Latest Liability Headlines
All the headlines from our Liability Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Markets/Coverages: NIP Expands GrowPro Program to Include Agricultural Property
Aug 4 2023 // NIP Group announced the nationwide expansion of its GrowPro insurance program. Originally designed to cater to hydroponic growers, greenhouse operators, nurseries, garden centers, and indoor vertical farm operations,...
Skanska Must Face the Music: Maritime Law Does Not Protect it from Fla. Storm Claims
Aug 3 2023 // A construction company whose barges came loose from their moorings during Hurricane Sally and damaged the Pensacola Bay Bridge will have to cope with some 900 claims by businesses and other parties that say they suffered...
Connecticut High Court Denies Immunity for First Responder Causing Car Accident
Aug 2 2023 // The Connecticut Supreme Court has overturned a trial court and ruled that municipalities and government agencies are not entitled to qualified immunity for negligent operation of emergency vehicles. In a case involving a...
No Duty to Defend Doesn’t Mean No Duty to Indemnify, Federal Appeals Court Finds
Aug 2 2023 // A federal appeals court has clarified, at least under the realm of Texas law, when an insurer has a duty to indemnify – even if it has no duty to defend a tort action against the insured thanks to an unambiguous...
Allstate Records $2.7B Net Catastrophe Hit on Way to Q2 Loss of $1.4B
Aug 1 2023 // Allstate Corp. reported net catastrophe losses of $2.7 billion in the second quarter, resulting in a net loss for the period of $1.4 billion as catastrophe and underwriting losses offset other favorable factors. President...
MGA Pen Underwriting Creates Standalone Financial Lines & Specialist Liability Division
Aug 1 2023 // Pen Underwriting, the London-based managing general agent and Gallagher subsidiary, announced changes to its divisional structure to bring together core underwriting capabilities and expertise, for the benefit of its...
SC Judge OKs $15M Insurance Payout for Store that Sold Beer to Underage Murdaugh
Jul 31 2023 // A South Carolina judge A judge has signed off on a $15.5 million settlement for the family of Mallory Beach, the 19-year-old girl who died in a 2019 boat crash that is believed to have set in motion the downfall of...
Wesco Settles Coverage Dispute Over $36 Million IRA Financial Cyber Attack
Jul 25 2023 // Wesco Insurance, a part of AmTrust, has agreed to settle its dispute with a financial firm that lost millions in retirees’ money in a well publicized 2022 cyber attack. The settlement notice, filed in federal court...
Massachusetts High Court Revives Contractor Liability Claim Over ‘Half Inch’ Defect
Jul 24 2023 // Whether a half-inch granite protrusion on a crosswalk under repair is sufficient to support a negligent claim is a matter for a jury to decide, not a court granting summary judgment for a contractor doing work for a...
Utility Investors Wary of Exposures After Buffet’s PacifiCorp Held Liable for Wildfires
Jul 19 2023 // Destructive wildfires are now an almost routine part of summer in the American West, and electrical utilities have likewise become used to having their power lines and equipment blamed for igniting the blazes. But a jury...
Insurers to Pay $15M to Settle Murdaugh Fatal Boat Crash Claims
Jul 18 2023 // Insurers for the convenience store that sold beer to Paul Murdaugh have agreed to pay $15 million to settle the wrongful death suit stemming from the 2019 boat crash involving Murdaugh in which teenager Mallory Beach was...
Construction-Defect Subrogation on the Rise But it Just Became More Difficult in Florida
Jul 17 2023 // Florida lawmakers this year approved a law that could help reduce liability insurance premiums for home and condo builders – and limit exposure and litigation for liability insurers. But Senate Bill 360, which took...
‘Better Late Than Never?’ Not So Fast.
Jul 17 2023 // A general contractor hired a company to place a dumpster at a job site. However, the company put the dumpster in the street and a motorist struck it, damaging his vehicle. Of course, he has no physical damage coverage, the...
5th Circuit Asks Texas Supreme Ct. if Attorney Fees Owed After Insurer Pays Appraisal Award
Jul 13 2023 // A federal appellate court, grappling with conflicting decisions from federal courts, is asking the Texas Supreme Court to decide whether attorney fees can be awarded to claimants when insurers pay appraisal awards plus...
No Liability Coverage Owed for Investor Losses Caused by Blue Bell’s Listeria Outbreak
Jul 12 2023 // A 2015 Listeria outbreak linked to ice cream sold by Blue Bell Creameries hospitalized 10 people and killed three. While those injuries and deaths were certainly “bodily injuries,” a lawsuit filed by investors...
Report: Top Emerging Liability Trends in the Professional Services Sector
Jul 12 2023 // Inflation, new technology, evolving legislation and hackers for hire are just a few of the exposures facing professional services firms including management consultants, auditors, accountants, architects, engineers,...
Workers’ Compensation Undercuts Employer Liability Exclusion, U.S. Appeals Court Rules
Jul 11 2023 // Since workers’ compensation shields an employer from liability, an insurer may not be able to rely on an employer liability exclusion in a commercial general liability policy to avoid claims. That’s the...
NSM Acquires Shield Commercial Insurance Services in California
Jul 11 2023 // NSM Insurance Group acquired Shield Commercial Insurance Services in Palm Desert, California. Shield specializes in insurance solutions for the general contractor and construction liability space. Shield is focused on...
Whiskey Fungus, Liability, Tax Breaks Killing the Buzz for Residents Near Distilleries
Jul 10 2023 // For decades, the whiskey and bourbon makers of Tennessee and Kentucky have been beloved in their communities. The distilleries where the liquor is manufactured and barrelhouses where it is aged have complemented the rural...
Q2 Commercial P/C Rates Hold; Personal Lines Slightly Decrease: MarketScout
Jul 7 2023 // Like the first quarter of 2023, the composite rate for U.S. commercial property/casualty lines increased 5% in the second quarter, according to MarketScout’s Market Barometer. The Dallas-based distribution and...
