Owners can trigger an insurance policy without formally alleging a tort claim if the contractor's defective work could support a tort claim. The Oregon decision may allow property owners to assert only a breach of...more
In a landmark decision in 2023, the Oregon Supreme Court in Moody v. Oregon Community Credit Union, 371 Or. 772, 542 P.3d 24 (2023), reshaped the contours of bad-faith insurance litigation in Oregon. This ruling has since...more
The start of 2024 marked the end of an insurance era in Oregon. On December 29, 2023—the last Friday before the new year—the Oregon Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated decision in Moody v. Oregon Community Credit Union,...more
The Oregon Supreme Court has long held the legislature did not create a private right of action under the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act (ORS 746.230). Policyholders could bring a tort claim against their insurance...more
Does the failure to pay an insurance claim constitute elder abuse? Not under Oregon’s elder financial abuse laws. In January, the Oregon Supreme Court, answering a certified question from the Ninth Circuit, held that...more
The general rule regarding a party’s responsibility for legal fees in U.S. courts, known as the “American Rule,” provides that, barring a contrary contractual obligation or statute, each party is responsible for its own legal...more
This past week, the Supreme Court of Oregon overturned 42 years of precedent, holding that Stubblefield v. St. Paul Fire & Marine, 267 Ore. 397, 517 P.2d 262 (1973) erred when it decided that a covenant not to execute given...more