The Complex Insurance Coverage Reporter

CLAIMS-MADE COVERAGE

Zurich Am. Ins. Co. v. Syngenta Crop Prot. LLC, 2024 Del. LEXIS 68 (Del. Feb. 26, 2024)

Delaware Supreme Court concludes that a letter from a lawyer informing an insured of possible lawsuits without identifying potential plaintiffs or demanding payment is not a “claim for damages” within the meaning of claims-made CGL and umbrella liability policies. Citing case law from Delaware and other jurisdictions, it reasoned that, in the ordinary sense, a “claim for damages” (which the policies did not define) is “a demand or request for monetary relief by ... Continue Reading

CONTRIBUTION

Chem. Solvents, Inc. v. Greenwich Ins. Co., 2023 U.S. App. LEXIS 868 (6th Cir. Jan. 13, 2023)

A divided Sixth Circuit panel holds that, under Ohio’s “all sums” allocation scheme, “targeted” insurers may seek indemnity contribution from a policy reinsured by a captive insurer. The court rejected the insured’s argument that allowing contribution from a captive it partly owned would undermine the purpose of “all sums,” and explained that “[a]ll sums shifts the burden of calculating relative liability, but it doesn’t absolve the insured of all ... Continue Reading

ANTI-ASSIGNMENT CLAUSE

Pepsi-Cola Metro. Bottling Co. v. Emp’rs Ins. Co., 2022 Wisc. App. LEXIS 598 (Wisc. Ct. App. July 8, 2022)

Wisconsin Court of Appeals (in a divided decision) holds that a “post-loss” assignment of rights under a liability insurance policy is valid despite lack of insurer consent. The majority believed an insurer’s consent to an assignment after “loss” occurs is not required on the basis that the assignment does not increase the insurer’s risk. It referred to Wisconsin’s “longstanding rule” that an anti-assignment clause in an ... Continue Reading

To Our Readers:

In just a matter of days, we have seen the coronavirus (COVID-19) take off and dominate nearly every aspect of our lives. Reports of serious personal, economic and other impacts that have now become commonplace were unimaginable to most just a few weeks ago. Please know that our thoughts are with you all in this challenging and uncertain time. A time when business is anything but “as usual.”Continue Reading