News & Analysis as of

Liability Insurance Duty to Defend Insurance Claims

Payne & Fears

Payne & Fears Secures $1.9 Million in Defense Costs for Homebuilder Client in Summary Judgment Win Against Insurer

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On July 1, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered summary judgment in favor of a national homebuilder against its insurance company, United Specialty Insurance Company (“USIC”), holding...more

Rivkin Radler LLP

There’s Coverage for That? The ‘Ins & Outs’ of Personal & Advertising Injury Coverage

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Michael Cannata and Frank Misiti wrote, “There’s Coverage for That? The ‘Ins and Outs’ of Personal and Advertising Injury Coverage” for the Summer 2025 issue of USLAW Magazine. The story explains “personal and advertising”...more

Wiley Rein LLP

Court Holds that Contract Exclusion in EPL Policy Does Not Preclude Duty to Defend When Some Allegations Extend Beyond Employment...

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Applying Indiana state law, the Indiana Court of Appeals has held that a breach of contract exclusion did not preclude a duty to defend under an employment practices liability policy because some of the underlying allegations...more

Rivkin Radler LLP

December 2024 Insurance Update

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There’s been plenty of litigation over whether construction defect claims qualify for coverage under a CGL policy. This month, we discuss two federal circuit court rulings (First and Seventh Circuits) that reach opposite...more

Lowenstein Sandler LLP

‘What’s in a Name[d Defendant]?’: Federal Court Suggests Narrow Exception to Insurer’s Broad Duty to Provide a Complete Defense

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Policyholders purchase liability insurance expecting that, when they are sued, their defense will be paid for by their insurer. Because the key value of liability insurance is that it is really “litigation insurance,” courts...more

Flaster Greenberg PC

The Impact of Conflict of Law on Insurance Claims

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When determining whether insurance coverage exists for a claim, a crucial consideration is whether the claim involves an event or occurrence that took place in a state other than where the relevant policy was delivered. This...more

Zelle  LLP

Opioid Case May Guide Climate Change Insurance Suits

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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

Cozen O'Connor

Ninth Circuit Finds that “Subsidence Exclusion” Bars Coverage for Landslide Loss

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The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued an unpublished opinion in Atain Specialty Insurance Company v. JKT Associates, Inc., Case No. 20-16366 (9th Cir., March 11, 2022), finding that a liability policy’s...more

Cozen O'Connor

NY Appellate Court: Liability Insurer Cannot Recover Defense Costs Absent Express Policy Provision

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Given the breadth of the duty to defend, liability insurers often must defend insureds against claims that do not ultimately trigger the duty to indemnify. In some states, an insurer can offer a defense under a reservation of...more

Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

"Common Sense" Conquers "Creative Pleading," as the Eleventh Circuit Applies Narrow Exception to Florida's "Four-Corners" Rule to...

On July 23, 2020, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, applying Florida law, looked beyond an operative complaint to relieve an insurer of its duty to defend in BBG Design Build, LLC v. Southern Owners Insurance Company. In...more

Cozen O'Connor

Observations on Erie Insurance Exchange v. Moore: A Misapplication of Precedent

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The duty to defend is a critical threshold determination in all liability coverage disputes. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has provided a clear and consistent directive on the issue: facts alleged in the complaint control...more

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