Readers know that I have been following the SEC enforcement action and the securities class action litigation arising from Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s infamous “take private” tweets. I recently noted that the court in the securities suit about the tweets ruled that the case can go forward. I am sure I am not the only one who has wondered while thinking about these events what kind of D&O insurance Tesla carries. While the question of what kind and amount of D&O insurance might be applicable to the pending claims is interesting, what may be even more interesting is that, according to a recent SEC filing, Tesla recently decided to forego D&O insurance for the current period based on an undertaking by Musk to provide the company and its board with equivalent “coverage,” as discussed below.
Continue Reading In Lieu of D&O Insurance, Musk Agrees to Provide Tesla with “Coverage”
Business Insurance Webinar: D&O Risks from COVID-19
At Noon EDT on Wednesday April 22, 2020, I will be participating in a free hour-long Business Insurance webinar with my good friends Priya Cherian Huskins of Woodruff Sawyer and Bill Passannante of the Anderson Kill law firm on the topic of D&O Risks from COVID-19. The session will be moderated by Business Insurance’s Gavin
Guest Post: D&O Insurance Issues Arising from the COVID-19 Crisis
As I have noted in numerous post on this blog (most recently here), among the many different types of fallout from the current coronavirus outbreak are the potentially significant implications for corporate liability and for D&O insurance. In the following guest post, Lawrence J. Bracken, Geoffrey B. Fehling and Lorelie S. Masters of the Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP law firm consider these implications, including the types of claims that may arise and the impact the pandemic may have D&O insurance policyholders and their insurers. I would like to thank the authors for allowing me to publish their article on this site. I welcome guest post submissions from responsible authors on topics of interest to this blog’s readers. Please contact me directly if you would like to publish a guest post. Here is the authors’ article.
Continue Reading Guest Post: D&O Insurance Issues Arising from the COVID-19 Crisis
Coronavirus and D&O Insurance: An Interim Update
Much has changed since I published my first coronavirus-related post a month ago. The number of confirmed cases and of deaths has soared. Much of the country is now on lockdown. School, work, business — so much of basic social and economic activity has stopped. Much has changed in the D&O arena as well. There have been both claims and underwriting developments, and a number of trends have emerged. In the post below, I discuss some of these developments and trends. I recognize that my observations are limited by my own personal perspective; it is my hope that others will share their observations about the current environment using the comment feature to add their views to this post.
Continue Reading Coronavirus and D&O Insurance: An Interim Update
PLUS Perspectives on the Coronoavirus Outbreak: D&O Focus Update
Three weeks ago, as part of a Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) series of recorded discussions on the professional liability insurance implications of the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak, I participated in a short recorded conversation on the viral outbreak’s D&O insurance implications with my good friends Carl Metzger of the Goodwin Procter law firm and Rob
Guest Post: Private Investment Fund Claims from an Insurance Perspective
Private investments funds (hedge funds, PE firms, venture capital funds and the like) are a significant part of the U.S. economy. From a management liability insurance perspective, private investment funds present unique underwriting and claims issues. In the following guest post, David Topol, takes a detailed look at these kinds of enterprises, and considers the relevant claims and insurance issues. David is a partner in the insurance practice at Wiley. He has substantial experience over the past fifteen years representing insurers as monitoring counsel and in coverage litigation on policies issued to investment advisers, private funds and broker-dealers. A version of this article will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Wiley law firm’s Executive Summary blog. I would like to thanks David for allowing me to publish his article as a guest post on this site. I welcome guest post submissions from responsible authors on topics of interest to this blog’s readers. Please contact me directly if you would like to submit a guest post. Here is David’s article.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Private Investment Fund Claims from an Insurance Perspective
Guest Post: Underwriting D&O Risks for Coronavirus (COVID-19)-Related Exposures
As I have noted in prior posts, among the many implications from the current coronavirus outbreak is the possibility that the pandemic might result in D&O claims. This possibility in turn has a number of D&O insurance underwriting implications. In the following guest post, John F. McCarrick, a partner in the White & Williams law firm, takes a look at these possible underwriting implications. A version of this article previously was published as a White & Williams client alert. I would like to thank John for allowing me to publish his article as a guest post on this site. I welcome guest post submissions from responsible authors on topics of interest to this blog’s readers.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Underwriting D&O Risks for Coronavirus (COVID-19)-Related Exposures
PLUS Perspectives on the Coronoavirus Outbreak: D&O Focus
On March 10, 2020, as part of a Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) series of recorded discussions on the possible professional liability insurance implications of the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak, I participated in a short conversation on the viral outbreak’s D&O insurance implications. Joining me for the conversation were my good friends Carl Metzger of the
No Contract Claims Asserted, Yet Contractual Liability Exclusion Precludes D&O Insurance Coverage
A deceased small business owner’s widow sued the business’s two other co-owners for breach of fiduciary duty for failing to apply a life insurance payout to the company to buy out her deceased husband’s shares. The two co-owners submitted the claim to their company’s management liability insurer, which denied coverage for the claim, relying in part on the policy’s contractual liability exclusion. The two co-owners sued the insurer seeking coverage. The district court granted summary judgment for the insurer. On February 19, 2020, the Eighth Circuit, applying Kansas law, affirmed the district court in an opinion that, as discussed below, raises some interesting issues. The Eighth Circuit’s opinion can be found here.
Continue Reading No Contract Claims Asserted, Yet Contractual Liability Exclusion Precludes D&O Insurance Coverage
Guest Post: Late Notice: Misinformation, Mistake or Missed Opportunity?
As regular readers know, I have written frequently in the past about late notice issues. In the following guest post, Gregg Glick, Senior Vice President, Private Company/Not-For-Profit Practice Lead at Allied World, and Erin M. Ringbloom, Esq. Vice President, North American Claims Group at Allied World, provide an insurer perspective, both from an underwriter and claims advisor point of view, on the issue of late notice. I would like to thank Gregg and Erin for allowing me to publish their article on my site. I welcome guest post submissions from responsible authors on topics of interest to this blog’s readers. Please contact me directly if you would like to submit a guest post. Here is Gregg and Erin’s article.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Late Notice: Misinformation, Mistake or Missed Opportunity?