The costs companies incur in responding to an SEC investigation can be substantial. Companies incurring these kinds of costs are sometimes surprised to learn that their D&O insurance policies may not, and likely will not, cover these kinds of costs, at least under most insurer’s base policy forms.

A recent Delaware Superior Court decision involved a company’s attempt to secure coverage for the costs it incurred in responding to an SEC investigation after the company had agreed to toll the statute of limitations. The Court found that while the tolling request was a Claim within the meaning of the company’s policy, it was not a Securities Claim, as would be required in order for the policy’s entity coverage to be triggered. As discussed below, the Court’s decision provides an opportunity to think about the optional entity investigative cost coverage extension. A copy of the Delaware Superior Court’s June 30, 2025, opinion can be found here.

Continue Reading D&O Insurance: Tolling Agreement Is a Claim, But Not a Securities Claim

In my recent write-up about the number of securities class action lawsuit filings in the first half of 2025, I noted that there had been a significant drop off in the number of COVID-19-related securities suit filings in the first six months of 2025 compared to last year. The interesting thing is that though there has been an unmistakable drop off in the number of COVID-related securities suit filings, the fact is that now – even after more than five years since the initial COVID outbreak in the U.S. — new COVID-related securities suits are still being filed. In the latest example, late last month a shareholder filed a securities suit against Petco Health and Wellness, alleging the pet supply company had misleadingly contended that the company’s pandemic-related tailwinds could be sustained post-pandemic. A copy of the new Petco complaint can be found here.

Continue Reading Pet Supply Company Hit with COVID-Related Securities Suit

In recognition of the upcoming Independence Day holiday in the U.S., and in what has become an annual tradition, I am reprising my 2012 essay about Time and Summer, which can be found here. I have added some new pictures this year, so even if you have read the essay in the past, you may want to take a look at this year’s version. Have a great Fourth of July holiday. Thank you to all of my loyal readers. Also, Happy July 3 birthday to frequent D&O Diary contributor, Sarah Abrams.

Sarah Abrams

If you have been following the news out of Washington surrounding the One Big Beautiful Bill, you know that one of the features of the Bill, passed by the House of Representatives, was a provision barring states from enacting laws or regulations relating to AI for ten years. It looks like this provision will not be part of the Senate version of the bill, but the provision still raises important questions about AI regulation. In the following guest post, Sarah Abrams, Head of Claims Baleen Specialty, a division of Bowhead Specialty, takes a look at the larger context of AI regulation. I would like to thank Sarah for allowing me to publish her article as a guest post on this site. I welcome guest post submissions from responsible authors on topics of interest to this site’s readers. Please contact me directly if you would like to submit a guest post. Here is Sarah’s article.

Continue Reading Guest Post: One Beautiful Attempt to Stop State AI Regulation

As part of my day job, I attend a lot of insurance conferences, including some in foreign venues. A frequent feature of these conferences is expert conjecture about areas of emerging liability risk. In recent years, one frequently discussed area of concern has been emerging liability issues arising from the use of GLP-1 drugs. Many readers will be familiar with the branded GLP-1 products such as Ozempic, for treatment of type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy, for weight loss treatment. There already are, in fact, growing numbers of product liability claims concerning GLP-1 drugs, as discussed below.  

I have long wondered whether D&O claims relating to GLP-1 drugs might also emerge. In an interesting development last week, plaintiff shareholders filed two separate GLP-1-related securities class action lawsuits against telehealth platform Hims & Hers Health, when the company’s share price plunged after Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Wegovy, pulled its agreement allowing Hims to distribute the drug on its platform. Although the allegations in the new lawsuits against Hims are arguably specific to Hims, the lawsuits nevertheless are securities suits relating to GLP-1 drugs. As discussed further below, I continue to believe that issues relating to GLP-1 drugs are a potential area of emerging D&O risk.  

Continue Reading Thinking About GLP-1 Drugs and D&O Risk
Sarah Abrams

For a variety of reasons, alternative fundraising vehicles are currently gaining in popularity. In the following guest post, Sarah Abrams, Head of Claims Baleen Specialty, a division of Bowhead Specialty, takes a closer look at Equity Crowdfunding and RegA offerings and related potential liability issues. I would like to thank Sarah for allowing me to publish her article as a guest post on this site. I welcome guest post submissions from responsible authors on topics of interest to this site’s readers. Please contact me directly if you would like to submit a guest post. Here is Sarah’s guest post. 

Continue Reading Guest Post: GoFundMe Securities

The Trump administration has made it clear that combatting “illegal DEI” is a priority. Indeed, on the first full day after his inauguration, President Trump issued an executive order targeting “Illegal DEI” in the private sector. In early February, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo directing the U.S. Department of Justice’s positions with respect to DEI. Now, the newly appointed head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division has issued a separate memo identifying the division’s priorities, with DEI topics given precedence, clearly marking DEI as a DOJ Civil Division enforcement authority, with important implications for companies.   

Continue Reading Department of Justice Civil Division Targets “Illegal DEI”

As I have noted in recent posts (most recently, for example, here), the proliferation of AI in many industries is changing the way business gets done. According to a new study, AI could also be changing the language companies use to report to regulators and to communicate with their investors, in ways that potentially could increase the companies’ securities class action litigation exposure.

Continue Reading Tone Portrait: Artificial Intelligence and MD&A
Sarah Abrams

As I have noted in previous post on this site (most recently here), the Trump Administration’s tariff and trade policies not only pose potential operating and financial challenges to many businesses, but they may also present companies with corporate liability exposures as well. In the following guest post, Sarah Abrams, Head of Claims Baleen Specialty, a division of Bowhead Specialty, considers the liability risks that companies may face under the current tariff regime. I would like to thank Sarah for allowing me to publish her article as a guest post on this site. I welcome guest post submissions from responsible authors on topics of interest to this site’s readers. Please contact me directly if you would like to submit a guest post. Here is Sarah’s article.

Continue Reading Guest Post: Whiplash