Recently, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System has indicated it may move forward with enhanced cybersecurity standards for large financial institutions and the third-party vendors that serve them. Over on Pillsbury’s SourcingSpeak blog, colleagues Andrew L. Caplan and Curtis A. Simpson examine just what those standards might be in “The Fed May Increase Cybersecurity Standards for Large Financial Institutions and their Service Providers.”
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Insurer Pushing Settlement Off the Rails? A Covenant Not to Execute May Put Things Back on Track
As coverage counsel, we see the situation arise time and again: facing down substantial potential liability in a pending lawsuit, a policyholder engages in good-faith settlement discussions with the plaintiff. After animated negotiations between the parties, the plaintiff finally makes a reasonable offer, only for the policyholder’s insurance carrier to throw up a roadblock by refusing to fund or consent to the settlement. But policyholders need not always resign themselves to continuing costly and time-consuming litigation—a “covenant not to execute” may be the switch to put the settlement back on track.
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The Private Vs. Public D&O Insurance Form: Important Considerations for Companies Looking to Avoid Growing Pains
Although it has become common for corporate directors and officers to face claims seeking to hold them personally liable for alleged damages resulting from actions taken in their official capacity, it wasn’t always this way. There was a time when such lawsuits were so rare that corporations were not even allowed to indemnify their directors and officers. But with the emergence and rapid growth of lawsuits against officers and directors—often fueled by a cottage industry of class action plaintiffs’ firms—corporate indemnification and Directors & Officers (D&O) liability insurance programs have become integral to a company’s ability to attract and retain strong management.
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The Missing Piece of the Cyber Response Plan Puzzle – The Insurance Component
Experts are full of advice about the importance of designing and implementing a robust cyber breach response plan. They opine frequently on its key components, such as identifying the roles and responsibilities of the response team, steps for investigating and containing the breach, internal and external communications regarding the breach and the response, and applicable legal requirements. For the most part, however, their advice focuses on the information-technology aspects of the plan, with some attention given to the roles of senior management and the legal department. But few commentators offer tips on one of the most consequential components of a cyber response plan: insurance.
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Strong Collaboration Between Legal and Risk Management Departments Is Key to Maximizing the Value of Your Company’s Insurance
As outside coverage counsel for corporate policyholders, we see firsthand how corporate risk management and legal departments interact and work together—or don’t. Some risk management and legal departments are in sync. They tackle intersecting insurance and legal issues through a unified front, to the company’s benefit. But others seem to operate in silos. This can present a number of coverage pitfalls—from failing to pursue coverage in the first place to jeopardizing claims that have been made. Here are a few of the most common problems we see when risk management and legal departments are not working in harmony, and some practical tips for avoiding them.
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Product Liability Risks in the Evolving Cannabis Industry
Cannabis is now fully legal in ten states plus the District of Columbia, and medical marijuana is legal in 23 states. Despite growing acceptance among states, cannabis remains illegal federally under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 as a Schedule 1 substance, which has made oversight and regulation of the industry decentralized and in some instances non-existent. The psychoactive effects of cannabis, coupled with limited regulation, imposes increased risk of product liability claims. To mitigate this risk, industry members should take steps to self-regulate.
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Using Litigation Funding to Level the Playing Field against Insurers
Your factory is flooded and manufacturing line destroyed. A hacker breaks into your computer system and erases customer data even though you paid the ₿1,000 ransom in bitcoins. A jury just returned a $5 million verdict against your company and an employee who got into an accident while texting and driving to a client meeting. These may all be insured events, but how long can your business survive while you wait until your insurance company decides whether to pay your claim? Continue Reading ›
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11th Circuit Finds Duty to Indemnify Is Not Ripe until Underlying Action Is Resolved
It’s a familiar story to anyone involved in insurance claims. A policyholder is sued and tenders the claim to its insurer. The insurer agrees to defend subject to a reservation of rights, but it also asserts that policy exclusions may ultimately preclude coverage. While the underlying litigation is ongoing, the insurer files suit against the policyholder seeking a declaration that it does not have a duty to indemnify if liability is established against the policyholder in that litigation.
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Dictionary Guides Court in Multimillion-Dollar Coverage Dispute
A little under two years ago, we wrote about the fatal Oxford comma—you know, the one that comes before “and” in a list—and the impact of its omission on a court’s interpretation of a Maine employment statute. The court effectively gave a $10 million lesson in grammar and ambiguity, but its holding was not revolutionary to a coverage attorney.
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As Patent Defense Insurance Evolves, So Must Your Coverage
The world of patent defense insurance is evolving. What once was governed by a routine part of the “advertising liability” section of the Commercial General Liability policy is now the focus of specialized insurance products, the contours of which are still being defined.