Hunton Insurance Recovery Blog

Attorneys from Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP’s Insurance Coverage practice group contributed to the Firm’s Recall Roundup by weighing in on a recently-filed product contamination insurance coverage dispute, Lake Country Foods, Inc. v. Houston Casualty Co., No. 18-CV-734 (E.D. Wis. filed May 11, 2018), where Lake Country Foods seeks an order permitting it to keep $1.2 million already paid by its insurer and requiring the insurer to provide coverage for the a product contamination claim involving alleged salmonella contamination of powdered whey protein processed in one of ...

The Supreme Court of California has ruled that a general liability insurer must defend an employer against allegations of employee misconduct, reinforcing the breadth of (1) what constitutes an “occurrence” under an employer’s commercial general liability (CGL) policy and (2) the duty to defend regarding claims for negligent hiring, retention and supervision. The opinion in Liberty Surplus Ins. Corp. v. Ledesma & Meyer Constr. Co., Inc. can be found here.

There was nothing ambiguous in former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter’s ruling in AIG Property Cas. Co. v. Cosby, No. 17-1505 (1st Cir. June 7, 2018), where, sitting by designation, Justice Souter ruled that AIG Property and Casualty Co. (“AIG”) must defend Bill Cosby in suits brought by eight women alleging that Cosby defamed them after they accused him of sexual misconduct.  Cosby held two insurance policies issued by AIG:  a homeowner’s policy and a personal excess liability policy (the “umbrella policy"”).  Under each policy, AIG has a duty to “pay damages [Cosby] is legally obligated to pay [due to] personal injury or property damage caused by an occurrence covered[] by this policy anywhere in the world . . . .”  Both policies define “personal injury” to include “[d]efamation” and require AIG to pay the cost of defending against suits seeking covered damages.  Both policies also contain so-called “sexual misconduct” exclusions.  The homeowner’s policy’s exclusion bars coverage for liability or defense costs “arising out of any actual, alleged[,] or threatened . . . [s]exual molestation, misconduct or harassment[,] . . . or . . . [s]exual, physical or mental abuse.”  The umbrella policy contained similar wording.  However, that policy also contained another “sexual misconduct” exclusion under the “Limited Charitable Board Directors and Trustees Liability” coverage part.  That exclusion applied more broadly to claims for damages “[a]rising out of, or in any way involving, directly or indirectly, any alleged sexual misconduct” (emphasis added).

The construction industry is no stranger to insuring its projects against the risks of physical and natural disasters. Policies purchased to cover these risks, however, often are not broad enough to reach cyber threats, which can be just as damaging and costly as a physical disaster. During the past decade, hacks have targeted the data held by several high profile companies, including Target Corp., Sony Corp., Equifax Inc. and Yahoo Inc.  So far, the construction industry has not yet been at the center of one of these attacks.  Still, builders are no less susceptible to these risks than any other industry, especially given that these companies often possess sensitive data related to buildings and projects.

On May 30, 2018, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP launched its Blockchain Legal Resource, a blog featuring discussion and analysis of the latest trends and developments in blockchain (distributed ledger) technology.

The Northern District of Illinois in Astellas US Holding, Inc. v. Starr Indemnity and Liability Co., 2018 WL 2431969, at *1 (N.D. Ill. May 30, 2018) held that a U.S. Department of Justice subpoena demanding documents relating to a government investigation constitutes a “Claim.”

Darshan Karboj described a grisly scene during an October 2016 wedding. She alleges that, during the festivities, a photography drone operated by wedding photographers of Hollycal Production Inc. hit her in the head, causing major injuries, including the loss of an eye. Even though it had some insurance, Hollycal might be on the hook for the bills from this unfortunate incident.

Phishing attacks are on the rise, and they are targeting Microsoft’s flagship cloud-based products. According to a report by specialist data breach insurer Beazley, hackers have increased attempted and successful attacks on Microsoft Office 365, especially systems used by financial, health care, and professional services organizations. These attacks are deceptively simple, relying on employees and contractors falling for fake, yet well disguised, Microsoft communications, like a HelpDesk message or a survey. Once employees or contractors interact with these communications, they are prompted to enter personal information, which allows the hackers access to confidential information. This information allows the intruders to steal customer data, initiate bank transfers, and gain access to additional employees’ accounts. Microsoft 365’s default settings compound the dangers of these attacks because they decrease the ability to track how many accounts are compromised.