05/04/2012 -
CGL Policies Triggered by Allegations of Physical Damage to Adjacent Property
A standard commercial general liability (CGL) policy covers “damages because of . . . property damage.” Recently, in
Mid-Continent Casualty Co. v. Academy Development, Inc., No. 11-20219, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 8056, --F.3d -- (5th Cir. Apr. 20, 2012), the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that such policies are triggered by allegations of diminished value due to adjacent property damage, even where the underlying claimant has no ownership interest in the physically damaged property.
11/03/2011 -
PropertyCasualty360 Guest Article: Disastrous 2011 a Reminder to Obtain Sufficient Coverage
Nature has done a number on the U.S. this year. With two months remaining, 2011 already set the record for the most FEMA-declared disasters since the agency began keeping track in 1953.
09/13/2011 -
Insurance Journal Guest Article: How Can Insurance Agents Help the Texas Fire Victims?
As fires tear through Texas, businesses and homeowners struggle to determine their losses.
08/18/2011 -
Lodging Hospitality Guest Column: Insuring Against Risks with Sustainable Hotels
Green building has grown exponentially in the past few years. As of March, 91 lodging properties had achieved the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification.
06/27/2011 -
New Texas Construction Anti-Indemnification Law ─ HB 2093
New anti-indemnity legislation will mark significant changes for the construction industry. On June 17, 2011, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed HB 2093, which makes certain indemnity provisions in construction contracts void and unenforceable if they require a person to indemnify, defend, or hold harmless another party for a claim caused by that party’s own negligence or fault.
06/01/2011 -
Leslie Thorne Guest Column in Law360: Insurance Coverage For Storm Devastation
As storms rip through the southern and midwest U.S., businesses nationwide struggle to determine their losses. The May 22 storm that hit Joplin, Mo., left much of the city leveled. In Tuscaloosa, Ala., alone, where a tornado hit on April 27, the American Red Cross estimates that at least 5,000 properties have been destroyed.
Catastrophe modeler Air Worldwide Corp. has estimated insured losses resulting from recent storms and tornadoes at up to $5.5 billion already. Moreover, the catastrophic destruction we see in these communities is only part of the picture. The financial aftershocks will be felt throughout the country.
02/10/2011 -
Securities Litigation and The Supreme Court: 2010 in Review and a Preview of 2011
This article, presented by Nick Even at the University of Texas School of Law 33rd Annual Conference on Securities Regulation and Business Law, summarizes the key securities law rulings from the Supreme Court in the past year, as well as the significant issues pending before the Justices in 2011, in the
Janus Capital,
Matrixx and
Halliburton cases.
06/25/2010 -
Insurers, sureties slow to respond to green builders’ needs
Green building is here to stay...But with new green designs and products, new liabilities arise. What if an architect fails to deliver on an agreement to design a project to be LEED-certified?
Insurance Policy Perils and Gaps
As appearing in the March/April 2006 issue of Executive Counsel.