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Insurance Industry Insurance Litigation Insurance Code

Zelle  LLP

Chapter 542 Interest and Tolling During Periods of Delay Caused by the Policyholder

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The Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act (“TPPCA”), codified in Chapter 542 of the Texas Insurance Code, contains deadlines relating to payment of claims. The TPPCA allows for an insured to recover actual damages, penalty...more

Cozen O'Connor

Texas Supreme Court Rejects Free Speech and Due Process Challenges to Public Adjuster Regulations

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A roofing contractor called Stonewater Roofing, Ltd. (Stonewater) challenged a Texas statute regulating public adjusters' conduct on the basis that the statute violates free speech and due process rights under the First and...more

Zelle  LLP

When Are Insurance Code Chapter 542 Penalties Not Owed?

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There are a litany of deadlines an insurer must be mindful of, and this is especially true in Texas, which imposes a number of statutorily prescribed deadlines during the claim adjustment process. The Texas Prompt Payment of...more

Wiley Rein LLP

California Insurance Code Section 533 Does Not Necessarily Bar Coverage for California Labor Code Retaliation Claims

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A California state court of appeals, applying California law, has held that, as a matter of first impression, a provision in the California insurance code excluding insurance coverage for loss caused by an insured’s willful...more

Jackson Walker

Summary of HB 3359: Changes to Preferred Provider Benefit Plans

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HB 3359 amends Chapter 1301 of the Texas Insurance Code. Chapter 1301 sets forth the legal requirements and obligations of a “preferred provider benefit plan”. A “preferred provider benefit plan” is a benefit plan in which an...more

Zelle  LLP

Morakabian and Rosales Signal a Consensus View on Recovery of Attorneys’ Fees After Appraisal

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Chapter 542 of the Texas Insurance Code, also known as the Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act (“TPPCA”), generally allows an insured to recover interest and attorneys’ fees, in addition to the amount of the insurance claim,...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Insurer’s Appraisal Award and Statutory Interest Payments Entitle It to Summary Judgment

In a case of first impression, the Dallas Court of Appeals recently held that, under a statute passed by the Texas Legislature in 2017, if an insurer pays an appraisal award issued in connection with a weather-related...more

Kennedys

Ninth Circuit rules that California Insurance Code § 533 bars coverage for a settled malicious prosecution lawsuit

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In an interesting new decision, the Ninth Circuit in Aspen Specialty Ins. Co. v. Miller Barondess, LLP (“Miller Barondess”) held that Section 533 of the California Insurance Code—which states that “[a]n insurer is not liable...more

Wiley Rein LLP

Ninth Circuit Holds That California Prohibition on Insuring Willful Conduct Does Not Require Final Adjudication in Underlying...

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The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, applying California law, has held that California Insurance Code Section 533, which prohibits insurance coverage for willful conduct, does not require a final...more

Miller Nash LLP

New Decisions Question the Boundaries of Fortuity under California Law

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Fortuity is the hallmark of liability insurance, incorporated into insurance policies through the definition of “occurrence.” California law adds an additional layer of complexity to the typical occurrence requirement in...more

Cozen O'Connor

California Court of Appeal: Insurers Not Liable Under the California Insurance Frauds Prevention Act

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In its recent decision, People ex rel. Ellinger v. Magill, et al., —Cal.Rptr.3d—, No. E076378, 2022 WL 1077988 (Cal. Ct. App., Mar. 18, 2022), the California Court of Appeal refused to extend liability under California’s...more

Carlton Fields

California Decisions Kick Off Parade of Life Insurance Lapse Notice Cases

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In our May 2021 issue, we discussed the rise in life insurance policy lapse notice cases in California following the state’s 2013 enactment of California Insurance Code sections 10113.71 and 10113.72. These statutes establish...more

Cozen O'Connor

Tips for Avoiding First-Party “Bad Faith” in Illinois

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Illinois does not recognize bad faith as an independent tort. In the first-party context, bad faith is a purely statutory construct which hinges upon whether an insurer’s conduct was “vexatious and unreasonable.”...more

Zelle  LLP

5th Circ. Insurance Case May Encourage Post-Appraisal Suits

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On Oct. 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is set to hear oral arguments in Pearson v. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company. The case centers on statutory construction of Chapters 542 and 542A of the...more

Zelle  LLP

TDI Extends Claims-Handling Prompt Payment Deadlines In Response To COVID-19

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Amid the chaos surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, the Texas Department of Insurance has issued a Commissioner’s Bulletin extending certain claim-handling prompt payment deadlines for property carriers handling claims in...more

Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP

Insurance Frauds Prevention Act Applies Broadly to Claims “Characterized in Any Way by Deceit”

In People ex rel. Allstate v. Suh (No. B280293; filed 6/17/19), a California appeals court upheld a jury’s award of over $6 million in civil penalties for insurance fraud under Insurance Code section 1871.7....more

Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP

Court Rejects Efforts to Limit Scope of Judgment Creditor’s Direct Action Under Insurance Code Section 11580

In Ins. Co. of St. of PA v. Amer. Safety Indemnity Co. (No. B283684, filed 3/1/19) (“ICSOP”), a California appeals court rejected one insurer’s efforts to limit the scope of another insurer’s direct action as a judgment...more

White and Williams LLP

Update: Texas Supreme Court Issues New Opinion in Menchaca Bad Faith Case

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On April 13, 2018, the Texas Supreme Court issued its highly-anticipated decision on rehearing in USAA Tex. Lloyds Co. v. Menchaca, 2018 Tex. LEXIS 313 (Tex. Apr. 13, 2018). This replaced an earlier opinion dated April 7,...more

Carlton Fields

Texas Appeals Court affirms Class Certification in Case Alleging Roofer Violated Insurance Code

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Texas homeowners Joe and Stacci Key sued their roofer, Lon Smith Roofing Contractors (“LSRC”), alleging LSRC violated the Texas Insurance Code by acting as an unlicensed public insurance adjustor. The trial court granted...more

Cozen O'Connor

Texas Reforms Insurance Litigation – Section 542A of the Texas Insurance Code 60 Days to Get Your House in Order

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Texas has finally enacted statutory reforms specifically designed to combat abusive insurance litigation. Enacted primarily in response to hailstorm lawsuits, the scope of the reforms are much broader. Effective September 1,...more

Carlton Fields

Recent Ninth Circuit Rulings Uphold Plaintiffs’ Efforts to Predicate Claims on Alleged Insurance Code Violations — Likely More to...

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Recent rulings suggest insurers face increased risk of suits predicating breach of contract and state unfair trade practices claims on alleged violation of state insurance laws, notwithstanding the lack of an express private...more

Carlton Fields

Federal Court Holds California Insurance Code Bars Duty to Defend Against False Claims Act Violations

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The Central District of California held that Section 533 of the Insurance Code eliminated any potential for coverage for suit under the state False Claims Act. On January 4, the U.S. District Court for the Central...more

Zelle  LLP

Waiving the Right to Appraisal Just Got Easier in Texas

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Any Texas lawyer with even a passing interest in insurance law knows that if you want to see sparks fly, just utter the word “appraisal” near a couple of insurance lawyers. If you really want fireworks, make sure one...more

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