Specialty Lines
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July 21, 2025
Hartford Unit Must Cover Drug Test Co. In False Results Suit
A Hartford unit must cover a drug testing company in a suit over false positive tests, a Virginia federal court ruled, finding that the suit was not related to a prior proposed class action filed during another insurer's coverage period.
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July 18, 2025
Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40
Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.
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July 17, 2025
Top Legal Developments That Could Impact LA Fire Aftermath
While the full consequences of a series of devastating wildfires that struck Los Angeles in January are still becoming clear, insurance experts and attorneys have pointed to a series of lawsuits and decisions as having important implications for the city's recovery.
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July 17, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
Florida's insurer of last resort was hit with a lawsuit over its use of arbitration, an insurer sought to limit its coverage exposure for 175 silica injury lawsuits to a single policy and the Ninth Circuit issued a no-coverage ruling concerning a $58.5 million judgment over mishandled bodily remains. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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July 17, 2025
Insurer Says Pollution Exclusion Applies To Asbestos Suits
A Berkshire Hathaway unit said it doesn't owe coverage to a paint and drywall product manufacturer in a number of asbestos exposure suits, telling a Texas federal court Thursday that coverage is barred by a pollution exclusion in its umbrella and excess policies.
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July 17, 2025
Mass Deportations Could Raise Insurance Costs, Profs Say
The Trump administration's mass deportation program could increase costs for insurance carriers and homeowners by reducing the number of undocumented immigrants so critical to the construction industry, business and insurance professors say.
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July 17, 2025
Oil Cos. Not Covered In Gas Exposure Suit, Markel Unit Says
A Markel unit has no duty to defend or indemnify oil and gas companies in a suit over a worker's exposure to toxic hydrogen sulfide gas, it told a Texas federal court, saying the underlying suit did not allege an occurrence.
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July 17, 2025
5th Circ. Affirms Nix Of Doctor's Captive Insurance Deductions
The owner of a Texas urgent care network is not entitled to $1 million in tax deductions for insurance premiums he paid to inside companies, the Fifth Circuit ruled, affirming the U.S. Tax Court's decision that the payments were not actually for insurance.
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July 16, 2025
Bojangles Insurer Must Cover Settled Rape Suit, Court Rules
A Bojangles franchisee's insurer had a duty to cover it in a now-settled civil lawsuit alleging that a manager at one of the franchisee's locations raped an employee who was a minor, a Georgia federal court ruled Wednesday, finding that one of two coverage forms at issue was triggered.
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July 15, 2025
Medicaid Cuts Pose 'Frontal Assault,' Penn Law Prof Says
Allison K. Hoffman, a health insurance regulation expert at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, talks about the wide-ranging impacts of the cuts coming to Medicaid funding.
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July 15, 2025
These Firms Worked On The Top First-Half Real Estate Deals
A&O Shearman and Stibbe are among the more than 20 law firms that scored work on the 10 largest global real estate mergers and acquisitions of the first half, a period that saw three transactions above $4 billion.
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July 14, 2025
Insurer Seeks $1M Coverage Cap Over 175 Silica Suits
An insurer for a manufacturer of countertops told a New York federal court that only one primary environmental liability policy it issued applies to roughly 175 lawsuits seeking damages for exposure to silica, pointing to "deemer provisions" relating to coverage for "progressive or indivisible" bodily injury.
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July 11, 2025
7th Circ. Affirms End To Vandalism Dispute Over Key Records
The Seventh Circuit upheld discovery sanctions against an Indianapolis hotel owner after an Indiana federal court found it repeatedly failed to hand over records relating to whether the property was deemed "vacant" per the terms of its property insurance policy with a Liberty Mutual unit.
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July 11, 2025
Coverage For RV Dealer's $1.2M Fraud Loss Limited To $100K
A Texas federal court tossed an RV dealer's suit seeking to recover more than $1 million it lost after transferring funds to a fraudster posing as a general contractor, saying the dealer's insurer already paid the maximum amount owed under the policy's deception fraud provision.
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July 10, 2025
Specialty Line Insurance Cases To Note: 2025 Midyear Report
The first half of the year has already delivered a series of high-profile decisions giving specialty line insurance practitioners clarity on some of the hottest coverage dispute issues and even a preview of their ripple effects. Here, Law360 reviews some of the top specialty line insurance decisions from the first half of 2025.
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July 10, 2025
Top General Liability Rulings From The First Half Of 2025
Federal courts have handed down big wins for insurers, finding that they needn't cover claims related to a Home Depot data breach and opioid litigation brought against Publix, as well as issuing rulings favoring carriers in disputes over so-called ghost guns and PFAS-related litigation. Here, Law360 breaks down the top commercial general liability rulings from the first half of 2025.
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July 10, 2025
Texas Floods Highlight Risk Of Climate Cuts, Low Coverage
A series of deadly floods in Texas Hill Country over the July 4 weekend underscore the danger of rollbacks and threats to federal programs for disaster relief and climate monitoring, while also showing the need for greater flood coverage uptake to avoid longer-term economic challenges.Â
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July 10, 2025
Insurer Wants Out Of Horse Co.'s $3.2M Theft Coverage Fight
An insurer for an equestrian and his company that faced theft claims urged a Florida federal court to toss a coverage action from the underlying plaintiff, arguing it lacks standing to claim the insurer wasted policy benefits while defending insureds and left nothing for an eventual $3.2 million settlement.
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July 10, 2025
6th Circ. Denies Ohio Dentist's Life Insurance Tax Deductions
An Ohio dentist cannot deduct his life insurance premiums that he intended to potentially donate to a zoo, the Sixth Circuit ruled, saying the arrangement was taxable under 2003 regulations governing policies that involve two parties sharing the cost and benefit of insurance.
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July 10, 2025
Insurance Litigation Week In Review
Michigan's top court found that claims over personal injury protection coverage can be revived after they are transferred to third parties, the Eighth Circuit relieved a Chubb insurer from having to split an underlying $2 million settlement and the Fourth Circuit revived a South Carolina builder's condo repair coverage dispute. Here, Law360 takes a look at the past week's top insurance news.
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July 08, 2025
Exclusion's Use Of 'The' Supports Alt. Reading, 5th Circ. Says
The Fifth Circuit said an exclusion barring coverage for intellectual property infringement claims didn't necessarily relieve an insurer from covering defense expenses an oil and gas company incurred in an IP theft lawsuit, finding the exclusion's use of "the" led to a pro-coverage, reasonable meaning.
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July 07, 2025
Hartford Says No Coverage For General Store's GIPA Row
A Hartford unit told an Illinois federal court that it does not owe a general store coverage for claims that the company violated the state's genetic information privacy law by conditioning employment on disclosing genetic information.
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July 03, 2025
Plumbing Co. Seeks $25M In Coverage For ERISA Claims
A plumbing subcontractor told a California federal court that its primary insurer was improperly limiting its coverage in an employee stock ownership plan dispute, hindering its ability to tap into its full $25 million tower of management liability coverage.
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July 03, 2025
The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court
The number of law firms juggling three or more arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this past term nearly doubled from the number of firms that could make that claim last term.
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July 03, 2025
Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review
The U.S. Supreme Court once again waited until the term's closing weeks — and even hours — to issue some of its most anticipated and divided decisions.
Expert Analysis
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How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients
Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.
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How Attorneys Can Make The Most Of A Deposition Transcript
With recent amendments to federal evidence rules now in effect, it’s more important than ever to make sure that deposition transcripts are clear and precise, and a few key strategies can help attorneys get the most out of a transcript before, during and after a deposition, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.
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Atty Insurance Implications Of Rising Nonclient Cyber Claims
As law firms are increasingly targeted in cyberattacks, claims by clients as well as nonclients against lawyers are also on the rise, increasing the scope of exposure that attorneys face in their practice, say attorneys at Wilson Elser.
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Addressing D&O Allocation Questions Amid Shifting Economy
As increasing global insolvency this year may lead to an increase in directors and officers insurance claims, businesses should review their policies' allocation provisions to avoid negotiating how coverage will apply to covered and uncovered claims during a suit, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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Key Questions When Mediating Environmental Disputes
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implements dramatic regulatory changes, companies seeking to use mediation to manage increased risks and uncertainties around environmental liabilities should keep certain essential considerations in mind to help reach successful outcomes, says Edward Cohen at Thompson Coburn.
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Understanding How Jurors Arrive At Punitive Damage Awards
Much of the rising trend of so-called thermonuclear verdicts can be tied to punitive damages amounts that astonish the imagination, so attorneys must understand the psychological underpinnings that drive jurors’ decision-making calculus on damages, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.
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10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks
The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.
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Strategies To Help Witnesses Manage Deposition Anxiety
During and leading up to deposition, witnesses may experience anxiety stemming from numerous sources and manifesting in a variety of ways, but attorneys can help them mitigate their stress using a few key methods, say consultants at Courtroom Sciences.
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5 Insurance Types For Mitigating Tariff-Related Trade Losses
The potential for significant trade-related losses as a result of increased tariffs may cause companies to consider which of their insurance policies, including marine, builders risk, trade credit, and directors and officers, could provide coverage to alleviate the financial impact, say attorneys at Pillsbury.
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Home Depot Ruling Tolls Death Knell For 'Silent Cyber'
The Sixth Circuit's recent ruling that Home Depot's insurers did not have to cover costs from a data breach hammered one more nail in the coffin of silent cyber, where coverage is sought under standard property or commercial general liability policies that were not intended to insure cyberattack claims, say attorneys at Zelle.
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In-House Expert Testimony Is Tricky, But Worth Considering
Litigation counsel often reject the notion of designating in-house personnel to provide expert opinion testimony at trial, but dismissing them outright can result in a significant missed opportunity, say David Ben-Meir at Ben-Meir Law and Martin Pitha at Lillis Pitha.
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Tracking Changes To AI Evidence Under Federal Rules
As the first quarter of 2025 draws to a close, important changes to the Federal Rules of Evidence regarding the use of artificial intelligence in the courtroom are on the horizon, including how to handle evidence that is a product of machine learning, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Key Insurance Issues Likely To Arise From NY Superfund Law
The recently enacted New York Climate Change Superfund Act imposes a massive $75 billion in liabilities on energy companies in the fossil fuel industry, which can be expected to look to their insurers for coverage, raising a slew of coverage issues both old and new, say attorneys at Wiley.