Several years ago, I published a blog regarding the number of occurrences triggered under a liability policy for a motor vehicle accident in Florida. Other states also addressed this issue. Recently, the Federal District...more
5 Walworth clarifies an issue that had become muddled since the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s 2016 decision in Wisconsin Pharmacal Co. v. Nebraska Cultures of California. Namely, 5 Walworth overturns Pharmacal’s introduction of...more
As a dispute-resolution mechanism, appraisal can be an effective means of resolving a valuation dispute between an insurer and its policyholder. Appraisal provisions may include language that allows an insurer to deny a claim...more
As a contractor, you are familiar with working together with subcontractors — delegating project scope as part of the overall job. However, when a subcontractor’s work is defective, who is liable for the damage?...more
In Southern-Owners Insurance Co. v. Midnight Tires Inc., the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted an insurer’s motion for summary judgment after considering extrinsic evidence on the issue of the...more
The duties to defend and indemnify arise out of an insurer’s contract with its insured. It is a commonly accepted principle under Alabama law that an insurer’s duties to defend and indemnify are separate and distinct. Indeed,...more
The Texas Supreme Court reinforced common law precedent that insurers cannot avoid liability under an insurance policy based on a misrepresentation in an insurance application unless the insurer can establish that the insured...more
In Scaglione v. Acceptance Indemnity Insurance Co., the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court order holding that an assault and battery exclusion in a commercial general liability policy barred coverage...more
Chem. Solvents, Inc. v. Greenwich Ins. Co., 2023 U.S. App. LEXIS 868 (6th Cir. Jan. 13, 2023) - A divided Sixth Circuit panel holds that, under Ohio’s “all sums” allocation scheme, “targeted” insurers may seek indemnity...more
In 2012, the Georgia Supreme Court stated, in a third-party coverage matter, “an insurer cannot both deny a claim outright and attempt to reserve the right to assert a different defense in the future.” Hoover v. Maxum Indem....more
Over the past 50+ years, there has been enormous progress in understanding the mechanisms that cause blood cancer. As a result, new and groundbreaking treatments have led to significantly improved blood cancer survival rates....more
Hurricane Irma’s landfall in Florida produced an avalanche of property insurance claims throughout the state, the majority of which involved reported damage to roofs. Though many of these claims were legitimate, enterprising...more
After a recent ruling by Eastern District of New York Judge Joan Azrack, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. will have to provide defense for Jason Kurland, also known as the “Lottery Lawyer,” in the criminal action against him....more
Insurance companies are notorious for putting policyholders through the wringer when a claim is made. Learn how to push back and better advocate for yourself and your clients in this fast-paced webinar led by some of the...more
In the continuing saga of what can and cannot be appraised in a property insurance appraisal, the Tenth Circuit, in contrast to many other courts, has ruled appraisers can determine coverage issues....more
By now, property insurance carriers and their counsel are likely familiar with Senate Bill 76, in which the Florida Legislature finally codified long-needed changes to the current property insurance litigation framework. The...more
The UK Supreme Court in the Financial Conduct Authority’s business interruption test case has overturned a decade-long standing judgment relating to causation and how the “trends” clauses should be interpreted....more
In a recent opinion, the UK Supreme Court has found coverage for business interruption as a result of business closures incident to the Covid-19 pandemic. While some may see that decision as support for coverage suits in the...more
When an owner seeks the appraisal of a property insurance claim, insurers commonly object by demanding that the trial court must first rule on defenses to coverage before allowing appraisal panel to value the total claim...more
As of August 1, 2020, Washington will join the growing number of jurisdictions requiring insurers to inform insureds that they may seek guidance from state insurance regulators — in this case, the Washington Insurance...more
Some consumers with pre-existing medical conditions (“PEMCs”) have problems navigating the travel insurance market and finding affordable cover given their medical conditions. Some are declined cover, only offered cover that...more
Claims-made liability insurance policies typically require the policyholder to notify the insurer of a claim within a set amount of time — typically during the policy period, or within a specific period of time after the end...more
On August 26, 2019, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, applying Florida Law, held that ill-gotten gains do not constitute covered “loss” within the meaning of a D&O policy. In Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co. v. Sabal...more
Florida’s offer of judgment statute, Florida Statutes section 768.79, is a common technique for any litigator who wants to place additional risk on the plaintiff. The statute provides that if a defendant in a civil suit files...more
Great American denied a claim for coverage for damage to an insured’s corn and soybean crops in three Missouri counties, asserting that the insured had failed “to substantiate an insurable cause of loss” and “fail[ed] to...more