Illinois Archives - Page 2 of 3 - The Insurance & Reinsurance Report

September 15, 2016 Uncategorized

Insurers Beware: The Illinois Department of Insurance Issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Regarding Knowledge of Misrepresentations and False Warranties

In August, the Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI) proposed its second rule on misrepresentations and false warranties in less than two years. Citing various concerns, the DOI withdrew its December 2014 proposed rule nearly a year ago, in October 2015. The impetus for the new proposed rule appears to be the DOI’s perception that insurers are not considering “readily available information” before seeking to rescind insurance policies.

The new proposed rule on misrepresentations would be promulgated as Ill. Admin. Code tit. 50, § 941.20. Section …

July 28, 2016 Duty to Defend

Seventh Circuit Dispatches Insurer’s Coverage Defenses Against Ambulance Company

The Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court’s summary judgment in favor of an insured, finding that the insured may qualify as being in a “joint venture” with the named insured. In American Alternative Insurance Corp. v. Metro Paramedic Services, Inc. (Jul. 12, 2016), the issue confronting the court was whether allegations in the underlying complaint that the named insured and putative insured were engaged in a joint venture also satisfied the policy’s use of the term “joint venture,” at least for purposes of the insurer’s …

March 23, 2016 Professional Liability

Rescission Available to Insurer Whose Insured Lied in Insurance Application About Use of Experimental Weight Loss Techniques

In Essex Insurance Company v. Galilee Medical Center S.C d/b/a MRI Lincoln Imaging Center, the insured, Galilee, represented to its insurer, Essex, that it did not offer any weight loss drugs to its patients. After a former patient brought suit against Galilee based on complications from injections of a weight loss drug, Essex sought to rescind its policy. The Seventh Circuit Court upheld summary judgment granted to Essex, finding that false statements made by Galilee provided a basis for rescission.

Galilee, a Delaware corporation …

January 26, 2016 First Party Property

Which Came First? Turns Out, It May Not Matter. Illinois Appeals Court Weighs in on Anticoncurrent-Causation Clause for the First Time

For the first time, an Illinois court addressed an anti-concurrent causation clause. In Bozek v. Erie Ins., 2015 IL App.(2d) 150155 (Dec. 17, 2015) , an Illinois appellate court held a homeowner’s insurance policy’s anti-concurrent causation clause precluded coverage because an excluded event, hydrostatic pressure, contributed to a single loss (the lifting of a pool out of the ground). The plaintiffs incurred damage to their in-ground swimming pool after a heavy rain storm. The large amount of rain saturated the soil, producing significant uplift …

January 7, 2016 Automobile Coverage

Location, Location, Location: Michigan PIP Benefits Awarded to Illinios Claimant Where Location of Accident is Only Connection to Michigan

Michigan’s no-fault insurance benefits, especially Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits, are among the most favorable to claimants. Michigan law requires no-fault insurance for every vehicle owner. This insurance pays for medical expenses, wage loss benefits, replacement services, and damages to other people’s property, no matter who caused the accident. These provisions make Michigan’s no-fault coverage attractive to injured claimants when insurance coverage may not otherwise be available or fault may be difficult to establish, as shown by a recent case decided by Michigan Court of …

December 7, 2015 Duty to Defend

Beware of Boilerplate Claims for “Other Relief Deemed Appropriate” — They Could Trigger a Duty to Defend

Boilerplate demands for “all other relief deemed appropriate” are routine. However, they should not be overlooked when analyzing whether a complaint triggers an insurer’s duty to defend. In Country Mutual Insurance Company v. Bible Pork, Inc. (No. 08-MR-14), the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Illinois held that a nuisance suit against a livestock producer seeking injunctive relief triggered a duty to defend. The appellate court’s decision is significant because the court held that a complaint that appeared to seek only injunctive relief, also asserted …

August 31, 2015 Duty to Defend

A Line Drawn in the Soil: Jeep is Not a “Farm Implement” Under Farm Policy

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois applied the “eight-corners” rule to determine that insurer had no duty to defend or indemnify insured in Elmore v. Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company et al. (S.D.Ill. July 27, 2015).

The plaintiff filed a declaratory judgment action against Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance, alleging that Grinnell had a duty to defend and indemnify the plaintiff under the terms of his Farm-Guard policy for damages arising out of a motor vehicle accident on a public highway in Illinois. …

June 16, 2015 Emerging Issues

A Continuing Trend of Illinois State Courts Finding Trigger for Malicious Prosecution is Initiation of Prosecution — Not Termination of Proceedings

On April 21, 2015, we wrote about the Illinois Appellate Court Second District’s decision in Indian Harbor Insurance Co. v. City of Waukegan, 2015 IL App (2d) 140293 (Mar. 6, 2015). There, the Appellate Court followed its decision in St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co. v. City of Zion, 2014 IL App (2d) 131312, which held that only the date of conviction triggers malicious prosecution coverage. As we noted, this constituted a rejection of the Illinois Supreme Court precedent, Security Mutual …

June 1, 2015 Uncategorized

Illinois Appellate Court Determines Unsigned Agreement Can Still Constitute a Written Contract and Trigger Additional Insured Coverage

In West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. v. DJW-Ridgeway Building Consultants, Inc., 2015 IL App (2d) 140441 (May 19, 2015), the Illinois Appellate Court, Second District affirmed a trial court decision and held that West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. had the duty to defend DJW-Ridgeway Building Consultants, Inc. (Ridgeway) as an additional insured.

The underlying dispute arose out of any injury suffered by a construction worker at a worksite where Ridgeway was the general contractor. Ridgeway subcontracted with Jason the Mason, Inc. to provide masonry …

May 26, 2015 Emerging Issues

Illinois Appellate Court Extends Bridgeview on Choice of Law and Finds No Duty To Defend Against Blast Fax Suit

After vacating its prior decision pursuant to an order by the Illinois Supreme Court, the Appellate Court of Illinois, Second District, in G.M. Sign, Inc. v. Pennswood Partners, Inc. 2015 IL App (2d) 121276-B, determined that the insurers, Maryland Casualty Company and Assurance Company of America (collectively “Zurich”), had no duty to defend or indemnify Pennswood Partners, Inc., with respect to a blast fax case filed by G.M. Sign, Inc. The crux of the Appellate Court’s decision was how to properly analyze a …