Law Commons^™

Construction Law: The English Route To Modern Construction Law, Vivian Ramsey

Arkansas Law Review

In this Article, I will look at the way that construction law has developed in the English common law world from its roots in the law of England and Wales. Whilst common law traditions are now applied to many jurisdictions, the number of jurisdictions in which English precedents are binding is now small. But, in many common law jurisdictions decisions of the English courts are still treated as “persuasive.” English decisions in the field of construction law have an extensive reach in terms of their persuasiveness. First, having a long-established court system, including a specialist court for 150 years, has …

The Global Relevance Of The Eu Single Market On Insurance After The Insurance Distribution Directive (Idd), Pierpaolo Marano

Journal of International Business and Law

The amount of insurance premiums collected within the European Union places this market among the world leaders. Although insurance regulation is still partly national, the European Union's effort to introduce harmonized rules between the Member States has intensified since the financial crisis. This essay intends to highlight the global relevance assumed by the regulatory framework of the European Union. The introduced set of rules arises from the principles established internationally and, in turn, influences these principles. Thus, the EU regulatory framework on insurance is relevant to understand the potential evolution of the international standards on insurance. The analysis focuses on …

Finding Parity Through Preclusion: Novel Mental Health Parity Solutions At The State Level, Ryan D. Kingshill

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

Recently, the federal government has taken numerous steps to promote the equal treatment (also known as parity) of mental and physical health issues. The two most impactful actions are the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Act of 2008 and the Affordable Care Act. These acts focus on the traditional avenue for parity change—insurance regulation. While these acts have improved parity, major gaps in coverage and treatment between mental health/substance use disorder treatment and medical/surgical treatment persist. ERISA Preemption, evasive insurer behavior, lack of enforcement, and lack of consumer education continue to plague patients and healthcare professionals. On its own, federal …

A Decade Later: Re-Examining The Presumption Of Back-To-Back Cover In English Insurance Law, M. Bob Kao

Journal of International Business and Law

The aim of insurance is to spread risk. Reinsurance is insurance purchased by the insurer to pass on the risk so it can take on additional business. The presumption of back-to-back cover exists between the insurance contract and reinsurance contract where the terms are deemed to be identical so that when the insurer indemnifies the policyholder, the reinsurer would in turn compensate the insurer. The status of the presumption was put in doubt by the United Kingdom House of Lords in 2009 when it found that there was no back-to-back cover when the applicable law for the underlying insurance policy …

Attorney–Client Privilege In Bad Faith Insurance Claims: The Cedell Presumption And A Necessary National Resolution, Klien Hilliard

Seattle University Law Review

Attorney–client privilege is one of the most important aspects of our legal system. It is one of the oldest privileges in American law and is codified both at the national and state level. Applying to both individual persons and corporations, this expanded privilege covers a wide breadth of clients. However, this broad privilege can sometimes become blurred in relationships between the corporation and the individuals it serves. Specifically, insurance companies and those they cover have complex relationships, as the insurer possesses a quasi-fiduciary relationship in relation to the insured. This type of relationship requires that the insurer act in good …

Boilerplate And Party Intent, Gregory Klass

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

It is commonly recognized that parties often do not read or understand contract boilerplate they agree to, and that such parties might not intend all the terms in it. Less often noticed are decisions that favor boilerplate over evidence of the parties’ contrary intent for the very reason that it is boilerplate. This article discusses that phenomenon. It identifies decisions in which courts favor boilerplate terms over other evidence the parties’ intent because it is boilerplate, discusses the rules that explain those outcomes, and examines the reasons behind the rules.

A contractual writing, whether individually negotiated and drafted or boilerplate, …

Mapping Territorial Limitations On Insurance Coverage, Douglas R. Richmond

San Diego Law Review

Globalization has come to financial markets and to innumerable industries. U.S. businesses export and import goods and products; many have done so for decades. Domestic companies that sell materials online almost certainly do some international business. American corporations have foreign facilities or operations. Americans travel internationally with relative ease. For those living in states that adjoin Canada or Mexico, international travel can be accomplished simply by driving across the border.

At the same time, insurance policies sold in the United States frequently contain territorial limitations on coverage that superficially seem out of place when compared to many aspects of modern …

Finalizing The Grand Compromise In West Virginia Workers' Compensation: Repeal Deliberate Intent, Charles R. Russell

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

In Defense Of The Restatement Of Liability Insurance Law, Tom Baker, Kyle D. Logue

All Faculty Scholarship

For most non-contractual legal claims for damages that are brought against individuals or firms, there is some form of liability insurance coverage. The Restatement of the Law Liability Insurance is the American Law Institute’s first effort to “restate” the common law governing such liability insurance policies, and we are the reporters. In a recent essay funded by the insurance industry, Yale Law Professor George Priest launched a strident critique of the Restatement project, arguing that the rules adopted in the Restatement:

(a) are radically contrary to existing case law,

(b) have a naïve “pro-policyholder” bias that ignores basic economic insights …

Mutually Assured Protection Among Large U.S. Law Firms, Tom Baker, Rick Swedloff

All Faculty Scholarship

Top law firms are notoriously competitive, fighting for prime clients and matters. But some of the most elite firms are also deeply cooperative, willingly sharing key details about their finances and strategy with their rivals. More surprisingly, they pay handsomely to do so. Nearly half of the AmLaw 100 and 200 belong to mutual insurance organizations that require member firms to provide capital; partner time; and important information about their governance, balance sheets, risk management, strategic plans, and malpractice liability. To answer why these firms do so when there are commercial insurers willing to provide coverage with fewer burdens, we …

State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. V. Hansen, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 74 (Sept. 24, 2015), Kristen Matteoni

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Under Nevada law, an insurer is required to provide independent counsel of the insured choosing when a conflict of interest arises between the insured and the insurer. A reservation of rights fails to create a per se conflict of interest. Instead, the courts must analyze on a case-by-case basis whether an actual conflict exists. Only if an actual conflict exists, must an insurer be obligated to provide the insured with independent counsel.

Uninsured Motorists Coverage Validity Of Other Insurance Provisions; Curran V. State Automobile Mutual Insurance Co., Dennis J. Fox

Akron Law Review

It was the contention of the defendant-appellant insurers that their liability was limited in both instances by the "other insurance" provisions of their respective policies. These provisions were both "excess insurance" clauses. The Ohio Supreme Court, in ruling upon what it considered to be the sole issue in this case, denied effectiveness to these clauses.

Uninsured Motorists Coverage Validity Of Other Insurance Provisions; Curran V. State Automobile Mutual Insurance Co., Dennis J. Fox

Akron Law Review

It was the contention of the defendant-appellant insurers that their liability was limited in both instances by the "other insurance" provisions of their respective policies. These provisions were both "excess insurance" clauses. The Ohio Supreme Court, in ruling upon what it considered to be the sole issue in this case, denied effectiveness to these clauses.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage - Scope Of The Term - "Uninsured Motorist"; Porter V. Empire Fire And Marine Insurance Co., Dennis J. Fox

Akron Law Review

The appellant, James T. Porter, was involved in an automobile accident in which he and four other persons were injured. The tortfeasor was insured to the extent of the statutory minimum ($10,000-$20,000) as provided for by the Arizona Financial Responsibility Act.' The appellant subsequently obtained a judgment against the tortfeasor for $10,000. He then entered into a proposed settlement with the tortfeasor's insurer under which he was to receive $2,500 of the $20,000 of insurance proceeds available for allocation among the injured parties. Mr. Porter notified his insurer (the appellee) of the proposed settlement and requested the appellee satisfy the …

Uninsured Motorist Coverage - Scope Of The Term - "Uninsured Motorist"; Porter V. Empire Fire And Marine Insurance Co., Dennis J. Fox

Akron Law Review

Absent a statutory definition of "uninsured motorist," the court under its powers of construction must, in a functional sense, legislate the gap-filling language. The outcome elsewhere on facts similar to those in Porter will depend, in part, on whether the legislature in adopting uninsured motorist statutes, have incorporated a definition of its terms.

Burglary Insurance Policies; Reasonable Expectations; Unconscionability; Application Of Implied Warranty Of Fitness; C & J Fertilizer, Inc. V. Allied Mutual Ins. Co., Janice Gui

Akron Law Review

THE IOWA SUPREME COURT handed down a landmark decision in C & I Fertilizer, Inc. v. Allied Mutual Ins. Co.', in holding that insurance policies carry implied warranties that they are fit for their intended use. The impetus for this decision was a clause in a burglary and robbery policy which defined "burglary" as . . . the felonious abstraction of insured property . . . from within the premises by a person making felonious entry therein by actual force and violence, of which force and violence there are visible marks made by tools, explosives, electricity or chemicals upon, or …

Tortious Liability For Bad Faith Refusal To Pay, Jeffrey Schobert

Akron Law Review

In Hoskins v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., the Ohio Supreme Court imposed on insurers a good faith duty in any refusal to pay claims made by their insured. Its decision placed Ohio among a growing number of jurisdictions that have recognized this good faith duty. The court adopted its rationale by relying heavily on existing insurance case law in the refusal-to-settle third-party claims type actions. The court defined the standard of good faith in terms of a reasonable justification by the insurer in refusing to pay a claim "because it believed there was no coverage of the claim." The …

Dispute Resolution, Insurance, And Points Of Convergence, Robert H. Jerry Ii

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This essay explores the intersection of dispute resolution and insurance. I come to the intersection from the perspective of insurance law, where statutes, administrative rules, and common law regulate the industry and the policyholder-insurer relationship. At its core, the business of insurance offers individuals, businesses, and other kinds of organizations a risk management alternative which enables them to acquire some measure of control over an uncertain future. But when a loss occurs, the business of insurance becomes the business of claims processing and, when disagreements arise, dispute resolution. Surprisingly, the academic study of insurance law has not borrowed heavily from …

The Special Nature Of International Insurance And Reinsurance Arbitration: A Response To Professor Jerry, S. I. Strong

Journal of Dispute Resolution

No abstract provided.

Dixon V. Providential Life Insurance, James Seckinger

James H. Seckinger

No abstract provided.

Dixon V. Providential Life Insurance Co.: Technology Case File, James Seckinger, Frank Rothschild, Edward Stein

James H. Seckinger

No abstract provided.

Dixon V. Providential Life Insurance Co.: Case File, James Seckinger, Edward Stein

James H. Seckinger

No abstract provided.

Coverage For Ill - Gotten Gains? Discussing The (Un)Insurability Of Restitution And Disgorgement, Katherine C. Skilling

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Option To Repair: Good Or Bad, Steven Silverberg

St. Thomas Law Review

Insurance companies that deal with homeowner's insurance strategize around not protecting the insured; unlike the commercials say, "you're in good hands." Rather, their strategy is to "delay, deny, and defend." This is never more prevalent than in the new option to repair provision in many property insurance policies. Due to the ever-evolving nature of insurance and its trying to find more ways to deny claims, insurance companies, such as People's Trust Insurance Company, are employing the option to repair provision, which is anything but trustworthy. Since this provision is new to the state of Florida, the courts have yet to …

Legal Malpractice In International Business Transactions, Vincent R. Johnson

Faculty Articles

International business transactions are often unavoidably linked to specialized areas of law. Lawyers increase their risk of committing legal malpractice when representing international clients in business transactions because they may find themselves in a precarious position by accepting work they are inexperienced to perform. Moreover, a client may expand into international waters and their lawyer may not be cognizant of the legal consequences. While malpractice may be asserted through negligence, fraud, breach of contract and other failures of standard of care, failure to know the law is no excuse. However, the standard of care depends on whether the defendant acted …

Taxing Risk: An Approach To Variable Insurance Reform, Charlene Luke

Charlene Luke

Variable life insurance and annuity contracts are susceptible to being marketed and sold to taxpayers for whom such contracts are unsuitable and to being used in wraparound insurance shelters. As a method of addressing these problems, I propose current taxation for the risky returns on these contracts but continued deferral for a deemed, risk-free return amount. The increased transparency resulting from the forced separate tax accounting of contract components should improve consumers' ability to receive adequate suitability evaluations and may also lead to lower fees. Current taxation of risk-related returns removes an apparently key shelter incentive and should make it …

The Insurer's Right To Reimbursement Of Defense Costs, Robert H. Jerry Ii

Robert H. Jerry II

This article examines the theoretical justification for the insurer's asserted right to reimbursement of defense costs incurred in defending noncovered claims. It sketches some details about the duty to defend which are necessary prerequisites to exploring any claim to a right of reimbursement. It discusses the rationale offered by most courts and commentators for recognizing the right to reimbursement: under the law of restitution, the insurer who defends a noncovered claim bestows a benefit on the policyholder which, in justice, ought to be returned. The article offers an alternative justification; it explains that the insurer's right should be analyzed in …

The Insurance Aspects Of Damages, Robert H. Jerry Ii, Douglas R. Richmond

Robert H. Jerry II

"[I]t is difficult ... to imagine an event or transaction that does not involve insurance in some way." So it is with the most salient event in the lives of Tony and Donna Sabia, whose son Tony John Sabia, or "Little Tony," was born with profound disabilities. In the final analysis, the ability of Tony and Donna to pay for the future medical care and living expenses needed by their son depends on whether they can reach the liability insurance coverage possessed by the health care providers who attended Donna and Little Tony at the time of his birth. It …

The Antitrust Implications Of Collaborative Standard Setting By Insurers Regarding The Use Of Genetic Information In Life Insurance Underwriting, Robert H. Jerry Ii

Robert H. Jerry II

Whenever two or more market participants collaborate to restrain trade, the potential applicability of federal and state antitrust laws must be considered. When the collaborating parties are insurance companies, a further layer of analysis may be necessary to determine whether the activity is exempt from federal antitrust regulation. Even if the activity enjoys an exemption, state antitrust law may have different things to say about the activity. Embedded in each of these levels of analysis are many difficult and complex subsidiary questions. In short, the law of insurance antitrust is not a subject for the faint of heart. Antitrust law …

May Harvey Rest In Peace: Lakin V. Postal Life And Casualty Company, Robert H. Jerry Ii

Robert H. Jerry II

There is a case that has piqued my interest in recent years. Lakin v. Postal Life & Casualty Co., is a relatively simple story of two men whose paths crossed in Kansas City, Missouri, more than forty years ago. One was a down-in-the-luck drifter, and the other a con-artist who made his living by taking advantage of others. These two men would be long forgotten but for the fact that their final interactions during a hunting trip near Pleasant Hill, Missouri, raised some insurance law issues that ultimately made their way to the Missouri Supreme Court. Lakin stands for the …