In Vizio Inc. v. Arch Insurance Co., a case stemming from a class action settlement, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals clarified several areas of California law involving the interaction of primary and excess insurance coverage, as well as what constitutes adequate notice to excess carriers. Beginning in 2014, television producer Vizio started selling televisions that automatically tracked what customers were watching and sent that information back to Vizio. The ... Keep Reading »
About Chad W. Dunham
Cause and Effect: Southern District of Florida Determines Parkland Shooting Constituted One Occurrence
In the ongoing case of Tony v. Evanston Insurance Co., the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida recently issued a ruling denying a motion to dismiss filed by defendant Evanston Insurance Co. in which it addressed whether multiple shootings originating from a single shooter are treated as separate occurrences or a single occurrence for purposes of coverage under an insurance policy. In the context of insurance coverage cases dealing with shootings, the ... Keep Reading »
Third Circuit Limits Pennsylvania’s “Reasonable Expectations” Doctrine
In Hemphill v. Landmark American Insurance Co., issued April 5, 2023, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals outlined limits on an insured’s use of Pennsylvania’s “reasonable expectations” doctrine — the legal theory that purports to provide coverage under a policy based on the “reasonable expectations” of the insured — and found that, among other things, the doctrine does not apply to commercial insureds. The case involved a coverage dispute for an underlying claim by an ... Keep Reading »
New California Time-Limited Demand Statute for Insurance Claims Effective Now
In an effort to promote early resolution of claims and remove ambiguity in bad faith litigation, the California legislature recently passed Senate Bill 1155. Effective January 1, 2023, the bill creates California Code of Civil Procedure Section 999 et seq., a set of rules detailing form requirements for time-limited demands, demand delivery procedures, and steps needed to accept or deny the demand. The scope of Section 999 is limited to demands brought prior to any suit ... Keep Reading »
Fifth Circuit Leans on Well-Established Contractual Interpretation Doctrine to Preclude Coverage Under General Liability Policy
To paraphrase Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., a case “which appeals to the feelings and distorts the judgment” makes bad law. In the face of exceptionally tragic circumstances, however, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals resisted the urge to let its emotions carry the day. In Scottsdale Insurance Co. v. Discovering Me Academy LLC, the court instead adhered to well-established principles of Texas contract law to preclude coverage under a policy issued by ... Keep Reading »
Florida Federal Court Derails Railway’s Coverage Suit Due to Prejudicial Two-Year Notice Delay
While Amtrak is in the business of providing on-time railway services to millions of passengers each year, the corporation’s two-year-plus delay in tendering defense to its insurer following a South Florida railway accident put it off track in a summary judgment order in the Middle District of Florida. On March 26, 2022, the federal court held that Amtrak’s notice to the insurer was not timely and that the carrier was prejudiced by the late notice. West Palm Beach Train ... Keep Reading »
Ninth Circuit Affirms Coverage Denial Based on Insured’s Unreasonable Expectations
In a brief opinion filed on December 3, 2021, in Atain Specialty Insurance Co. v. Dignity Housing West Inc., the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that terms of coverage are limited by information contained in policy declarations and do not extend to risks not disclosed in the application. Oakland Apartment Fire In the early morning of Monday, March 27, 2017, a fire swept through a large, three-story transitional housing development in Oakland, California. The ... Keep Reading »