The United States District Court for the Central District of California, applying California law, has held that an insurer was not entitled to summary judgment in full, finding that triable issues of fact remained regarding the insurer’s alleged failure to provide an immediate defense to the insured corporation and to assign separate counsel for an… Continue Reading
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Specific Circumstances and Prior Notice Exclusions Bar Coverage for Trustee’s Lawsuit Against Former Directors and Officers
Posted in Exclusion lead-in language (Arising out of), Related Claims and associated exclusions, Wrongful ActApplying California law, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California has held that coverage is precluded under a claims-made D&O policy based on two exclusions: a specific circumstances exclusion and a prior notice exclusion. Landmark Am. Ins. Co. v. Navigators Ins. Co., 2018 WL 6591620 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 14, 2018).… Continue Reading
Corporate Coverage Considerations: California Appellate Court Confirms Enforceability of Delaware Forum Selection Bylaws
Posted in Corporate ConsiderationsIn an issue of first impression in California, a California appellate court has rejected a shareholder plaintiff’s effort to avoid enforcement of a Delaware company’s forum selection bylaw, despite the shareholder’s arguments that the bylaw was inconsistent with California law and was otherwise unreasonable given the manner and timing of its adoption. Drulias v. 1st… Continue Reading
Excess Insurer Not Bound by Primary Insurer’s Payment of Uninsurable Disgorgement Settlement
Posted in Excess insurance/exhaustion, LossApplying California law, the United States District Court for the Central District of California has held that a follow-form excess insurer was not bound by the primary insurer’s decision to pay a settlement because the settlement constituted uninsurable disgorgement that did not trigger the excess insurer’s policy. Axis Reinsurance Co. v. Northrop Grumman Corp., No.… Continue Reading
Two Class Action Lawsuits Are “Related,” Despite Different Plaintiffs and Different Time Periods
Posted in Related Claims and associated exclusionsApplying California and Virginia law, a federal district court has held that two class action lawsuits alleging similar wrongful conduct, but brought by different classes for different class periods, were nonetheless related and constituted a single claim. Northrop Grumman Corp. v. AXIS Reinsurance Co., 2018 WL 5314918 (D. Del. Oct. 26, 2018).… Continue Reading
Professional Services Exclusion Precludes Coverage for False Claims Act Lawsuit
Posted in Professional ServicesApplying California law, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has held that a professional services exclusion in a D&O policy barred coverage for an underlying lawsuit alleging violations of the federal False Claims Act. Hotchalk, Inc. v. Scottsdale Ins. Co., 2018 WL 2473474 (9th Cir. June 4, 2018).… Continue Reading
Court Holds Prior Acts Exclusion Bars Coverage for Securities Lawsuit
Posted in Prior Knowledge/Warranty ExclusionIn a win for Wiley Rein’s client, the United States District Court for the Central District of California has held that a prior acts exclusion in a management liability policy bars coverage for a securities lawsuit brought by shareholders alleging misrepresentations before the prior acts date and continuing after the prior acts date. Jayhawk Private… Continue Reading
Ninth Circuit Holds Section 533 ‘Willful Acts’ Exclusion Does Not Bar Coverage for Alleged Violations of California False Claims Act
Posted in Public Policy prohibition on insuranceThe United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has held that Section 533 of the California Insurance Code does not bar coverage for claims brought under the California False Claims Act (the “CFCA”). Office Depot, Inc. v. AIG Specialty Ins. Co., 2018 WL 2296036 (9th Cir. May 21, 2018).… Continue Reading
Tax Advice Was Not “Professional Services” Under Life Insurance Agents E&O Policy
Posted in Professional ServicesA California intermediate court of appeals, applying California law, has held that a life insurance agents E&O policy did not cover a suit by a financial advisor’s clients regarding advice provided to the clients to limit their tax liability. Lindsey Fin., Inc. v. Am. Auto. Ins. Co., 2018 WL 2111979 (Cal. Ct. App. May 8,… Continue Reading
Ninth Circuit Holds Excess Policy Unambiguously Required Exhaustion of Underlying Limits by Insurers Under Either New York or California Law
Posted in Excess insurance/exhaustionThe United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has held that a New York choice of law provision in a policy issued by an international insurer is enforceable and that, under either New York or California law, an excess policy was not triggered when the underlying policy limits were not exhausted through payments… Continue Reading
Regulatory Action Sublimit Unambiguously Applies to State Disciplinary Proceeding Against Life Insurance Agent
Posted in Regulatory ExclusionApplying California law, a federal district court has held that a disciplinary proceeding initiated by a state insurance department against an insured life insurance agent is unambiguously subject to a regulatory action sublimit of liability. Cerf v. Cont’l Cas. Co., Case No. 17-cv-07993-DSF-SS (C.D. Cal. Mar. 13, 2018). Wiley Rein represented the insurer in this… Continue Reading
DOJ Investigation Constitutes Seven “Claims,” But Specific Litigation and Pending-Or-Prior Litigation Exclusions Bar Coverage
Posted in “Claim”, Defense CostsThe United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, applying California law, has held that an insurer owed no duty to reimburse the insured’s costs of responding to a governmental investigation. Millennium Labs., Inc. v. Allied World Assurance Co., Inc., 2018 WL 1179601 (9th Cir. Mar. 7, 2018). While the court held that… Continue Reading
Ninth Circuit: Deceptive Business Practices Exclusion Does Not Bar Coverage for Kickback Suit
Posted in Dishonesty ExclusionApplying California law, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a federal district court decision which held that a deceptive business practices exclusion in an errors and omissions policy did not bar coverage for a suit alleging the insured real estate broker received kickbacks, because two of the causes of action… Continue Reading
Ninth Circuit Affirms Allegations of Discrimination and Harassment Triggered Duty to Defend Class Action for California Labor Code Violations
Posted in Wrongful ActThe United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has held that an employment practices liability insurer had a duty to defend a class action complaint alleging various California Labor Code violations based on the presence of potentially covered allegations of discrimination and harassment. PHP Ins. Serv., Inc. et al. v. Greenwich Ins. Co.,… Continue Reading
Insurer May Rescind Policy Where Insured Failed to Disclose Pending Investigation
Posted in RescissionApplying California law, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has held that an insurer was entitled to rescind a directors and officers liability insurance policy where the insured failed to disclose a pending investigation in response to an application question. Western World Ins. Co. v. Professional Collection Consultants, 2018 WL 259309… Continue Reading
Prior Knowledge Condition Bars Coverage Where Insured was Warned of Negligence Claim Before Policy Incepted
Posted in Prior Knowledge/Warranty ExclusionThe California Court of Appeal has held that a prior knowledge condition barred coverage for a claim brought against an insured because the insured was warned prior to the policy’s inception that it would face a claim for professional negligence. Admiral Ins. Co. v. Superior Court, 2017 WL 5590076 (Cal. Ct. App. Nov. 21, 2017).… Continue Reading
Carve Out for Fines and Amounts Imposed by Statute Bars Coverage
Posted in Breach of Contract – coverage for amounts due pursuant to contract, exclusionsApplying California law, the United States District Court for the Central District of California has held that an insurer owed no coverage for an underlying lawsuit because the suit sought amounts that fell completely within a carveout from the definition of “damages” for fines and amounts imposed by statute. Local Initiative Health Auth. for Los… Continue Reading
Insured Fails to Allege Bad Faith Damages When Settlement Was Funded by Another Insurer
Posted in Bad faith/duty to settleA California federal district court has held that an insured did not suffer damages sufficient to support a bad faith claim for failure to indemnify because another excess insurer during a prior policy year had paid for the settlement. Genesis Ins. Co. v. Magma Design Automation, Inc., No. 2017 WL 4642443 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 16,… Continue Reading
Failure to Pay Wages Not a “Wrongful Act”
Posted in Insured v. Insured Exclusion, Wrongful ActThe United States District Court for the Northern District of California has found that an insurer was not obligated to cover an insured’s settlement in a wage and hour class action lawsuit because the failure to pay wages was not a “wrongful act” under the policy. W.G. Hall, LLC v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co., 2017… Continue Reading
Professional Services Exclusion Bars Coverage in Connection with Pipeline Explosion
Posted in Exclusion lead-in language (Arising out of), Professional ServicesA California appellate court has held that a pipeline owner’s insurer is not entitled to reimbursement of defense costs and settlement payments from the insurer for the staffing agency that supplied personnel to the pipeline because the professional services exclusion in the staffing agency’s policy unambiguously barred coverage. Energy Ins. Mut. Ltd. v. ACE American… Continue Reading
Court Grants Summary Judgment to Insurer Based on Failure to Disclose Prior Claims in Application
Posted in Prior Knowledge/Warranty Exclusion, RescissionA California federal district court, applying California law, has held that an insurer was entitled to summary judgment that it had no duty to defend a suit against its insured because the insured failed to disclose a related claim in its application, and the claim therefore predated the policy period. Kelly v. Starr Indem. &… Continue Reading
Insurer’s Allegations that Declaratory and Injunctive Relief Are Not Covered Loss Survive Motion to Dismiss
Posted in Excess insurance/exhaustion, Loss, Wrongful ActThe United States District Court for the Northern District of California has denied an insured’s motion to dismiss an umbrella insurer’s declaratory judgment action. Great American Ins. Co. v. Quintana Homeowners Ass’n., 2017 WL 3453394 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 11, 2017). The insurer alleged that it had no duty to defend or indemnify after exhaustion of… Continue Reading
Ninth Circuit Applies Invasion of Privacy Exclusion to Bar Coverage for TCPA Claims under D&O Policy
Posted in UncategorizedThe Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, applying California law, has held that an invasion of privacy exclusion in a D&O policy barred coverage for a claim alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Los Angeles Lakers, Inc. v. Federal Ins. Co., 2017 WL 3613340 (9th Cir. Aug. 23, 2017).… Continue Reading
An Insured’s Prior Knowledge Precludes Coverage for Other Insureds Seeking Coverage; Prior Litigation Exclusion Applies to Arbitration Demand
Posted in Prior Knowledge/Warranty ExclusionApplying California law, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has held that prior knowledge of wrongful acts that could reasonably be expected to give rise to a claim possessed by an insured who is not seeking coverage may bar coverage for other insureds under the same policy. Woo v. Scottsdale Ins.… Continue Reading