Hinshaw Releases Second Edition of Duty to Defend: A Fifty-State Survey
Loading and Unloading Under GL and Auto Policies: 2022
Prior & Pending Litigation
What is a Damron Agreement?
A pedestrian tripped and fell on a public sidewalk in front of a multi-unit premises owned by 1995-2003 Jerome Avenue. The injured claimant filed a bodily injury action against Jerome Avenue and Pawnit Jerome Corp., a lessee...more
Rodrigues v. Shelbourne Spring, LLC, No. A-39-23 (December 12, 2024) - In a unanimous decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court found Hartford Underwriters Insurance Company had no duty to defend the employer, SIR Electric LLC....more
On December 11, 2024, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas refused to allow extrinsic evidence under the Monroe conditions where plaintiff’s employment status and the merits of the case...more
The parent of an infant sued Kim Eichle for Eichle’s alleged negligence in serving alcohol to her houseguest, Jacob Russo, who allegedly assaulted the infant, and for negligence in failing to keep the sidewalk at her...more
Although a construction manager’s scheduling and liaison responsibilities do not require specialized training, such tasks may be sufficiently related to the actor’s other roles to be excluded from coverage under a liability...more
An Illinois Appellate Court has ruled that an insurer had no duty to defend an insured in connection with a lawsuit arising out of criminal sexual misconduct charges even though the lawsuit contained negligence claims. Prof’l...more
The rising tide of climate change lawsuits is sure to bring with it a wave of declaratory judgment actions on the issue of whether liability insurers have an obligation to defend fossil fuel producers and other climate change...more
Obtaining additional insured coverage is one critical tool in the risk transfer toolbox. Owners and contractors on construction projects routinely ask “downstream” contractors and subcontractors to sign contracts wherein the...more
A federal district court, applying Missouri law, has held that an insurer had no duty to defend or indemnify an insured because the underlying litigation alleged intentional conduct that was barred by an intentional acts...more
A California federal court has ruled that an insured's misrepresentation in a Statement of No Loss in support of reinstatement of its liability insurance policy provided the basis to rescind the policy reinstatement, but not...more
When a named insured is only 1% responsible for an accident, what percentage of indemnity coverage is owed to an additional insured? A recent New York federal court says 100%. In New York, additional insured coverage may very...more
In July of 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit revisited and affirmed its prediction that Texas courts will not allow extrinsic evidence to determine an insurer’s duty to defend where such evidence...more
Under established Illinois law, an insurer must defend a legal action filed against its insured unless it is clear from the face of the underlying complaint that the allegations fail to state facts which bring the case...more
In Target Corporation v. Golden State Ins. Co. Limited (No. B279995, filed 10/10/19), a California appeals court held that there was no duty to defend or indemnify a retail pharmacy against allegations that it had mislabeled...more
In addition to being a great place to find lobster, Maine may also be one of the country’s best jurisdictions for a policyholder seeking defense from its commercial general liability carrier. In Zurich American Ins. Co. v....more
Analysis of Zurich Am. Ins. Co. v. S.-Owners Ins. Co., 248 F. Supp. 3d 1268, 1276 (M.D. Fla. 2017) - In a dispute between two insurers arising from an underlying premises liability action, a federal district court applied...more
The Eleventh Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals recently decided Selective Insurance Company of the Southeast v. William P. White Racing Stables, Inc., et al., 2017 WL 6368843 (December 13, 2017), a case addressing...more
We have noted, again and again, examples of disappointed Additional Insureds. Today we report that at least one Additional Insured has left the Courthouse smiling. It was, however, to paraphrase Wellington, a near-run...more
In Hyland v. Liberty Mutual Fire Ins. Co., No. 1:15-cv-01264-JES-JEH, 2017 WL 3388161 (C.D. Ill. Aug. 7, 2017), the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois granted plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment for...more
On March 13, 2017, the United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, rejected the argument that an insurer does not act in bad faith if it relies on a reasonable interpretation of unsettled case law. The...more
Can something short of the filing of a complaint trigger an insurer’s duty to defend? It’s not an idle question. Uncertainty on this issue could produce an unintended breach, and, in some jurisdictions, breach of the duty to...more
A Pennsylvania appeals court recently addressed a nuanced procedural question: the applicable statute of limitations in a declaratory action of a coverage dispute. In Selective Way Ins. Co. v. Hospitality Group Svcs, Inc.,...more
In a per curiam decision without a published opinion, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh’s (“National”) appeal from a Superior Court decision holding that National had a...more