Latest Liability Headlines
All the headlines from our Liability Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
‘Ongoing Storm Rule’ Clears Costco of Liability for Customer’s Fall While Snow Falling
Jul 6 2023 // A New Jersey business is not liable for injuries suffered by a customer who falls in its snow-covered parking lot in the middle of a snowstorm, before the lot can be cleared. A Costco Wholesale store in North Plainfield,...
Fla. High Court: 2-Year Statute of Repose Applies, Even in Liability Insurance Suits
Jul 5 2023 // A Florida Supreme Court decision has put to rest some questions about whether a statute of limitations on lawsuits can be extended just because the insurance carrier is a party being sued. It cannot, the court held last...
Using Forklift to Tow Vehicle at Night Not Covered by Shop’s Liability Policy – MS Court
Jul 5 2023 // Using the boss’ forklift to tow a personal vehicle to a welding shop at night is not work-related and is not covered by a Penn-Star Insurance commercial liability policy, the Mississippi Supreme Court has...
Anti-Stacking Provision Limits Liability Coverage for Fatal Illinois School Bus Crash
Jul 3 2023 // An insurance policy that covered seven vehicles, each with a $1 million per-accident limit, doesn’t provide $7 million in liability coverage for a fatal crash that involved only one of the covered vehicles, an...
GEICO to Pay $805K to Settle Overtime Wage Disputes With Claims Adjusters
Jun 30 2023 // Insurer GEICO has agreed to pay $805,000 total to settle class action lawsuits by claims adjusters alleging they were entitled to unpaid wages for overtime worked between May 27, 2019 and May 27, 2022. The settlement...
Extreme Heat in Texas Raises Concerns of Power Grid Overload
Jun 28 2023 // AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – On another 100-degree day in Texas, Sean Whitaker lingered outside a Dallas cafe after polishing off an iced coffee, having switched off the power to everything back home except his...
Car Dealer Shielded From Liability in ‘Courtesy’ Car Accident
Jun 28 2023 // Massachusetts car dealerships that provide customers with a courtesy vehicle to use while their car is being repaired are protected by federal law from liability should the courtesy car be in an accident, despite a state...
Credit Ratings for New York Schools Insurance Reciprocal Downgraded
Jun 28 2023 // AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A-(Excellent) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “a-” (Excellent) from “a” (Excellent) of New York...
Construction-Defect Subrogation on the Rise But it Just Became More Difficult in Florida
Jun 27 2023 // Florida lawmakers this year approved a measure 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...
Titanic Sub Victims’ Families Could Still Sue Despite Liability Waivers
Jun 23 2023 // Liability waivers signed by passengers on a submersible lost at sea during a dive to the Titanic wreck may not shield the vessel’s owner from potential lawsuits by the victims’ families, legal experts said. The...
Massachusetts Judge Rejects Auto Insurance Class Actions Over Diminished Value
Jun 23 2023 // A judge in Massachusetts has denied class certifications for claimants seeking payments from two insurers for the lost resale value of their motor vehicles that were damaged in accidents and then repaired. Suffolk County...
