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General Liability

  • September 16, 2025

    Insurer Says Overturned Truck In Fatal Crash Not Covered

    A Progressive unit that provided commercial auto insurance for a concrete company told a Texas state court it should owe no defense or indemnity in a wrongful death lawsuit involving an overturned cement truck, arguing the insurer did not directly insure the vehicle.

  • September 16, 2025

    Insurer Must Arbitrate Chemical Injury Coverage Dispute

    An insurer must arbitrate its dispute with a homeowners association over coverage for underlying suits claiming that the association's pool contractor allowed hazardous chemicals to spread and injure patrons, a Virginia federal court ruled, finding that the policy's nonbinding arbitration agreement is enforceable under state law.

  • September 15, 2025

    Insurer Asks Court To Deny Fla. Tree Co.'s Coverage After Fire

    An Ohio-based insurance company filed a lawsuit against a tree service and a funeral services business in Florida federal court, saying that it should not have to defend the company that was sued over cutting down the tree that caused a fire and resulted in $2 million in damage. 

  • September 15, 2025

    Delayed Notice Of $3.2M Verdict Bars Coverage, Insurer Says

    A Florida property owner isn't covered for a $3.2 million judgment entered against it in an underlying personal injury lawsuit, an insurer told a federal court Monday, arguing that the property owner failed to fulfill its reporting obligations and that exclusions in a commercial general liability policy bar coverage.

  • September 15, 2025

    Security Co. Not Covered In Shooting Injury Suit, Insurer Says

    An insurer said it doesn't owe coverage to a security company or one of its employees for an underlying suit over a shooting and a related $500,000 stipulated judgment, telling a Nevada federal court Monday the shooting wasn't an accident and therefore doesn't qualify as an occurrence.

  • September 15, 2025

    Telecom Co. Can't Avoid Liberty's Marshall Fire Coverage Suit

    A Liberty Mutual unit may proceed with its suit seeking to avoid coverage for a Lumen Technologies subsidiary in underlying actions over the 2021 Marshall Fire, a Colorado federal court ruled, finding that the insurer alleged an injury sufficient to establish Article III standing.

  • September 12, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Backs Cert. Denial In Progressive Car Value Suit

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday upheld a lower court's refusal to certify a class of Progressive policyholders in a suit over adjustments the insurer makes when calculating the actual cash value of a totaled vehicle, finding that individual questions predominate over common ones.

  • September 12, 2025

    Liberty Wins Defense Reimbursement In Crane Damage Row

    A subcontractor's insurer must reimburse a Liberty Mutual unit for roughly $477,000 in defense costs stemming from settled litigation over property damage from an unsecured crane, a New York federal court ruled Friday, finding that a self-insured retention only applied with respect to the subcontractor.

  • September 11, 2025

    Environmental Deregulation Fuels Insurance Uncertainties

    President Donald Trump's policy agenda of dismantling environmental regulations has created more uncertainty in the insurance world, where the benefit from decreased government enforcement may be undercut by shifting litigation risks, new legal theories and potential lingering exposures, insurance attorneys said.

  • September 11, 2025

    OpenAI Death Suit Heightens AI Insurance Concerns

    A wrongful death lawsuit filed against OpenAI and its CEO has insurance experts evaluating what potential carrier involvement may look like, bolstering concerns over whether creators of artificial intelligence platforms have proper coverage and whether carriers could be on the hook for potentially large losses.

  • September 11, 2025

    Lloyd's Fossil Fuel Reversal Strikes Experts As Political

    Lloyd's of London's recent move to relax coverage restrictions for certain fossil fuel businesses reflects a more permissive political climate for polluting industries, experts said, while advocates for sustainable investment called it bad business. 

  • September 11, 2025

    Insurers Claim 'Collusion' In Ga. School's $345M Abuse Deal

    Five insurance companies urged the Georgia Court of Appeals Thursday to let them off the hook for a $345 million settlement between a private school and nearly two dozen men who said they were sexually abused as students, alleging the deal was "tainted by collusion" and well outside the bounds of their respective policies.

  • September 11, 2025

    McDonald's Loses Bid To Force Insurer To Cover Legal Fees

    An Illinois federal judge ruled Wednesday that Homeland Insurance Co. of New York doesn't have to cover the costs McDonald's incurred defending a former employee's violent workplace claims, saying the psychological harm that worker suffered doesn't amount to a physical, bodily injury that would have triggered coverage under the policy.

  • September 11, 2025

    Nationwide, Travelers Settle 'Hot Tub Lung' Coverage Dispute

    Nationwide and Travelers told a California federal judge they have reached a settlement in a lawsuit over coverage for a condominium association facing claims from a resident alleging he needed a double lung transplant due to contaminants from a hot tub and pool.

  • September 11, 2025

    Insurer, Firearms Co. Drop Ghost Gun Coverage Dispute

    A firearms retailer and its insurer have resolved a dispute over coverage for three underlying government suits alleging that the company contributed to gun violence by selling unfinished components used to assemble so-called ghost guns, according to a New York federal court filing.

  • September 11, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    A New York federal court analyzed policy limits and retentions over abuse claims against the Archdiocese of New York, the First Circuit ordered an insurer to defend a class action over allegedly faulty heating oil, and insurers notified the Fifth Circuit of a potential settlement in their hurricane arbitration appeal.

  • September 11, 2025

    Berkshire Co. Says Insurers Owe $22M For Antitrust Judgment

    A Berkshire Hathaway-owned construction supplier said its insurers must pay for a $22.2 million judgment against it in a competitor's antitrust suit, telling a Colorado federal court that policies issued by Liberty Mutual, Swiss Re and Allianz units cover claims based on the publication of disparaging material.

  • September 10, 2025

    NY Distillery Secures Coverage For Whiskey Barrel Damage

    A distillery in New York's Hudson Valley can get coverage for the loss of 52 barrels of aged whiskey under a policy provision providing additional coverage for damage caused by an "abrupt collapse," a federal court ruled, saying the distillery's interpretation of the term was more reasonable than its insurer's.

  • September 10, 2025

    Liberty Says Subcontractor's Insurer Must Defend Injury Row

    A subcontractor's insurer must defend and indemnify companies insured by a Liberty Mutual unit on a primary basis in a worker's injury lawsuit, the unit argued to a New York federal court.

  • September 09, 2025

    No CGL Coverage In Medical Negligence Row, NM Court Says

    A Travelers unit that issued a commercial general liability policy to an orthopedic clinic owes no coverage to the clinic and two of its physicians in an ongoing medical negligence lawsuit, a New Mexico federal court ruled, finding an exclusion barring claims arising from "professional health care services" applicable.

  • September 09, 2025

    Woman Says Co.'s Auto Insurer Owes $7.5M Crash Judgment

    A woman injured in a crash with a food service distributor's employee said the company's insurer must pay for a $7.5 million judgment entered in her favor, telling a Connecticut federal court Tuesday that the carrier failed to protect its insureds.

  • September 09, 2025

    1st Circ. Says Insurer Must Defend Heating Oil Class Action

    An insurer for a heating oil company must defend the company in a Massachusetts class action accusing it of damaging customers' heating equipment by adding too much biodiesel to its heating oil, the First Circuit ruled, finding the company's provision of the oil to customers constituted separate occurrences.

  • September 09, 2025

    Crate & Barrel's Insurer Owes Primary Coverage In Injury Suit

    Crate & Barrel's insurer has the primary duty to defend and indemnify a company that subleased a commercial space to the retailer and the owner of the Lower Manhattan property in an underlying personal injury suit, a New York federal court ruled, handing a win to the sublessor's insurer.

  • September 08, 2025

    London Insurers Owe Full Coverage Limits To NY Archdiocese

    Certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London and other London market insurers must pay their full applicable policy limits under policies issued to the Archdiocese of New York, a state court ruled Monday in the archdiocese's suit seeking coverage for thousands of sexual abuse claims.

  • September 08, 2025

    Phone Dealer, Freight Co. Settle Suit Over Stolen Shipment

    PCS Wireless LLC and RXO Capacity Solutions LLC have reached a settlement in the cellphone dealer's lawsuit over a stolen shipment and a contentious discovery dispute, according to a joint notice filed in a North Carolina federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Ruling Offers Insurers A Path To Settle Sans Insured Consent

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    A recent North Carolina federal court ruling, Martin Marietta Materials v. Ace, joins other states in holding that an insurer may consider its own interests in settlement negotiations, outlining a strong strategy for insurers faced with an uncooperative insured and the threat of a large verdict, say attorneys at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Mitigating Employer Liability Risk Under Sex Assault Rule

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    The American Law Institute's newly approved rule expands vicarious liability to employers for certain sexual assaults that employees commit, which could materially increase employers' exposure unless they strengthen safeguards around high-risk roles, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 4 Questions For Insureds To Overcome Flood Exclusions

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    In a year of record flash flooding in the U.S., affected policyholders, who may assume that their policy's flood exclusion precludes recovery for losses, should look to the many factually and legally nuanced cases presenting pathways to coverage, says Micah Skidmore at Haynes Boone.

  • Ill. Toxic Tort Jurisdiction Law Raises Constitutional Concerns

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    Illinois' S.B. 328, purporting to broaden state courts' jurisdictional reach over out-of-state corporations, is presented as a measure aimed at facilitating recovery in toxic tort cases, but the legislation raises significant due process and dormant commerce clause issues, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • What Insurers Must Know About New La. Proof Of Loss Law

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    Insurers that comply with all the requirements under a Louisiana law effective this month may condition claim payments on receipt of proof of loss statements, but those that overlook even one prerequisite risk penalties and late payments, say attorneys at Phelps Dunbar.

  • How To Successfully Challenge Jurors For Cause In 5 Steps

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    To effectively challenge a potential juror for cause, attorneys should follow a multistep framework rather than skipping straight to the final qualification question, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Vehicle valuation challenges regarding the use of projected sale adjustments continued apace in insurance class actions this quarter, where insurers have been scoring victories on class certification decisions in federal circuit courts, says Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.

  • When Failure To Satisfy Insured Duty Is Fatal To Texas Claims

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    Recent rulings from federal district courts in Texas demonstrate when an insured's failure to satisfy certain duties is fatal to recovery under their policy, and when this failure may result in abatement, say attorneys at Zelle.

  • Tracking The Evolving Legal Landscape Of Music Festivals

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    The legal infrastructure behind music festivals is anything but simple, so attorneys advising clients in this space should be prepared for a wide range of legal challenges, including the unexpected risks that come with live events, says Meesha Moulton at Meesha Moulton Law.

  • Asbestos Ruling Cements All Sums Coverage Precedent In SC

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    With its recent decision in Protopapas v. Travelers, the South Carolina Court of Appeals becomes the highest court in South Carolina to adopt the all sums allocation approach for long-tail claims, providing key appellate precedent to support policyholders' efforts to maximize their coverage, say attorneys at Anderson Kill.

  • How Courts Are Addressing The Use Of AI In Discovery

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    In recent months, several courts have issued opinions on handling discovery issues involving artificial intelligence, which collectively offer useful insights on integrating AI into discovery and protecting work product in connection with AI prompts and outputs, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • How NY Appeals Ruling Alters Employers' Sex Abuse Liability

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    In Nellenback v. Madison County, the New York Court of Appeals arguably reset the evidentiary threshold in sexual abuse cases involving employer liability, countering lower court decisions that allowed evidence of the length of the undiscovered abuse to substitute as notice of an employee's dangerous propensity, say attorneys at Hurwitz Fine.

  • What Calif. Insurance Ruling Means For Smoke Damage Limits

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    As California continues to grapple with an increasing number of wildfire claims, a state court's recent Aliff v. California FAIR Plan decision serves as a clear directive to insurers that policy language that narrows the scope of fire coverage below the California Insurance Code's minimum standards is impermissible, say attorneys at Wood Smith.