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Full-Text Articles in Law

Case Law Developments Addressing The Consequences Of A Liability Insurer’S Breach Of Its Duty To Defend, Michael A. Haskel Nov 2015

Case Law Developments Addressing The Consequences Of A Liability Insurer’S Breach Of Its Duty To Defend, Michael A. Haskel

Pace Law Review

In pursuit of a greater understanding of this controversial subject, this article will: (1) explore the contract principles and public policy considerations that are implicated by an insurer’s breach of its defense duty; (2) consider recent case law addressing relevant issues; and (3) recommend a comprehensive approach that accommodates competing interests. Ultimately, the author concludes that in most circumstances an insurer that wrongfully disclaims its duty to defend should be precluded from raising defenses as to coverage in an action to indemnify the insured for monies paid out by the insured.


Declining Controversial Cases: How Marriage Equality Changed The Paradigm, Elena Baylis Nov 2015

Declining Controversial Cases: How Marriage Equality Changed The Paradigm, Elena Baylis

Articles

Until recently, state attorneys general defended their states’ laws as a matter of course. However, one attorney general’s decision not to defend his state’s law in a prominent marriage equality case sparked a cascade of attorney general declinations in other marriage equality cases. Declinations have also increased across a range of states and with respect to several other contentious subjects, including abortion and gun control. This Essay evaluates the causes and implications of this recent trend of state attorneys general abstaining from defending controversial laws on the grounds that those laws are unconstitutional, focusing on the marriage equality cases as …


Enhancing The Socially Instrumental Role Of Insurance: The Opportunity And Challenge Presented By The Ali Restatement Position On Breach Of The Duty To Defend, Jeffrey W. Stempel Jan 2015

Enhancing The Socially Instrumental Role Of Insurance: The Opportunity And Challenge Presented By The Ali Restatement Position On Breach Of The Duty To Defend, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

The American Law Institute (ALI), in its current draft of the Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance , has adopted the position that a liability insurer in breach of its duty to defend, but not acting in bad faith, forfeits the right to dispute coverage of the resulting judgment or reasonable, noncollusive settlement in a lawsuit. The ALI view is the minority rule in the courts in that most make bad faith a prerequisite for loss of a coverage defense but presumably will spur re-examination of the issue in many states. Unsurprisingly, insurers have opposed the ALI position with …