Latest Liability Headlines
All the headlines from our Liability Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Viewpoint: Jury Blasts Defense with a $464.5 Million Nuclear Verdict
Aug 2 2022 // Plaintiffs’ California dreamin’ became a reality when a Los Angeles jury went nuclear with a verdict of $464.6 million after an eight-week trial in June. The verdict included $24.6 million in compensatory...
Takeaways from Our Conversation About Why Most Small-to Mid-Size Cannabis Operators Shun D&O
Aug 1 2022 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv Directors and officers insurance has been pricey and tough to obtain for cannabis companies since the industry started requiring coverage. D&O is difficult in most business sectors (For...
The Evolution of Insurance Agencies
Aug 1 2022 // To paraphrase Mark Twain — reports of the demise of insurance agencies have been greatly exaggerated. The local agency has been the backbone of the industry and the target of outside forces that have been trying to...
In Global Claims Report, Allianz Notes Rising Business Interruption Costs
Aug 1 2022 // The number of contingent business interruption claims more than tripled in 2021 as a deep freeze in Texas shut down much of the state’s power grid and a fire at a semi-conductor plant in Japan contributed to a global...
Michigan Jury Gets Flint Water Case About Liability for Engineers
Jul 27 2022 // Jurors heard closing arguments last week in the only trial to arise thus far from the Flint water crisis, a dispute over whether two engineering firms should be held partially responsible for the city’s lead...
People Moves: Howden RE Hires Former Carpenter Exec Thienel to Launch German Unit; MGA Alta Signa Appoints Kisters as Professional Indemnity Manager, Netherlands
Jul 26 2022 // This edition of International People Moves details appointments at the broker Howden RE and the MGA Alta Signa Europe. A summary of these new hires follows here. Howden RE Hires Former Carpenter Exec Thienel to Launch...
Court Agrees With Insurer: Amazon Can Be Sued Under New Jersey Product Liability Law
Jul 26 2022 // Online marketplace Amazon can be sued under New Jersey product liability law for defective products sold by third-party sellers on its website. The federal district court in New Jersey sided with the New Jersey...
Allianz Notes Rising Business Interruption Costs in Global Claims Report
Jul 22 2022 // The number of contingent business-interruption claims more than tripled in 2021 as a deep freeze in Texas shut down much of the state’s power grid and a fire at a semi-conductor plant in Japan contributed to a global...
People Moves: Ryan Specialty Names Bodell as CIO; Core Specialty Adds 3 Underwriters in Cincinnati
Jul 20 2022 // Ryan Specialty Names Bradley Bodell as Chief Information Officer Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc named Bradley Bodell as chief information officer. In this role, Bodell will lead Ryan Specialty’s technology and security...
Starbucks Ordered to Pay $9 Million After Florida Woman Hit in Drive-Thru Lane
Jul 19 2022 // Starbucks Corp. has appealed a nearly $9 million verdict rendered against it after a customer was struck by a vehicle in the drive-through lane at a Fernandina Beach, Florida, coffee shop. The driver and the property owner...
Gunmaker Sig Sauer Loses Bid to Block New Hampshire Liability Suit Over Pistol Misfire
Jul 18 2022 // A federal court in New Hampshire has denied gunmaker Sig Sauer’s bid to block a product liability lawsuit brought by a man who alleges he was struck by a bullet in the leg because his pistol fired without a trigger...
Alabama Counties’ Insurance Fund Not Liable for its Own Actions in Deadly Dock Fire
Jul 18 2022 // Insurers and government self-insurance pools should be breathing a sigh of relief after the Alabama Supreme Court absolved a county commissions’ fund of direct liability in a marina fire that killed eight people and...
Beyond the Desktop: 3D Printing with Concrete
Jul 18 2022 // Much has been written about concerns related to use of 3D printing in the office or home, including potential risks associated with health, safety, product defects, and more. Now, imagine taking your 3D printer outside and...
Massachusetts High Court Rules Attorney’s Fees Are Not Part of Insured Damages
Jul 18 2022 // The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that attorney’s fees from a consumer protection lawsuit are not covered as part of bodily injury damages under a business liability policy, reversing a lower court...
How Amazon Thinks About Auto Insurance for Delivery Service Partners
Jul 14 2022 // Amazon runs an auto insurance program for its delivery service providers, but if those DSPs choose to buy their insurance from competitors instead, Amazon is fine with that. In fact, Amazon might prefer it if their...
Specialty Program Group Acquires Entertainment/Sports Broker ESP in Massachusetts
Jul 13 2022 // New Jersey-headquartered Specialty Program Group (SPG) said it has acquired ESP Insurance Brokerage, a national insurance broker and program administrator for the sports, events and promotion marketing and entertainment...
Insurance Industry Support of Carbon Removal Needed in Drive to Net Zero
Jul 13 2022 // Ditching investments in fossil fuel businesses—and denying them insurance—aren’t the only ways for the insurance industry to participate in the drive to net zero greenhouse gas emissions, according to...
Specialty Insurer Mosaic Opens for Business in Canada With Fraser at Helm
Jul 13 2022 // Mosaic Insurance is opening an office in Toronto, Ontario and has hired Ian Fraser to spearhead the company’s expansion into the Canadian specialty insurance market. Fraser joins as president of Mosaic Insurance...
Court: Colony Insurance Off the Hook for Damages for Fatal Shooting at Atlanta Store
Jul 12 2022 // An insurance company is not responsible for premises liability damages after a man was shot and killed outside an Atlanta grocery store in 2019, thanks to unambiguous policy exclusions, a federal judge ruled Monday. Colony...
Insurers Wrangle Over Amber Heard Defamation Costs
Jul 11 2022 // A little over a month after a jury found that actress Amber Heard had defamed ex-husband Johnny Depp, one insurer of Heard is asking a court to rule it has no obligation to indemnify her. New York Marine and General...
