A commentary on insurance coverage issues in Hawaii and beyond
The Mississippi Supreme Court held that the insurer must produce written communications from and make available for deposition the in-house counsel who orchestrated the denial of coverage. Travelers Pro. Cas. Co. of Am. v. 100 Renaissance, LLC, 2020 Miss. LEXIS 409 (Miss. Oct. 29, 2020).
An unidentified driver struck a…
The Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals reversed the trial court's granting of summary judgment to the insurer on the insured's bad faith claim. Carvalho v. AIG Hawaii Insurance Company, Inc., 2020 Haw. App. LEXIS 382 (Haw. Ct. App. Nov. 16, 2020).
Plaintiff Carvalho's son was killed in a two-car accident.
The federal district court granted, in part, the insured's motion for summary judgment seeking coverage for a collapse of a church's ceiling. Derbyshire Baptist Church v. Church Mut. Ins. Co., 2020 U.S. Distl LEXIS 113346 (E.D. Va. June 29, 2020).
A large portion of the sanctuary ceiling of the insured's…
The plaintiff's failure to timely name an expert witness in his bad faith action led to sanctions being awarded against him in favor of the insurer. Black v. Fireman's Fund Ins. Co., 2020 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 2477 (Cal. Ct. App. April 23, 2020).
After Black's claim was denied by…
The insurer's motion to dismiss a bad faith count was granted because the existence of coverage was "fairly debatable" under New Jersey law. Merchants Mut. Ins. Co. v. 215 14th St., LLC, 2020 U.S. District. LEXIS 23664 (D. N. J. Feb. 10, 2020).
Coverage for damage to the insured's commercial building…
The Ninth Circuit agreed with a jury that the insurer breached the farm insurance policy and the duty of good faith and fair dealing in denying a claim for, among other things, theft of cattle. Chatelain v. Country Mut. Ins. Co., 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 34530 (9th Cir. Nov. 20, 2019).
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AIG's Motion to Dismiss the insured's claim based upon a fraudulent transfer of funds was largely denied by the court. SS&C Tech. Holdings v. AIG Spec. Ins. Co., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 194196 (S.D. N. Y. Nov. 6, 2019).
SS&C was a global provider of software and software-enabled services. In…
Facing yet another collapse claim based upon alleged poorly mixed cement, the Federal District Court in Connecticut denied the insurer's motion to dismiss. Oliveria v. Safeco Ins Co., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 147256 (D. Conn. Aug. 29, 2019).
In 1993, the insureds' purchased their home that had been built in…
In an issue of first impression in Hawaii, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that an insurer's actions before an actual claim is submitted can be considered in determining whether the insurer acted in bad faith. Adams v. Hawaii Medical Service Ass'n, 2019 Haw. LEXIS 263 (Haw. Sept 30, 2019). Disclosure – our…
The court denied Daubert motions for several experts with the exception of Professor Stempel's expert testimony opining that the insurer did not act in bad faith Adell Plastics, Inc. v. Mt. Hawley Ins. Co., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 102942 (D. Md. June 19, 2019).
A fire demolished several buildings at…
