Property

  • May 22, 2025

    Mich. Justices To Review Nationwide's Unitary Tax Filing Win

    The Michigan Supreme Court agreed Thursday to weigh an appeal by the state's tax agency of a decision that said Nationwide entities could file their taxes as a unitary group to share tax credits among its members.

  • May 22, 2025

    Manufacturer Seeks Over $19M In Beryllium Release Coverage

    A medical device manufacturer accused a Zurich unit of breach of contract and bad faith in Massachusetts federal court, seeking at least $19 million in damages after it said storms caused an "unprecedented dispersal" of beryllium at one of its plants in the United Kingdom.

  • May 22, 2025

    Panel Hearing Spotlights Long-Standing Disaster Claim Gripes

    A U.S. Senate panel hearing into the claims handling process of major homeowner's insurers following natural disasters highlighted long-standing complaints from policyholders that obtaining relief can often be a long, arduous and costly process.

  • May 20, 2025

    No Bad Faith Means $461K Case Returns To Fla. State Court

    A Florida federal court sent a $461,000 property damage dispute back to state court Tuesday, finding that while a condo association's timing in serving one insurer prevented the carrier from removing the case to federal court, there wasn't bad faith so a deadline applied.

  • May 20, 2025

    Wash. Panel Affirms Toss Of Vrbo Host's Rental Coverage Row

    Washington appellate judges refused to revive a Vrbo host's suit against a Liberty Mutual unit and a company that arranged a policyholder's temporary housing while her home was being repaired, saying the companies did not breach a nonexistent contract with the host by ceasing to pay the policyholder's rent.

  • May 20, 2025

    Carbon Co. Seeks Coverage For Factory Explosion Losses

    A carbon black manufacturer asked a Texas federal court to find that it could tap into its combined $400 million in property coverage after the explosion of two high-speed fans at its facility, saying its losses constituted "resulting damage" covered by the policies.

  • May 19, 2025

    Justices Pass On Insurers' Tribal Jurisdiction Challenge

    The U.S. Supreme Court will not review a Ninth Circuit decision ordering insurers to litigate the Suquamish Tribe's COVID-19 coverage claims in tribal court in a case that addressed tribal jurisdiction over nonmember insurance companies, according to a Monday order list.

  • May 15, 2025

    Attys Weigh Breadth Of 10th Circ. Pollution Row Interpretation

    A Tenth Circuit ruling that a New Mexico property owner wasn't owed a defense for underlying contamination litigation because of separate, unambiguous absolute pollution exclusions in its policies was no surprise, policyholder attorneys said, but a broad reading of the exclusions still gives them pause.

  • May 15, 2025

    Insurers' Win In Arbitration Treaty Ruling Narrows Circuit Split 

    A recent Second Circuit ruling in favor of international insurers seeking to arbitrate hurricane damage claims helped further close a significant circuit court split on the interpretation of a key international arbitration treaty, according to expert attorneys.

  • May 15, 2025

    Fla. High Court Won't Rule On Condo Insurance Dispute

    The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday declined to wade into a dispute between a Miami condominium and its insurer over a claim for damage caused by Hurricane Irma, leaving in place an appellate ruling that the association provided sufficient notice to the insurer that it intended to add or reopen its damage claim.

  • May 15, 2025

    Insurer Wants Smokestack Demo Cos. To Pay For Damage

    Erie Insurance is seeking to make the companies that demolished two smokestacks at a former Western Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant pay $375,000 for damage that flying dust, debris and shock waves did to a neighboring property, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.

  • May 15, 2025

    Golden Corral Can't Resurrect COVID-19 Coverage Case

    A North Carolina federal court blocked Golden Corral's last-ditch effort at COVID-19 insurance coverage, finding that although similar policyholders scored a recent win before the state's supreme court, that victory wasn't "extraordinary" enough to disturb a final judgment against the restaurant chain.

  • May 15, 2025

    Insurance Litigation Week In Review

    The California Department of Insurance approved State Farm's request for an emergency rate increase, the Delaware Supreme Court heard arguments concerning coverage for 3M's defense costs payments in multidistrict litigation, and a U.S. Senate committee questioned Allstate and State Farm on their claims-handling procedures for natural disasters. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.

  • May 15, 2025

    Securities Atty Talks Carrier IPOs In Uncertain Market

    A selective thawing in the market could provide an opening to go public for insurance companies that aren't as directly affected by tariffs as companies in other industries, as demonstrated by two initial public offerings last week. Here, Law360 takes a look with Matthew L. Fry, a Haynes Boone partner who advised on one of the IPOs, that of American Integrity Insurance.

  • May 15, 2025

    NC Furniture Maker Gets Pretrial Win On Helene Coverage

    A federal judge gave a North Carolina furniture manufacturer a pretrial win in its suit seeking Hurricane Helene coverage from Fireman's Fund Insurance Co., ruling that the policy at issue had an exclusion for flood damages but that the exclusion had a carve-out for "named storms."

  • May 14, 2025

    Insurer Ends Case Blaming Panda Express For Water Leak

    An insurance company on Wednesday dropped its case seeking more than $176,000 from Panda Express Inc. for damages allegedly caused when grease-filled pipes at one of the chain's restaurants backed up and leaked water into a clothing store covered by the insurer.

  • May 14, 2025

    Idaho Murderer's Family Can't Get Coverage, Judge Says

    The wealthy mining family of a mentally ill man who murdered and allegedly ate his victim's genitalia was denied insurance coverage for underlying litigation brought by the decedent's survivors when an Idaho federal judge determined the killing wasn't unforeseen and the killer's subjective motives weren't relevant.

  • May 13, 2025

    Senators Grill Allstate, State Farm Heads On Disaster Claims

    Officials from Allstate and State Farm defended their claims-handling procedures for natural disasters before a U.S. Senate committee Tuesday amid testimony that the two major homeowners insurers routinely altered estimates and underpaid policyholders to protect their profits.

  • May 13, 2025

    State Farm's Emergency Rate Hike Request Approved In Calif.

    California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Tuesday that he had adopted a judge's recommendation to approve State Farm General Insurance Co.'s request for an emergency rate increase for property insurance in the state, following January wildfires that have already cost California insurers $12.1 billion.

  • May 13, 2025

    Crypto Co. Seeks $1.9M Coverage For Mining Equipment Theft

    A cryptocurrency company told a Colorado federal court that its Markel insurers failed to cover more than $1.9 million in losses from a theft of mining hardware, saying the insurers have either failed to respond or provided no reasonable explanation for their refusal.

  • May 13, 2025

    Ga. Property Owner Says Insurer Must Pay For Burst Pipes

    A property owner told a Virginia federal court that although its insurer received late notice of property damage after a 2022 winter freeze burst pipes at its Georgia property, it was still owed coverage under a more than $30 million policy because the insurer accepted its reasons for the delay.

  • May 13, 2025

    Builder Says Zurich Owes $2.6M For Bronx School Damage

    A contractor said a Zurich unit owes it at least $2.6 million for costs incurred after a construction site collapse at a Bronx school, telling a New York federal court the insurer failed to timely adjust its claim and wrongfully refused to pay out any funds for the loss.

  • May 12, 2025

    Insurer Must Pay Part Of $2M Construction Defect Settlement

    A Minnesota state appellate court on Monday upheld a lower court's ruling that found an insurer must cover over $170,000 of a $2 million settlement between a marina and a contractor over alleged construction defects.

  • May 12, 2025

    Calif. FAIR Plan Must Provide Fire Claim Docs, Couple Says

    A couple displaced by toxic contamination in their home after the Los Angeles wildfires asked a California state court on Monday to force the state's last-resort insurer to turn over all claim-related documents to policyholders who have requested them, saying the insurer's refusal to do so is unlawful.

  • May 12, 2025

    Will Justices Finally Rein In Universal Injunctions?

    The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to address for the first time Thursday the propriety of universal injunctions, a tool federal judges have increasingly used to broadly halt presidential orders and policy initiatives, and whose validity has haunted the high court's merits and emergency dockets for more than a decade.

Expert Analysis

  • Navigating Mortgage Insurance Provisions After LA Fires

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    As homeowners affected by the Los Angeles wildfires consider rebuilding, mortgage lenders and servicers must negotiate the complex intersection between the standard deed of trust and property insurance, says Heather Wright at Buchalter.

  • Year Of The Snake Will Shake Up RE And Mortgage Finance

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    The year ahead may bring profound transformation and opportunities for growth in the real estate and mortgage finance sectors, with significant issues including policy battles and questions surrounding the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, says Marty Green at Polunsky Beitel.

  • 5 Argument Techniques For Policyholder Advocates

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    Winning insurance coverage disputes often comes down to who has articulated the more compelling interpretation of the relevant policy language, which is why the best policyholder advocates come back to certain tried and true argument approaches, says Greg Van Houten at Haynes Boone.

  • Improving Comms Between Trial Attys And Tech Witnesses

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    In major litigation involving complex technology, attorneys should employ certain strategies to collaborate with companies' technical personnel more effectively to enhance both the attorney's understanding of the subject matter and the expert's ability to provide effective testimony in court, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape

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    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape.

  • Courts Should Nix Conferencing Rule In 1 Discovery Scenario

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    Parties are generally required to meet and confer to resolve a discovery dispute before bringing a related motion, but courts should dispense with this conferencing requirement when a party fails to specify a time by which it will complete its production, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law.

  • Illuminating The Trend Of Florida's Unpaid Hurricane Claims

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    The sheer number of insurance claims closed without payment for damage caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helene reveals a systemic problem within Florida's insurance industry exacerbated by complex issues, including climate change and state regulators' resource limitations, say attorneys at Farah & Farah.

  • Top Considerations For Insurance Companies In 2025

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    As insurance industry participants look to plan for the year, regulatory changes, climate-related challenges, the ongoing effects of social inflation and the potential for significant mergers and acquisitions will be among the key items for insurer boards and management to have on their radar, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • What Public View Of CEO's Killing Means For Corporate Trials

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    Given the proliferation of anti-corporate sentiments following recent charges against Luigi Mangione in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, attorneys who represent corporate clients and executives will need to adapt their trial strategy to account for juror anger, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation Consulting.

  • The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024

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    Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.

  • Insurance Considerations For LA Wildfire Recovery

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    Businesses and homeowners affected by the destructive Southern California wildfires must act swiftly and strategically to navigate the complexities of the insurance recovery process, including by identifying all applicable policies, documenting damage thoroughly and keeping abreast of relevant state law, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Artfully Conceding Liability Can Offer Defendants 3 Benefits

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    In the rare case that a company makes the strategic decision to admit liability, it’s important to do so clearly and consistently in order to benefit from the various forms of armor that come from an honest acknowledgment, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • LA Wildfires' Effect On Calif. Insurer Of Last Resort

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    Attorneys at Willkie discuss the background of California's insurer of last resort — known as the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan — and examine the process of assessing member insurers and relevant recent property insurance market developments in light of the destruction from the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires.

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