Latest Lawsuits Headlines
All the headlines from our Lawsuits Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Editor’s Note: Uniform disclosure
Apr 3 2006 // This regulation by class action invites a mishmash of rules of disclosure that is likely confuse customers and eventually burden agents. Independent agents for Zurich Insurance are being asked to pay for the sins of...
News Currents
Apr 3 2006 // Pennsylvania Gov. Rendell not shy with his veto pen Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell recently vetoed legislation designed to scale back the obligation of defendants to pay damage awards in civil lawsuits. He also...
Policy Rescission
Apr 3 2006 // A hasty rescission action can lead to extra-contractual liability and, in this Massachusetts case, an unfortunate judicial opinion. by Harvey Weiner Although the road to rescission of an insurance policy can be covered...
Case Law Watch
Apr 3 2006 // Northwestern National Insurance Company v Carlson (Minn. App. March 7, 2006) Ruling: An insured’s cause of action against a liability insurer for breach of its contractual duty to indemnify does not accrue, and,...
Lawyer: Whistleblower helping build case against insurer in Hurricane Katrina lawsuit
Apr 3 2006 // A high-profile litigator in Moss Point, Miss. said that a whistleblower is helping him build a case against insurers who denied thousands of claims from policyholders whose homes were destroyed in Hurricane...
Case Law Watch
Apr 3 2006 // Auto-Liability Fields v. American Central Insurance Co. (La. App., 2nd Dist., March 8, 2006) Undated named driver exclusion endorsement sufficient to defeat coverage: Lensing was involved in a June 18, 2003, auto accident...
Calif. court reinstates class action against lead paint makers
Apr 3 2006 // A state appeals court in San Jose, Calif. has reinstated a class-action lawsuit alleging that several paint manufacturers knowingly sold harmful lead-based paint products. The Sixth District Court of Appeal on March 10...
Take the pollution out of your D&O policy
Apr 3 2006 // Is your directors and officers policy polluted? Shareholders and environmental groups are taking a closer look at the environmental disclosures made by public companies. The U.S. General Accounting Office issued a report...
Case Law Watch
Apr 3 2006 // Bechtel Petroleum Operations Inc. v. The Continental Insurance Co. (California Court of Appeals, 2nd District, March 6, 2006) Ruling: At issue on this appeal was whether the insurers had a duty to defend lawsuits filed by...
Survey Finds Private Companies Acting More Like Public Companies; At Increased Risk of a Liability Lawsuit
Mar 31 2006 // “Many private companies are planning activities that may increase their exposure to management liability risks,” said Lisa McGee, vice president, Chubb & Son, during the Inc. 500 Conference. According to...
Mich. State Representative and Siblings Sued by Federal Government
Mar 31 2006 // A federal lawsuit filed against a Michigan state representative and three of his siblings accuses them of converting the proceeds of their father’s two life-insurance policies to their own use, thereby subverting tax...
Colorado Cites Lawsuit for Big Jump in Insurance Costs
Mar 31 2006 // Liability insurance costs for Colorado’s athletic department will double next year to nearly $1.7 million, and officials say the reason is a lawsuit by two women who allege they were sexually assaulted by...
Supreme Court Blocks ‘Wasteful’ Class Actions by Stockholders
Mar 30 2006 // The Supreme Court has made it more difficult for investors to join forces to file high-stakes fraud lawsuits against companies. The 8-0 decision handed down on March 21 blocks state class-action lawsuits by stockholders...
Industry Cheers as Florida Repeals Joint and Several Liability
Mar 30 2006 // The Florida Senate has passed a repeal of joint and several liability, which means the measure now goes to Gov. Jeb Bush who is expected to sign the bill into law. The bill (HB 145) eliminates joint and several liability,...
Racicot Comments: Miss. Lawsuit Overshadows Katrina Recovery
Mar 28 2006 // The unprecedented devastation along the Mississippi Gulf Coast wrought by Hurricane Katrina has prompted an outpouring of public and private resources to communities and individuals who have lost everything, Governor Marc...
Federal Judge Rejects Allstate Request to Dismiss Miss. Hurricane Lawsuit
Mar 27 2006 // A federal judge in Gulfport, Miss. has refused to throw out a lawsuit that a couple filed against Allstate Insurance Co. after the insurer refused to cover damage to their home from Hurricane Katrina. The lawsuit, filed by...
Unrestrained Litigation Threatens Miss. Judicial System, Insurers Contend
Mar 27 2006 // While slow but steady progress is being made in improving Mississippi’s judicial climate, the good news is tempered by the threat to the state from unrestrained litigation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, according...
Wis. Business Climate Going Downhill Fast, Says Group for Legal Reform
Mar 27 2006 // Wisconsin’s legal climate for businesses has gone downhill faster than that of any other state after a series of court rulings expanded the liability of companies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says in a new...
Jury Awards More Than $10M in Water Bottlers’ Lawsuit
Mar 24 2006 // A Portland, Maine jury ordered a Seattle law firm to pay $10.8 million for dumping one set of clients for a more lucrative class-action case. Jurors will return to federal court next week to settle the issue of punitive...
Insurance Director Says Malpractice Order Will Help Keep Doctors in Ill.
Mar 24 2006 // Illinois’ first attempt at lowering malpractice insurance rates for thousands of doctors is drawing criticism from key players, but its chief architect promises it will provide much-needed relief. Michael McRaith,...
