Special Events Exclusion

In July, the Seventh Circuit issued a unanimous opinion in the case of Emmis Communications Corp. v. Illinois National Insurance Company, in which the court ruled that the policyholder’s provision of notice to the previous carrier precluded coverage for an underlying claim under the later of two D&O insurance policies. The court’s ruling was widely criticized (including also on this site). The policyholder, Emmis, filed a motion for panel rehearing or rehearing en banc. And then on August 21, 2019, the appeals court panel did something very unusual — the court withdrew its July opinion, in which it had reversed the district court, and substituted an order affirming the district court’s ruling. As discussed below, this odd and inexplicable sequence of events raises some serious questions. The Seventh Circuit panel’s August 21, 2019 order can be found here.   
Continue Reading In Odd Twist, Seventh Circuit Panel Reverses Itself on Prior Notice Ruling