In a deeply troublesome decision, the New York Department of Insurance has issued an October 16, 2008 opinion (here) stating that "a D&O policy may not include a provision that places the duty to defend upon the insured, rather than the insurer." A December 5, 2008 memo (here) written by Carrie Cope
D&O Insurance: Policy Wordings, Exclusionary Preambles and Securities Claims
A recent appellate court opinion interpreting a D&O liability insurance policy securities exclusion carries some important reminders both about policy wording precision and about exclusionary language, and also raises some critical questions about the scope of coverage for securities claims generally.
In an October 27, 2008 opinion (here), the Eighth Circuit, applying
Credit Crisis Insurance Losses: How Big?
This past week, in conjunction with the PLUS International Conference in San Francisco, the insurance information firm Advisen issued an updated forecast of insurance losses likely to arise from the credit crisis. As reflected in its November 5, 2008 press release (here), Advisen is now estimating aggregate D&O and E&O losses of $9.6
D&O Insurance: More about Defense Expense and Limits Adequacy
For many companies, one of the most challenging parts of the Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance procurement process is determining how much insurance to purchase. Against a backdrop of basic affordability, the company must consider complex issues such as limits adequacy – that is, how much insurance is enough?
Determining limits adequacy is even
Point/Counterpoint: Insurance Coverage for Section 11 Settlements
One of the most closely followed recent case developments in the D&O insurance arena is the ruling in the CNL Hotels & Resorts case that a Section 11 settlement did not represent covered loss under a D&O insurance policy. As I noted in a recent post (here), on August 18, 2008, the CNL
After the Storm: AIG, Lehman and More
Because of trees felled last night as Ike’s remnants swept through Ohio, I was unable to make it to the office today. I spent more or less the entire day on the telephone talking about AIG, looking out at my yard strewn with fallen tree limbs, branches, twigs and leaves – a visually suitable tableau
About the AIG Derivative Settlement
In what is, according to news reports (here), the largest settlement to date in a shareholders’ derivative lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court, four former AIG executives and former AIG managing general agent C.V. Starr today reached a $115 million settlement in the 2002 AIG derivative lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed by the
What to Watch Now in the World of D&O
Each fall for the last two years, I have taken a look at the current trends and hot topics in the world of D&O. There are of course certain perennial topics that are always critical, but this overview is intended to focus on the issues the most significant current interest for D&O insurance professionals and
D&O Insurance: The Pollution Exclusion and Securities Claims
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A recurring D&O insurance coverage concern involves the question whether the standard pollution exclusion typically found in most D&O policies could preclude coverage for a securities lawsuit alleging pollution-related misrepresentations or omissions. An August 15, 2008 opinion (here) by a New Jersey intermediate appellate court addressed this issue squarely.
The New Jersey
D&O Insurance: Consequences of Withheld Settlement Consent
In prior posts (here and here), I discussed two recent decisions in which courts held that D&O insurance coverage was precluded for settlements the insureds entered without first obtaining the insurers’ consent as required under the applicable policies. An August 19, 2008 Second Circuit opinion (here) addressed the related question of