Will Your Next Insurance Coverage Dispute be Heard in Georgia’s Business Court?

Abby Vineyard | Barnes & Thornburg LLP | April 24, 2019 In 2020, Georgia corporate policyholders may have a new court to hear insurance coverage disputes. The Georgia General Assembly passed House Bill 239 on Day 40 of the legislative session, outlining how Georgia’s new statewide business court will operate. The court will have jurisdiction over claims… Continue reading Will Your Next Insurance Coverage Dispute be Heard in Georgia’s Business Court?

Georgia District Court Finds Reservation of Rights to Named Insured Ineffective as to Individual Insureds

Jason M. Taylor | Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry | February 25, 2019 In Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Cribb, 2019 WL 451555 (N.D. Ga. Feb. 5, 2019), the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia found that an insurer, Auto Owners, was estopped from denying coverage to two individual insureds under a commercial general… Continue reading Georgia District Court Finds Reservation of Rights to Named Insured Ineffective as to Individual Insureds

Georgia Court of Appeals Holds Lay Witness Can Provide Opinion Testimony on the Value of a Property If the Witness Had an Opportunity to Form a Reasoned Opinion

Gus Sara | The Subrogation Strategist | September 4, 2018 In Woodrum v. Ga. Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co., 815 S.E.2d 650 (Ga. Ct. App. 2018), the Court of Appeals of Georgia considered whether the lower court properly disqualified a contractor as an expert witness and excluded the contractor from offering lay opinion testimony regarding the value… Continue reading Georgia Court of Appeals Holds Lay Witness Can Provide Opinion Testimony on the Value of a Property If the Witness Had an Opportunity to Form a Reasoned Opinion

Georgia’s Bad Faith Demand Requirements

Ashley Harris | Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog | March 31, 2018 I’ve previously discussed Georgia’s bad faith demand requirements in Georgia Unfair Claims Handling. A recent Georgia appellate court opinion1 highlights how strictly OCGA § 33-4-6 is construed by the courts. OCGA § 33-4-6 provides, in relevant part: In the event of a loss which is… Continue reading Georgia’s Bad Faith Demand Requirements

Ambiguous Punctuation Can Lead to Insurance Coverage Following a Loss

Marie Laur | Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog | March 27, 2018 A court in Georgia found coverage for a loss based on the presence of a semicolon. In the case Lee v. Mercury Insurance Company,1 the court found coverage for a home destroyed by fire based on the potential ambiguity created by a semicolon. In Lee, Ronald… Continue reading Ambiguous Punctuation Can Lead to Insurance Coverage Following a Loss

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