Recent Developments in Property Insurance Coverage Litigation

The below article appeared originally in the ABA Tips Fall 2012 Issue (48:1) of the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal.  Authors: William A. Schreiner, Jr., Heidi H. Raschke, William R. Lewis, Craig A. Jacobson, Christina M. Phillips, James P. Bobotek, Jay M. Levin, Lisa A. Szymanski, ...

Environmental Risks Advances in the horizontal drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing over the past 10 years has greatly increased the use of the drilling technique by US energy companies in efforts to obtain large amounts of natural gas that was previously unattainable.  Horizontal frack...

Sinkholes are depressions or holes in the Earth’s surface caused by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone.  Subterranean drainage wears away at these layers, carrying away sediment and eventually causing the area above to collapse.  The...

When dealing with property insurance claims after a natural disaster, many policyholders encounter or are educated as to the reinstatement clause in their policy, and how it affects future claims arising from multiple events or disasters.  In some property insurance policies there is a reinstatemen...

Supply chains act as circulation systems for companies, linking the manufacturing and distribution of goods globally.  In the modern era, many businesses have decreased their amount of local “sourcing” in favor of global supply chains in order to minimize costs and raise profits for their share...

Recently, in a local newspaper, there was a story about a convenience store owner who suffered a fire that nearly destroyed the entire store. Prior to the loss, the store owner was lucky enough to convince a bank to lend him some money for operating capital. After conducting an investigation and bei...

Superstorm Sandy made landfall in New Jersey on October 29, 2012 causing severe property damage along the eastern seaboard.  Forecasting companies put sophisticated catastrophe risk computer models to work estimating insurance claims.  One firm, Equecat, estimated that Sandy’s impact could reach...