Property
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December 01, 2023
La. Judge Won't Nix Arbitration Order In $11M Hurricane Row
A Louisiana federal judge has denied a bid by attorneys who missed a deadline to rescind his order tossing two defendants and forcing arbitration in a case over more than $11 million in hurricane damage to an apartment complex, ruling that their arguments lack merit anyway.
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December 01, 2023
Oil Co., AIG Fight Climate Change Row Before Hawaii Justices
Two AIG units and a Sunoco subsidiary championed opposing Hawaii Supreme Court precedent on whether a covered occurrence includes reckless conduct, in a dispute before the state's justices over the insurers' duty to defend lawsuits alleging the subsidiary is liable for its contribution to climate change.
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December 01, 2023
Property Owner Sees Bid To Appeal Bad Faith Finding Nixed
A Louisiana federal judge denied a property owner's bid to immediately appeal her ruling compelling arbitration of its bad faith claims against its insurers, in a case centering on millions of dollars' worth of property damage caused by Hurricane Ida.
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December 01, 2023
Former Geico Agents' Misclassification Suit Gets Tossed
An Ohio federal court tossed a lawsuit against Geico claiming that it withheld benefits from its insurance agents by misclassifying them as independent contractors, finding Friday that the former agents don't have standing to bring their claim for benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
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December 01, 2023
Insurer Sues Chimney Co. To Recoup Fire Damage Payment
A Progressive unit took a chimney installation and servicing company to New Jersey federal court over a more than $262,000 fire damage payment it made to a pair of homeowners, claiming the company's faulty work at the property caused the blaze.
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December 01, 2023
Fla. Condo Seeks To Bar Insurer's Witness In $1.2M Storm Suit
A condominium association fighting its insurer for almost $1.2 million in storm damage coverage asked a Florida federal court Friday to exclude testimony from one of the carrier's witnesses, arguing she is unqualified to speak about weather conditions.
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December 01, 2023
Insurer Blames Marine Shipper For $43K In Ruined Oranges
Nearly $43,000 of oranges was ruined en route to Malaysia in 2022, and an insurer who paid the bill demanded reimbursement in California federal court from the shipping companies it blames for the rotten fruit.
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December 01, 2023
Insurer Urges 2nd Circ. To Shun COVID Coverage Appeal
Factory Mutual Insurance Co. urged the Second Circuit not to revive an electronics components manufacturer's more than $100 million COVID-19 coverage suit, claiming that the court has already rejected the company's arguments in other cases.
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November 30, 2023
Co. Asks Texas Justices To Undo $16M Fraud Coverage Loss
A chemical manufacturer asked the Texas Supreme Court to consider undoing a decision barring coverage for $16 million it lost through a fraudulent invoice scheme, saying that an exclusion for theft by an "authorized representative" did not apply to vendors.
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November 30, 2023
Property Owner Says Insurer Mishandled Windstorm Claims
An Ohio property owner told an Ohio federal court that his insurer mishandled his claims after a windstorm hit two of his properties, causing at least $75,000 in damage.
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November 30, 2023
Trust Owed $17.7M Seeks Payback Via La. Hurricane Row
A Delaware titling trust entered into a Louisiana federal hurricane damage coverage suit between a New Orleans business and its insurers, saying proceeds owed to the business should go to the trust given an outstanding $17.7 million mortgage debt owed by the entity.
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November 30, 2023
Lloyd's, Flooring Co. Agree To End Dispute Over $2.8M Fire
A group of insurers has agreed to dismiss claims against a flooring company accused of causing a fire at a New Orleans high school resulting in $2.8 million in property damage, the insurers told a Louisiana federal court.
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November 30, 2023
Insurers Say Texas School's Storm Arbitration Belongs In NY
Insurers for a Texas public school district urged a New York federal judge not to toss their petition asking the court to appoint an umpire in a $10 million hurricane damage dispute, saying the court has jurisdiction over the matter per the parties' arbitration agreement.
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November 30, 2023
US Must Cover Hawaii Fuel Leak Payment, Insurer Says
A Honolulu-based insurer that paid over half a million dollars to a fast food operator that was forced to temporarily shut down after fuel leaks at a Navy facility contaminated the public water supply told a Hawaii federal court that the U.S. is on the hook for those costs.
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November 29, 2023
Insurance Agency Didn't Disclose Airbnb Shooting, Suit Says
A Pittsburgh property owner accused an insurance agency of failing to disclose a shooting at its property being rented as an Airbnb and related lawsuits to its new carrier when applying for a policy, which resulted in the carrier ultimately rescinding coverage for an unrelated fire.
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November 29, 2023
New York Electric Utility Escapes Insurer's $3.7M Lab Fire Suit
A New York federal judge allowed an electric utility to escape a Zurich unit's subrogation suit over $3.7 million in coverage for a laboratory fire, ruling Wednesday that the insurer failed to prove the company caused the 2018 blaze.
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November 29, 2023
Insurer Urges 11th Circ. To Allow Appeal On Forced Appraisal
An insurer petitioned the Eleventh Circuit again to review a panel's split decision denying appeals jurisdiction for the carrier's bid to prevent appraisal of 2017 Hurricane Irma damage to a Florida condominium, arguing the court's opinion failed for similar reasons as a prior panel decision.
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November 29, 2023
Insurer Aims To Fight $2M Injury Coverage Suit In Fed. Court
A Hartford unit removed to New York federal court Wednesday its dispute with an AmTrust Financial unit over which insurer must be primarily on the hook for defending a construction worker's $2 million injury action, arguing that the court retains diversity jurisdiction.
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November 29, 2023
Law Office Defends $8B IP Counterclaims In Hotel Theft Row
A New York law office and a shareholder are defending their $8 billion in "intellectual property piracy" counterclaims in California federal court against Chinese insurer Anbang Insurance Group, which says the law office and shareholder were part of a scheme to steal its billion-dollar hotel portfolio.
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November 29, 2023
Md. Judge Won't Toss Condo's Storm Damage Coverage Suit
A Maryland federal judge refused to dismiss a suit brought against a condominium association by its insurer over the cost of replacing damaged roofs for 22 buildings, finding Wednesday that the suit was not prematurely filed.
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November 29, 2023
NYC Homeowner Says Chubb Unit Changed Settlement Deal
A New York City apartment owner asked a federal court to enforce a settlement agreement she reached with a Chubb unit over her $3.3 million water damage dispute, claiming the insurer tried to add provisions to the agreement that it didn't raise during mediation.
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November 28, 2023
Contractors' Policies Don't Cover NJ Developer, Insurers Say
Two insurers told a New Jersey federal court that they do not owe any defense coverage to a New Jersey homebuilder in an underlying suit alleging defective construction, claiming the company isn't a named or an additional insured under policies issued to the homebuilder's contractors.
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November 28, 2023
Insurer Seeks Exit From U. of Wash. COVID Coverage Suit
A Liberty Mutual insurer is trying to derail a University of Washington lawsuit seeking coverage of hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic-driven losses and expenses, saying the university is relying on recent state Supreme Court decisions that don't support its theory that its facilities suffered a covered "loss of functionality."
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November 28, 2023
Developer Tells 9th Circ. To Reverse Insurer's Fire Loss Win
A laundromat developer urged the Ninth Circuit to overturn an insurer's coverage win over business losses following a fire, saying a district court was wrong in finding that the developer's evidence was too speculative to support its claim.
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November 28, 2023
Fla. Property Co. Seeks $400K In Hurricane Ian Coverage Row
A Fort Myers property owner has blamed its insurer for underpayment in a Florida federal case over $400,000 in 2022 damages from Hurricane Ian.

LA Airports' Bid For COVID Coverage Sunk By Federal Judge
An AIG unit does not owe coverage to the owner and operator of Los Angeles International Airport and Van Nuys Airport for COVID-19-related losses, a California federal judge has ruled, citing decisions from the state's appellate courts and the Ninth Circuit.

NY Court Rebuffs 2nd Circ. On Atty Fee Coverage
Second Circuit decisions "misapprehend" New York state appellate precedent on whether an insurer must cover the attorney fees its insured incurs when the insured prevails in coverage litigation, a New York trial judge found, in a dispute over whether a window company's insurers must indemnify underlying construction defect claims.

Calif. Court OKs Expanded Coverages For Last Resort Insurer
California's insurance regulator had the authority to expand coverage available under the state's insurer of last resort to include more traditional homeowners policies, a state trial court found, saying that liability coverages could be part of the insurer's offerings.
Expert Analysis
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3 AI Regulation Developments Insurers Must Follow
Insurance regulators continue to actively develop regulations and guidance on the use of artificial intelligence, so insurers should be aware of recent developments from the Colorado Division of Insurance, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the New York Department of Financial Services, say attorneys at Willkie.
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DC Ruling Provides Support For Builders Risk Claim Recovery
To deny coverage for builders risk claims, insurers have been increasingly relying on two arguments, both of which have been invalidated in the recent U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decision, South Capitol Bridgebuilders v. Lexington, say Greg Podolak and Cheryl Kozdrey at Saxe Doernberger.
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Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint
In the face of a pending "mega-trial" over leased airplanes held in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, a settlement between leading aviation lessor AerCap Holdings NV and NSK, the Russian state-controlled insurance company, could pave the way for similar deals, say Samantha Zaozirny and Timeyin Pinnick at Browne Jacobson.
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Illinois Trump Tower Ruling Illuminates Insurance 'Occurrence'
In Continental Casualty v. 401 North Wabash Venture, an Illinois appellate court found that Trump Tower was not entitled to insurance coverage for operating its HVAC system without a permit, helping to further define a widely litigated general liability insurance issue — what constitutes an "occurrence," say Robert Tugander and Greg Mann at Rivkin Radler.
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How Shareholder Activists Are Targeting Insurers
As shareholder activists take a closer look at the insurance industry, they are pushing insurers to take value-enhancing and climate-related measures — but insurers can prepare by anticipating activist concerns, maintaining robust shareholder engagement, and considering changes in response to the universal proxy rules, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Insurers Should Prepare For 'Black Swan' Climate Disasters
As rapid climate change results in increased risk of casualties and property loss from rare, severe weather events, the insurance industry should take five crucial steps toward evolving and continuing operations, including advanced analytic techniques and investments in alternative energy sources, say Stephen Brown and Irena Maier at Wilson Elser.
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3 Quirks Of New Jersey Insurance Coverage Law
There are a multitude of state-specific requirements and nuances that make New Jersey insurance law unique, including in the areas of duty to defend, reservation of rights and bad faith, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.
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Conn. Insurers Should Note Stricter Market Exit Oversight
The Connecticut Insurance Department recently issued a bulletin that reflects a unique and stricter approach to insurers' market withdrawals and reductions in property and casualty business, making clear that it will not assess compliance based on an insurer's intent, but on the effect of the insurer's actions, says Elizabeth Retersdorf at Day Pitney.
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Extreme Weather And Renewable Project Insurance Coverage
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
The regularity and severity of extreme weather events driven by climate change are putting renewable energy projects increasingly at risk — so project owners, contractors and investors should understand the issues that can arise in these situations when seeking recovery under a builder's risk insurance policy, say Paul Ferland and Joshua Tumen at Cozen O'Connor.
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Potential Relief For Nevada Insureds Is On The Horizon
A proposed regulation recently issued by the Nevada Division of Insurance would severely restrict the state's new law prohibiting burning-limits policies, enacting welcome changes to address businesses' concerns that the law will make it harder to obtain cost-effective liability insurance, says Sheri Thome at Wilson Elser.
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NY Co-Ops Must Avoid Pitfalls When Navigating Insurance
In light of skyrocketing premiums, tricky exclusions and dwindling options, New York cooperative corporations must carefully review potential contractors' insurance policies in order to secure full protection, as even seemingly minor contractor jobs can carry significant risk due to New York labor laws, says Eliot Zuckerman at Smith Gambrell.
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Insurance Rulings Continue Expansion Of Appraisal's Ambit
Two recent Illinois insurance cases allowing property damage appraisers to determine causation — Wysoczan v. Cambridge in federal court and Shelter v. Morrow in state appellate court — perpetuate a judicial trend that will result in a slower, more expensive and cumbersome appraisal process that resembles litigation, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.
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Suits Likely Over Nevada Law Limiting Claimant Injury Exams
A new Nevada law placing barriers on the mental or physical examinations that defendants use to evaluate claimants' injuries will likely spur waves of litigation to reconcile it with existing rules and practice, says Michael Lowry at Wilson Elser.