electrical defect c... (more story)

General Liability More

Estate Says Insurer Must Cover Fatal Hyperbaric Chamber Suit

The parents of a 5-year-old killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion and the center where he was receiving the therapy urged a Michigan federal court to reject an insurer's bid to avoid defending the center, s... (more story)

Mass. Court Hints At 2nd Look Of $165M Insurance Judgment

Massachusetts' highest court hinted Friday that it could order a judge to show how she calculated the restitution included in a $165 million judgment against three UnitedHealth-owned companies for deceptive ma... (more story)

Intel Contractor Not Covered For Injury Suit, Travelers Says

An Intel contractor is not owed coverage for a worker's $9.4 million personal injury suit stemming from an alleged chemical inhalation at the technology corporation's plant, two Travelers units told an Oregon federal court.

Insurer Says Related Dispute Bars Ad.com TM Suit Coverage

An insurer asked a California federal judge to find that it did not breach its policy with an online advertising company by refusing coverage against a trademark lawsuit, saying the infringement claims are rel... (more story)

Texas Justices Push Exxon On Explosion Suit Coverage Bid

The Texas Supreme Court pressed Exxon Mobil Corp. to explain why an AIG unit should have to pay $25 million of a $35 million settlement arising from a deadly 2013 explosion at the oil giant's refinery in Beaum... (more story)

NC Biz Court Bulletin: Monopoly Suit Setback, Historic Deal

The North Carolina Business Court rounded the corner into fall with a setback for residents in an antitrust class action, a historic settlement in "forever chemical" contamination litigation and a raft of new ... (more story)

Travelers Says Silica Exclusions Bar Toxin Suits Coverage

The insurer Travelers has urged a California federal court to dismiss a case alleging it improperly denied coverage to a tile and slab distributor for more than 450 personal injury and wrongful death suits, sa... (more story)

Insurer Says Coverage Limited For Ole Miss Student's Fall

An insurer said its total coverage obligation for a suit over a University of Mississippi student's three-story fall from an apartment complex balcony is capped at $100,000, telling a federal court that the in... (more story)

No Coverage For Ranch Owner In Sex Abuse Suit, Court Told

An insurer told a Washington federal court that it owes no coverage to the owner of a horse ranch for an underlying suit claiming that her husband sexually abused a girl who boarded her horse and took riding l... (more story)

Erie Exchange Atty Seeks State Court Refile After ID Flub

The lawyer representing Erie Insurance Exchange in a suit that seeks to avoid covering the parents of a mass shooter has admitted to a North Carolina federal court that he mistakenly misidentified the company'... (more story)

Specialty Lines More

Excess Insurers Tell 4th Circ. Under Armour Owes Interest

Five excess insurers told the Fourth Circuit that Under Armour Inc. must pay prejudgment interest on its return of $90 million in advanced coverage for defense costs, arguing a Maryland federal judge erred in ... (more story)

Bell Sports, AIG Unit Settle Helmet Defect Coverage Dispute

A motorcycle helmet company and an AIG-affiliated insurance company have resolved a lawsuit filed in California federal court over coverage stemming from claims of defects that allegedly caused a helmet to fly... (more story)

Clancy Trial Shows Need For Juror Anonymity Reforms

Doxing of the holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder mistrial in Massachusetts illustrates the increasing need to provide jurors with greater protection once service ends in high-profile cases, balancing c... (more story)

Calif. Veto A Setback For Loss Estimate Transparency

Consumer groups say the California governor's veto of an insurance transparency bill hurts fire survivors who take issue with insurers' loss estimates.

Ambiguous Bond Terms Net FDIC Win In SVB Coverage Fight

Two insurers must provide coverage to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., as receiver for Silicon Valley Bank, for the bank's claim for losses from a $73 million fraud scheme, a North Carolina federal judge r... (more story)

Foley Atty On The State Of Cannabis Insurance

Michael Kasdin of Foley & Lardner LLP spoke to Law360 Insurance Authority about the insurance options available to cannabis businesses, federal rescheduling, and how insurance availability promotes a competitive market.

Insurance Litigation Week In Review

An Iowa federal judge approved a deal worth $73 million to resolve a suit over life insurance policy rate hikes, a West Virginia federal jury said Chubb owes a coal mining company $30 million for claim delays,... (more story)

Prejudice Question Bars Quick End To Negligence Deal Suit

A Washington federal court said it cannot definitively say whether an insurer must cover a healthcare management company's settlement with a nursing home resident, saying there is a genuine dispute about wheth... (more story)

Insurer Seeks Exit From Pharma Co.'s $50M Creditor Dispute

An insurer for a San Francisco pharmaceutical company told a California federal court it owes no duty to defend the company in a suit from a creditor and shareholder alleging directors and officers mismanaged ... (more story)

First Steps For Companies Facing AI-Assisted Pro Se Suits

As the volume of filings by pro se litigants assisted by artificial intelligence tools continues to increase, companies should adopt a consistent early assessment process to control costs while responding fair... (more story)