ohio supreme court News

Ohio Supreme Court Affirms 4-Year Deadline for Med Mal Wrongful Death Claims

A divided Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday drew a bright line around the state’s statute of repose for medical malpractice claims, ruling in separate cases that an absolute four-year deadline to bring an action applies to both wrongful death claims …

Ohio Law Applies in Insurance Dispute over Superfund Remediation Costs, Court Rules

Ohio law must be used to resolve an insurance dispute involving a polluted site in Michigan caused by manufacturing companies based in Ohio and Indiana, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The 5-2 decision may force Travelers to turn over …

Ohio Supreme Court Upholds Escape Clause in Progressive Auto Liability Policy

Acuity and Progressive Specialty Insurance Co. disputed who should pay after a 16-year-old boy borrowed a friend’s car and crashed it into a utility pole in Streetsboro, Ohio. The driver was insured by Acuity through a policy issued to his …

Ohio Supreme Court: Ransomware Did Not Cause Direct Physical Loss

A business owner’s insurance policy did not provide coverage for software damaged by a ransomware attack because there was no direct physical damage or loss, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled. “Computer software cannot experience ‘direct physical loss or physical damage’ …

Ohio Supreme Court: No Coverage Owed for COVID Business Shutdown

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Monday that COVID-19 cannot cause any direct physical damage or loss that is covered by a commercial property insurance policy, joining nine other state high courts that have rejected similar business-interruption claims. The Ohio court …

Ohio Court: Insurer Has No Duty to Defend Drug Distributor Against Opioid Lawsuit

An insurer has no duty to defend a drug distributor against lawsuits filed by cities and counties that allege it failed to take proper steps to prevent abuse of prescription opioids, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. In a 5-2 …

Ohio Supreme Court: Ditch Diggers Misclassified as Independent Contractors

Ditch diggers who accepted work assignments online and used their own spades and shovels to do the work cannot be classified as independent contractors by a company that contracted with Time Warner Cable to install underground lines, a divided Ohio …

Ohio Supreme Court Weighs Caps on Damages in Child Rape Case

An Ohio woman repeatedly raped as a child suffered injuries so severe that she’s owed millions in compensation despite a state cap on pain-and-suffering awards, an attorney told the state Supreme Court Wednesday. At issue before the court is a …

Ohio Court: Coverage Owed for Contamination That Ruined Product

Contamination that ruined more than $1 million worth of glass containers manufactured by a policyholder’s customer counts as damage that is covered by an umbrella insurance policy, the Ohio State Supreme Court ruled last week. The Supreme Court justices unanimously …

Ohio Supreme Court Hears Lawsuit Over Company’s COVID Losses

An Ohio business says its insurance company must compensate it for financial losses suffered during a pandemic-related shutdown. The insurance company refused to pay, saying its policy didn’t cover such losses. The Ohio Supreme Court heard arguments from both sides …