The Insurance & Reinsurance Report

September 11, 2018 Commercial General Liability

New York Court Finds Insured Failed to Establish its Broad Discovery Demands Might Lead to Evidence Relevant to the Application of an Exclusionary Provision in Commercial General Liability Policy

In Northfield Insurance Company v. Golob, an insurer issued a commercial general liability policy to owners of a residential construction project. The policy contained an exclusion titled “Contracted Persons” exclusion, which barred coverage for bodily injury sustained by any person “employed by . . . any organization that . . . [c]ontracted with [the named insured] or with any insured for services” where the injuries “[arose] out of and in the course of employment by that organization.”

As a part of the construction project, …

September 6, 2018 Automobile Coverage

Use of Uninsured Vehicle To Transport Victim To Site of Assault Does Not Trigger UM Coverage

On August 14, 2018, in a case of apparent first impression in New Mexico, the New Mexico intermediate appellate court in Crespin v. Safeco Ins. Co. of Am., 2018 (N.M. Ct. App. 2018) upheld a lower court’s ruling that transporting a minor in an uninsured motor vehicle to another location in order commit a sexual assault does not trigger uninsured motorist (UM) coverage because the assault did not arise out of the use of the uninsured vehicle. The decision rebuffs a novel attempt to …

The ALI’s Recently Adopted “Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance” Receives Mixed Reviews from Courts and Legislatures

The much-anticipated Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance (RLLI) was recently approved by the American Law Institute (ALI) during its Annual Meeting in May 2018. Since its adoption, the RLLI has been met with mixed reviews from courts as well as at least one state legislatures.

As discussed in previous blogposts, the RLLI is the ALI’s first publication in the field of insurance law and touches upon nearly every legal issue frequently faced by insurance professionals. Prior to its adoption, the RLLI had been …

August 27, 2018 General

“Made Whole” Doctrine Prevents Equitable Subrogation Where Insureds with Tortfeasors

In re September 11 Litigation,

World Trade Center Properties LLC et al. v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London et al. (S.D.N.Y., August 2, 2018)

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of the Federal District Court in the Southern District of New York has, for years since the September 11th attacks, been assigned the countless actions dealing with the massive property damage resulting from the tragedy. This is the last such case, which involves insureds making a claim against their insurer’s recovery from a subrogation settlement.

The insureds …

August 22, 2018 Other Insurance

Just the Fax: New Jersey Rules that Actual Property Damage is Required for Violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act

Proof of a violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), without corresponding evidence of either “physical injury to tangible property” or “loss of use of tangible property,” is not enough for an insured to establish that the claims against it alleged “property damage” under a CGL policy, according to the New Jersey Appellate Division’s recent decision in Penn National Insurance Company v. Group C Communications, Inc., 2018 WL 3625424 (N.J. App. Div. July 31, 2018). In Group C Communications, the Appellate Division …

August 21, 2018 First Party Property

A Primer On Appraisal in Florida First-Party Property Damage Claims

In the wake of Hurricane Irma and other recent natural disasters, Florida courts have weighed in on one of the most important tools for resolution of first-party property damage claims: appraisal. In this post, we will address multiple appraisal issues and how courts have ruled recently on those issues.

Failure to Timely Invoke Appraisal May Constitute Waiver

In Versailles Sur La Mer Condominium Assoc., Inc. v. Lexington Ins. Co., 2018 WL 3827154 (M.D. Fla. Jul. 24, 2018) the insured, a condominium association, submitted a …

August 15, 2018 Emerging Issues

Illinois Appellate Court Reaffirms Trigger Date for Malicious Prosecution Offense Under Coverage B

In First Mercury Insurance Company v. Ciolino, the Illinois Appellate Court, First District waded into the sea-change concerning the trigger of coverage for malicious prosecution offenses under a liability policy. The First District joined the other districts to consider the issue, departed from the Seventh Circuit’s Erie prediction, and reasoned that the trigger date for malicious prosecution coverage will be similar under law enforcement liability and commercial general liability policies.

The facts giving rise to the coverage dispute stem from a lawsuit filed by …

August 14, 2018 Industry News

Compliance Deadline Approaching for NY Cybersecurity Regulation

A key compliance date for the NY Cybersecurity Regulation is quickly approaching. September 4, 2018 will serve as the third key implementation date for individuals and companies (Covered Entities) governed by New York’s Cybersecurity Requirements for Financial Services Companies (23 NYCRR Part 500). Unless the Covered Entity qualifies for one of the exemptions under 23 NYCRR 500.19, by September 4, all Covered Entities must have completed the following*:

create and maintain systems that can reconstruct material financial transactions to support and maintain the obligations of

July 26, 2018 Policy Conditions, Considerations, Construction, and Formation

Pennsylvania Courts Continue To Bar To Coverage For Defective Workmanship Claims

Insurance coverage disputes regarding faulty workmanship construction defects are common throughout the United States. In Pennsylvania, under the Supreme Court’s 2006 decision in Kvaerner Metals Div. of Kvaerner U.S., Inc. v. Commercial Union Ins. Co., property damage claims arising out of poor workmanship are not covered under typical CGL policies.

Recently, the court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit followed Kvaerner, and ruled that a subcontractor’s defective workmanship claim was not covered. In Lenick Constr., Inc. v. Selective Way Ins. Co., No. …

July 18, 2018 Fraud / Industry News

Sixth Circuit Uses Every Tool in the Box To Build Case for Coverage for Defrauded Policyholder

July 12, 2018, we reported on the Medidata decision handed down by the Second Circuit in which the court found coverage for a claim resulting from social engineering fraud. We suggested the ruling in Medidata lacks persuasive power due to its unusual factual circumstances and atypical policy language. The Sixth Circuit’s decision in American Tooling Center, Inc. v. Travelers Casualty & Surety Co. of America, No. 17-2014, 2018 WL 3404708 (6th Cir. July 13, 2018), will have more persuasive power, but due to …