For going on five months, the United States has been dealing with the difficult impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted daily lives and sometimes devastated businesses. In looking for sources of economic recovery, businesses want to turn to their commercial property policies, but, as this blog has explained, these policies are unlikely to provide the coverage business owners seek because there must first be "direct physical loss of or damage" to the insured ... Keep Reading »
Federal Puerto Rico Court Affirms That Coverage Under Claims-Made Policy Is Not Created by Waiver or Estoppel
The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico recently granted summary judgment in favor of Liberty International Underwriters after determining that coverage was not created by waiver or estoppel for a claim first made six months before the policy period of a claims-made policy. In Galarza-Cruz v. Grupo Hima San Pablo Inc., the plaintiff sued multiple defendants, including the insured and Liberty, in connection with various claims under Title VII and multiple ... Keep Reading »
Don’t Lead Me On: Georgia Court of Appeals Finds Insurance Company Did Not Mislead Insured and Therefore Did Not Waive Policy’s Suit Limitation Provision
Insurance policies often contain "limitation-of-action" or suit limitation provisions, which contractually reduce the statute of limitations for an insured to assert a claim against an insurer. Depending on the state, such provisions can be enforceable because, as a general matter, parties are free to contract on whatever terms they wish, so long as they do not violate a particular statute or public policy. However, there are certain circumstances under which an insurer ... Keep Reading »
Ninth Circuit Finds No Coverage Under Advertising Liability Policy for Walmart’s Floor Display of Goods and Services Supplied by Insured Apparel Vendor
In Hybrid Promotions LLC v. Federal Insurance Co., the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that an advertising liability policy issued to Hybrid did not apply to an advertising "arrangement" created by Walmart's placement of Hybrid's goods and signage in close proximity to signage created by the underlying claimant MMA Elite. Hybrid Promotions LLC supplied Walmart with apparel and associated display racks and signage. Pursuant to its agreement with Walmart, ... Keep Reading »
Seventh Circuit Rejects Insured’s “Claim Within a Claim” Argument
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently had occasion to clarify the parameters of a “claim” in insurance policies. In Market Street Bancshares Inc. v. Federal Insurance Co., Judge Kanne penned an opinion holding that a legal argument appearing in an already uncovered “claim” cannot itself constitute a “claim” for purposes of liability policies. This insurance coverage dispute involved an almost two-decade-long underlying lawsuit against the insured, a bank, long ... Keep Reading »
Iowa Supreme Court Finds Fatality Allegedly Caused by Gross Negligence Was a Potential “Accident” Under CGL Policy
Coverage under most commercial general liability (CGL) policies applies only to liability arising from an “accident.” As such, injury or damage that an insured “expected or intended” to occur is not covered. But whether an insured subjectively intended to cause injury may be difficult to determine, even when the conduct itself was clearly intentional. In a recent decision by the Supreme Court of Iowa, the court examined a related, if not potentially more difficult, ... Keep Reading »
Florida Court Determines Insurer Did Not Waive Right to Appraisal in Hurricane Irma Claim Brought by Homeowners
Various homeowner’s insurance policies contain an appraisal clause that a carrier or insured may invoke in situations where there is a dispute in damages between the parties. However, a court may determine that a party who is seeking to invoke an appraisal clause has waived its right to appraisal by not invoking the appraisal clause timely, or by taking actions inconsistent with appraisal in litigation. In a recent opinion by a Florida appellate court, People’s Trust ... Keep Reading »
A Case of Mass Listeria: Insurer’s Duty to Defend in New Jersey Contaminated Pizza Crusts Suit
Last week, in Conte’s Pasta Co. v. Republic Franklin Insurance Co., a New Jersey federal court ruled that Republic Franklin Insurance Co. was obligated to indemnify Conte’s Pasta for the costs incurred defending against a suit brought by one of its customers, Nature’s One, for damages related to listeria contamination in its gluten-free pizza crusts. Underlying Litigation In early 2017, Nature’s One contracted with Conte’s Pasta to manufacture gluten-free pizza ... Keep Reading »
Two Early Rulings in Favor of Insurers in COVID-19 Insurance Coverage Litigation
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently issued two of the first substantive rulings in COVID-19-related insurance coverage lawsuits. Both rulings were in favor of insurers. Southern District of New York Indicates COVID-19 Does Not Cause Direct Physical Loss or Damage, As Needed to Trigger Business Interruption Coverage In Social Life Magazine Inc. v. Sentinel Insurance Co., an ongoing lawsuit, the ... Keep Reading »
Years of Embezzlement Precluded From Coverage Under E&O Policy’s Commingling Exclusion
A federal district court in North Dakota recently granted an insurer’s motion to dismiss in Campbell Property Management LLC v. Lloyd’s Syndicate 3624, finding that both prongs of a “commingling exclusion” to coverage applied. The court granted the insurer’s motion to dismiss the breach of contract and bad faith claims asserted by Campbell Property Management, finding that there was no coverage for the subject acts, and thus there could be no bad faith. Lloyd’s issued ... Keep Reading »
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