SDV Insights

Emerald Holding Inc. ("Emerald"), a leading operator of business-to-business trade show events across the United States, has suffered millions of dollars in losses from canceled or postponed in-person events in order to comply with health and safety government mandates due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

State Farm's additional insured endorsements all contain unique limiting language that likely operates as a labor law exclusion. On the excess layer, State Farm cannot provide primary and non-contributory endorsements or a waiver of subrogation. As a result, State Farm insured subcontractors are probably in breach of their contractual insurance requirements.

The risk of bodily injury lawsuits is an unavoidable reality for property owners and facilities managers ("FMs") of large commercial sites such as universities, malls, office buildings, or stadiums. Any person who steps foot on the property is a potential plaintiff, including students, tenants, customers, contractors, and vendors.

In the year following the global outbreak of COVID-19, thousands of businesses have experienced unprecedented financial hardship. It is no surprise that surviving businesses are looking to their insurance policies to recover lost business income incurred as a result of the pandemic.

New York law has historically allowed insurers to recoup defense costs paid on behalf of an insured if there is ultimately no coverage for the underlying action, provided that the insurer reserved its rights to seek reimbursement.

In New Jersey Transit Corp. v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's London, New Jersey's highest court upheld an appellate decision finding that New Jersey Transit Corporation ("NJT") was entitled to full coverage under its property insurance policy for damages caused by Superstorm Sandy.

In the case of NextSun Energy Littleton, LLC v. Acadia Ins. Co., the United States District Court of Massachusetts held that once direct physical damage from a covered peril causes a covered business interruption loss, any increase in the duration of such business interruption, due to the enforcement of an ordinance or law, extends the coverage period provided for lost income.

Subcontractors sign contracts every day which require them to provide insurance for liabilities arising out of the performance of their work, but in New York in particular there is often a failure of risk transfer due to labor law or "Action Over" exclusions.

Insurers have a duty to handle claims in good faith. Depending on the jurisdiction, an insurer's failure to settle, unreasonable denial of a claim, or improper claims handling can expose the insurer to damages above the policy limits. Automobile accidents were a driving force behind bad faith litigation last year, with four significant appellate-level decisions handed down nationwide.

COVID-19 business interruption coverage litigation may have stolen the show in 2020, but those cases should not eclipse other important insurance coverage cases decided throughout this past year.