On February 29, 2008, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, dismissed claims by funds managed by Ritchie Capital against Coventry First and all other defendants for civil violations of the federal RICO statutes. 

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Read More Ritchie Capital RICO claims against Coventry First Dismissed

The U.S. Attorney’s office has decided not to intervene, at this time, in United States of America, ex rel. Rigsby v. State Farm Ins. Co., a Katrina-related whistleblower lawsuit filed in federal court in Mississippi. …
Read More U.S. Government Chooses Not to Intervene in Hurricane Katrina Whistleblower Lawsuit but Reserves its Rights to Intervene at a Later Date

Last week, Judge Barbara Jones of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that a policy exclusion in the Port Authority’s Policy effectively barred coverage for damage done to all but one of the buildings at the World Trade Center complex and the PATH train station. 

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Read More Federal Judge Rules That Policy Exclusion Severely Limits Port Authorities’ WTC Claims

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently upheld the dismissal of a claim by two individuals against an insurance agent who sold them renters’ insurance because they failed to file their claim within one-year after they learned about, or should have known, the facts that gave rise to their claim. …
Read More Fifth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Claims Against Insurance Agent based on Louisiana’s One-Year Statute of Limitations

Craig Stewart (Boston) and Antony Woodhouse (London) of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP are attending the 16th annual ABA TIPS Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee mid-year meeting in Marina Del Rey. They report that the meeting is very well attended and is currently in full flow with representatives from 31 different states, Puerto Rico, Canada and, of course, the U.K. 

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Read More Report from ABA TIPS Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Mid-Year Meeting in Marina Del Rey, CA

In late 2007, an Ohio federal court ruled that an insurer defending itself in a lawsuit over its denial of coverage of a computer hacking claim against one of its insureds should not be forced to disclose any information regarding its own unrelated security breach or about how it handled similar computer hacking claims with other policyholders. 

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Read More Ohio Federal Court Judge Denies Motion to Compel Production of Information as to Other Claims and Security Breaches In Computer Hacking Case

By complaint dated February 1, 2008, four named individuals commenced a class action lawsuit against fourteen (14) title insurance companies in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York alleging violations of antitrust laws. …
Read More Class Action Antitrust Suit Brought Against Title Insurers in NY Federal Court

On February 26 2008, the Michigan Senate voted unanimously to adopt S.B. 1061 as amended by the Michigan House on February 21, 2008, and the most significant change is an increase in the annual fees paid by captive insurance companies within the state of Michigan. 

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Read More Legislative Update — Michigan Gets Closer to Increasing Annual Fees Paid By Captives

Last week, the United States Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal by policyholders of the Fifth Circuit’s pro-insurer August 2007 decision that held that various policies’ flood exclusions unambiguously precluded recovery for damages caused by breach of the levees after Hurricane Katrina. 

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Read More Supreme Court Denies Appeal of Katrina Coverage Cases from Louisiana Federal Court