In Larson v. Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co., the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that, under Hawaii law, unambiguous broad settlement release language and the two-year tort statute of limitations barred claims that Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. somehow improperly handled a workers’ compensation claim. In February 2002, Lonnie Larson filed for workers’ compensation under his Liberty policy, claiming that he was struck by lightning during the course of ... Keep Reading »
Federal Court Finds Selling Products in New Jersey Is Insufficient to Establish Personal Jurisdiction in Case Regarding Insurance Coverage for Underlying New Jersey Action
A U.S. district judge ruled in a coverage dispute that an allegation that a company sold products in New Jersey is insufficient to establish personal jurisdiction in a related insurance coverage action. In Ohio Security Insurance Co. v. Premium Food Group Inc., the court ruled that the fact that the insureds sought coverage for an underlying suit filed in New Jersey was not sufficient to exercise specific personal jurisdiction over two New York corporations. Underlying ... Keep Reading »
Louisiana Supreme Court Finds “Assault and Battery Exclusion” Barred Coverage for Kidnapping at Insured’s Motel
In granting summary judgment to the insurer and finding no duty to defend, Louisiana’s highest court reversed a trial court’s ruling on the basis of the “clear and unambiguous” assault and battery exclusion in a commercial general liability policy. Kazan tragically arose from a kidnapping and subsequent homicide of a guest of the insured — a motel operating in Alexandria, Louisiana. As the victim was attempting to retrieve something from her vehicle, another motel ... Keep Reading »
Sixth Circuit Holds Attorneys’ Fee Award Does Not Constitute Damages Under Professional Liability Policy
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an order granting summary judgment in favor of the insurer in Wesco Insurance Co. v. Roderick Linton Belfance LLP, holding that the award of attorneys’ fees was a “sanction” and thus was not covered damages under the Wesco professional liability policy. This matter concerned an award of attorneys’ fees stemming from claims that were brought against schools under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The ... Keep Reading »
Federal Court Rules “Unauthorized Network Access Exclusion” Precludes Coverage for $1.3M Payment From Hacker’s Fraudulent Email
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled that an insurance policy issued by Federal Insurance Co. excluded coverage for the transmission of $1.3 million by the insured in response to an email request from a hacker purporting to be one of the insured’s business partners. The insured, Construction Financial Administration Services (CFAS), was a third-party construction funds administration company that disbursed funds for contractors whose ... Keep Reading »
Southwest Marine and General Insurance Co. v. United Specialty Insurance Co.: A Lesson in Common Limitations of Additional Insured Provisions
In Southwest Marine and General Insurance Co. v. United Specialty Insurance Co., the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York recently highlighted limitations in a common policy endorsement extending commercial general liability insurance to additional insureds. Hanjo Contractors Inc. subcontracted with Manhattan Steel Design to perform work on a New York building. In February 2016, Manhattan Steel employee Oscar Perez was struck and injured by a ... 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 »
Delaware Supreme Court Holds That “Related Claim” Standard Is Based on Plain Language of Policy
As we previously discussed in this blog, in June 2021 the Delaware Superior Court found in First Solar Inc. that there was no coverage under a claims-made policy for a securities action (Maverick) filed during the relevant policy period, on the grounds that the Maverick action constituted a "related claim" with respect to a class action that had been filed before the policy period commenced (Smilovits). In so holding, the court applied a "fundamentally identical" ... Keep Reading »
Eleventh Circuit Holds Tort Claimants Lack Standing to Challenge Judgment That Insurer Has No Duty to Defend
On March 29, 2022, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that a tort claimant lacks standing to challenge a court's judgment finding that the carrier had no duty to defend the insured. A.B. was 10 years old when she was sexually abused by her parent and her parent's spouse. The spouse was ultimately indicted, pleaded guilty to two counts of human trafficking, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison per count. In her suit against the convicted human trafficker ... Keep Reading »
Fifth Circuit Concludes That Compliance With Pandemic-Related Shutdown Orders Does Not Constitute “Direct Physical Loss of or Damage to Property” Under Louisiana Law
In the recent decision in Q Clothier New Orleans LLC v. Twin City Fire Insurance Co., the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of an insured’s claim for coverage under a property policy for loss arising from compliance with pandemic-related shutdown orders. In concluding that such losses did not fall within the meaning of “direct physical loss of or damage to property” in the policy’s insuring agreement under Louisiana law, the court noted that its ... Keep Reading »
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