On July 3, 2014, in an interesting decision that is sure to stir up much discussion and controversy, District of Minnesota Judge Paul Magnuson, applying Delaware law, held that U.S. Bank was entitled to coverage under its professional liability insurance for restitutionary amounts it paid in settlement of an overdraft fee overcharge class action. The
D&O Insurance: Excess Insurance Not Triggered Due to Insolvency of Underlying Insurer and Due to Insufficient Loss
In a long and convoluted opinion befitting the long and convoluted case in which it was entered, Judge David Grine of the Pennsylvania (Centre Country) Court of Common Pleas, applying Pennsylvania law, entered summary judgment for an excess D&O insurer, holding that the excess insurer’s payment obligation had not been triggered due to the insolvency
D&O Insurance: Liberalization Endorsement Allows Insureds to Rely on New Policy Form’s Enhanced Insured vs. Insured Exclusion Carve-Back
On June 19, 2014, in a case involving so many unusual coverage issues that it seems more like a law school exam question than an actual coverage dispute, New York (New York County) Supreme Court Judge Melvin Schweitzer, applying New York law, granted summary judgment for the former directors of the bankrupt Lyondell Chemical Company
Insurance Coverage: Six-Month Delay in Providing Notice Not “As Soon as Practicable”
Has notice of claim been provided “as soon as practicable” if it is sent to the insurer during the policy period but six months after service on the insured of the underlying complaint? Apparently not, at least according to a June 6, 2014 opinion of a New Jersey intermediate appellate court, applying New Jersey law.
D&O Insurance: Later Securities Suit and Prior FDIC Failed Bank Claim Held Unrelated, Securities Suit Not Covered
On May 8, 2014, Southern District of New York Judge Deborah Batts, applying New York law, held that a there was not a sufficient “factual nexus” between a securities suit filed after the expiration of a failed bank’s D&O insurance policy and an FDIC claim that had been first made during the policy period and
D&O Insurance: New York Appellate Court Refuses Dismissal for Insurer that Raised Late Notice Defense
A New York appellate court, applying New York law, has rejected a D&O insurer’s argument based on alleged late notice of claim that it had no coverage obligations for amounts Sirius XM Radio had incurred in underlying litigation, holding that the insurer’s policy was ambiguous on the timeliness requirements for notice of interrelated claims. A
D&O Insurance: Delaware Supreme Court Rules WaMu Liquidating Trust Coverage Suit Not Yet Ripe
In a May 28, 2014 opinion (here), the Delaware Supreme Court held that an action by the bankrupt Washington Mutual bank holding company’s liquidating trust seeking a judicial declaration of coverage under the bank’s D&O insurance program for claims asserted by the trust against the failed bank’s directors and officers must be dismissed
Management Liability Insurance: Broad Professional Services Exclusion Precludes Coverage for Securities and Mismanagement Claims
On May 15, 2014, in an interesting decision illustrating how complex insurance contract wordings can interact to produce outcomes policyholders may not have expected or intended, District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Frederick H. Weisberg held that as worded a broad professional services exclusion in The Carlyle Group’s management liability insurance policy precluded coverage for
Lender Liability Coverage: Contractual Liability Exclusion Does Not Preclude Coverage for Interrelated Claim
In a March 20, 2014 decision involving interpretation of the interrelated wrongful acts provision and of the contractual liability exclusion in a bank professional liability insurance policy, District of Idaho Magistrate Judge Ronald E. Bush entered summary judgment on behalf of the policyholder, ruling that the underlying dispute was covered under the policy’s lender liability
D&O Insurance: Guilty Pleas Trigger Coverage Exclusions, Entitle Insurer to Recoupment
In a detailed April 23, 2014 opinion (here), Eastern District of Virginia Judge Liam O’Grady, applying Virginia law, held that the guilty pleas of executives of Protection Strategies, Inc. triggered four separate exclusions in the D&O coverage section of PSI’s management liability policy and that the management liability insurer was entitled to