Property
-
January 16, 2025
Fire-Safe Rebuilding Key To Reducing LA Insurance Issues
Reducing the potential of fires like those in Los Angeles to disrupt insurance and housing markets will require a significant and sustained effort to lower physical risks in fire-prone communities, and a commitment to rebuilding to stronger standards.
-
January 16, 2025
Insured Atty Says Strike Trade Issues Need Special Coverage
Union leaders and management for ports and shipping companies reached a tentative deal to avoid a major strike, a close call that highlighted how losses from trade disruptions can fall through the cracks of standard insurance coverage. Stephen Raptis, a partner at Reed Smith LLP's insurance recovery practice, spoke to Law360 about the kinds of losses that can result from a strike-induced supply chain disruption, where the usual coverage options fall short and what policyholders in the maritime trade can do to minimize their risks.
-
January 16, 2025
6th Circ. Won't Revisit Mercedes Fire Coverage Row
The Sixth Circuit declined Thursday to revisit a decision finding the research group for Mercedes-Benz North America could be liable for over $1 million in property damage following a fire its employees set inadvertently at a Michigan property it rented.
-
January 16, 2025
Allstate Hit With Class Action Over Driver Data Collection
Allstate illegally obtained the personal driving data of millions of policyholders via software embedded in third-party apps and secretly used that data to hike premiums, deny claims or drop policyholders from coverage altogether, according to a proposed class action filed in Illinois federal court.
-
January 16, 2025
Home Depot's 6th Circ. Loss Reveals Cyber Coverage Gaps
The Sixth Circuit's finding that an electronic data exclusion in Home Depot's insurance policies barred coverage for a $50 million claim stemming from a 2014 data breach marks an important distinction in litigation over whether multiple types of policies can cover the same loss, experts say.
-
January 16, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
The Sixth Circuit backed Home Depot’s loss in its $50 million data breach coverage fight, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a California farming partnership’s crop coverage dispute, and the Fourth Circuit ruled that an insurer must reimburse Liberty Mutual for a $1 million appeal bond. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
-
January 16, 2025
Condo Association Seeks $3.4M In Water Damage Coverage
A Washington state condominium association argued that its insurers owe payouts for an estimated $3.4 million in property damage caused by hidden water intrusion, the association told a federal court.
-
January 15, 2025
Natural Disasters And Wildfires Reshape CRE Dealmaking
Natural disasters are already reshaping all aspects of commercial real estate dealmaking, attorneys say, and their importance is expected to grow considerably as a result of the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.
-
January 14, 2025
Insurer Says Event Co. Hid Texts Showing Overstated Losses
An insurer renewed its request for sanctions in a Minnesota federal case against an event center it insured, accusing the business of concealing evidence that it fraudulently inflated its losses from vandalism after the death of George Floyd.
-
January 14, 2025
Mercedes Urges 6th Circ. Redo Of Fire Coverage Ruling
The research group for Mercedes-Benz North America has told the Sixth Circuit it should not have to reimburse the insurer of an Ann Arbor, Michigan, property it rented for a fire it inadvertently set, saying a clause in its lease prevents subrogation.
-
January 10, 2025
Excess Insurers Freed From Kiwanis Sex Abuse Case
A Washington federal judge on Friday dismissed child sex abuse survivors' claims against excess insurers of a boys foster home run by Kiwanis International, calling the plaintiffs' demands for coverage of a $21 million judgment "unripe" because the home's primary policies have not been drained.
-
January 10, 2025
LA Fire Insured Damages Could Top $20B, JP Morgan Says
Insured losses from wildfires still blazing through Los Angeles could exceed $20 billion, J.P. Morgan analysts said in client notes, a steep increase from the more than $12 billion California insurers incurred from the next costliest spate of wildfires in 2018.
-
January 09, 2025
Calif. Reinsurance Plan Spurs Mixed Feelings As Fires Spread
One week before the Los Angeles wildfires began, California's insurance regulator said insurers would soon be required to increase coverage in areas deemed high-risk for wildfires, leaving experts split over whether the regulation is an overdue update or an opportunity to pass costs onto policyholders.
-
January 09, 2025
Top Climate Stories For Insurance Attys To Watch In 2025
Climate change is fueling a national insurance crisis that is threatening housing markets, municipal tax revenues and the ability to adapt to extreme weather events. Here, Law360 examines the top climate stories attorneys should watch in 2025.
-
January 09, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
A Delaware court sided with a policyholder in a dispute over a bump-up exclusion, an Ohio federal court permitted an interlocutory appeal on the number of occurrences at issue over recalled batches of peanut butter, and a Pennsylvania appeals court clarified when stacking of underinsured motorist benefits is permitted. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
-
January 09, 2025
Mass. Hospital, Insurer Settle Pandemic Coverage Row
A Massachusetts hospital and its commercial property insurer told a Boston federal judge Thursday that they had settled a suit over costs and lost revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
January 09, 2025
Calif. Insurance Chief Blocks Policy Cancellation In Fire Zones
Insurance companies can't cancel or refuse to renew homeowners coverage for policyholders in the immediate vicinity of the Los Angeles wildfires for one year, the California Department of Insurance announced as fires continue to ravage Southern California.
-
January 08, 2025
Insurer Can't Duck Covering Wash. Developer In Flooding Suit
An insurer can't yet escape providing coverage for a property developer accused of worsening flooding issues for several homeowners by clear-cutting trees without a proper drainage plan, a Washington federal court ruled, saying the policy could conceivably cover the injuries alleged in the underlying suit.
-
January 08, 2025
Arbitrator In Virus Coverage Case Wasn't Biased, Panel Says
A New York state appeals panel affirmed a trial court's decision refusing to disqualify a Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP partner as an arbitrator in proceedings between a Zurich unit and the operator of Saks Fifth Avenue over coverage for COVID-19 losses.
-
January 07, 2025
Fla. Crash Victims Can't Get Insurer Payout In Revised Suits
A Florida state appellate panel has blocked three vehicle crash victims' attempts to collect $16 million from an insurer, saying that the company wasn't properly joined as a party by the time settlements were reached and that final judgments were issued in two separate lawsuits over the same incident.
-
January 07, 2025
Property Owner Says Insurer Owes $16.2M For Fire Damage
A Colorado property owner is seeking to recover $16.2 million from its insurer for property damage caused by the 2021 Marshall Fire, telling a federal court the carrier wrongly concluded the properties did not sustain direct physical damage in order to justify replacement costs.
-
January 06, 2025
Ga. Developer Says Insurer Shorted Roof Repair Coverage
The owner of a north Georgia commercial property has sued its insurer, accusing it of intentionally failing to complete a claims adjustment and only partially paying the cost to repair a roof that was damaged during a storm.
-
January 06, 2025
Ohio Landlord Seeks $9M Insurance Payout For Hail Damage
The operator of a 324-unit apartment complex is seeking to recover over $9 million from its insurer for damages caused by a 2022 hail and windstorm, according to filings in Ohio federal court.
-
January 06, 2025
Property Owner Says Insurers Owe $4.2M For Burglary Losses
A property owner said its insurers must cover $4.2 million in property damage caused by a burglary, telling an Oregon federal court that the carriers relied on a number of policy exclusions to deny coverage but failed to properly investigate the claim.
-
January 03, 2025
Victims Say Crypto Isn't Money, Safeco Must Cover Hack
A Washington couple is accusing Safeco Insurance Co. of illegally refusing coverage for $600,000 in cryptocurrency stolen by hackers, saying in a complaint removed to Seattle federal court on Thursday that the tokens should be classified as personal property, not money, which has a $250 loss limit on the pair's homeowners' policy.
Expert Analysis
-
Nevada Justices Could Expand Scope Of Subrogation Claims
The Nevada Supreme Court's recent decision to hear North River Insurance v. James River Insurance could expand the scope of equitable subrogation claims in the state by aligning with the California standard, which doesn't require excess insurers to demonstrate damages, says Daniel Heidtke at Duane Morris.
-
A View Into NY's New Business Interruption Insurance Law
In response to businesses' economic challenges during the pandemic, New York recently allowed the issuance of stand-alone business interruption insurance coverage, and while pricing and insurer participation questions remain, the product stands to benefit business owners and the state economy, say attorneys at Saxe Doernberger.
-
California Supreme Court's Year In Review
Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.
-
8 Tech Tips For Stress-Free Remote Depositions
Court reporter Kelly D’Amico shares practical strategies for attorneys to conduct remote depositions with ease and troubleshoot any issues that arise, as it seems deposition-by-Zoom is here to stay after the pandemic.
-
Hurricane Coverage Ruling Clarifies Appraisal Scope In Fla.
In a case involving property insurance for hurricane damage, a Florida federal court recently enforced policy limits despite an appraisal award exceeding those limits, underscoring the boundaries between valuation and coverage — a distinction that provides valuable guidance for insurers handling post-catastrophe claims, says Tiffany Bustamante at Cozen O’Connor.
-
4 Ways Attorneys Can Emotionally Prepare For Trial
In the course of litigation, trial lawyers face a number of scenarios that can incite an emotional response, but formulating a mental game plan in advance of trial can help attorneys stay cool, calm and collected in the moment, says Rachel Lary at Lightfoot Franklin.
-
Presidential Campaign Errors Provide Lessons For Trial Attys
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign employed numerous strategies that evidently didn’t land, and trial attorneys should take note, because voters and jurors are both decision-makers who are listening for how one’s case presentation would affect them personally, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
-
Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Total loss valuation cases and labor depreciation cases dominated the past quarter of insurance class actions, with courts continuing to reject challenges to condition adjustments in the former, and a pro-insured trend persisting in the latter, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
-
How Property Insurance Coverage Shrank After The Pandemic
Insurers litigating property claims are leveraging rulings that provided relief in the COVID-19 context to reverse the former majority rule on physical loss or damage in all contexts, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
-
Consider The Impact Of Election Stress On Potential Jurors
For at least the next few months, potential jurors may be working through anger and distrust stemming from the presidential election, and trial attorneys will need to assess whether those jurors are able to leave their political concerns at the door, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
-
NC Ruling Takes Practical Approach To Duty-To-Defend Costs
In Murphy-Brown v. Ace American Insurance, a case of first impression, the North Carolina Business Court adopted the commonsense rationale of many state courts in holding that policyholders' defense costs should be deemed presumtively reasonable when a insurer breaches its duty to defend, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
-
What Hawaii High Court Got Right And Wrong In AIG Ruling
Though the Hawaii Supreme Court in its recent Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance decision correctly adopted the majority rule that recklessly caused harm is an accident for coverage purposes, it erred in its interpretation of the pollution exclusion by characterizing climate change as "traditional environmental pollution," say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
-
7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight
Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.