Safeco Insurance Company Faces Class-Action Lawsuit over Automobile Insurance Rates During COVID-19 Pandemic

By Jackson Sullivan On November 23, 2021, in Jimmy Monge v. Safeco Insurance Company of America et al., Case No. 2:21-cv-09175-MWF-AFM (C.D. Cal.)., plaintiffs filed a class action complaint in the Central District of California on behalf of the putative Continue reading

Ninth Circuit Holds that Even Comprehensive Commercial Property Insurance Policies Do Not Cover Business Income Losses from the Pandemic

By Jackson Sullivan On October 1, 2021, the Ninth Circuit decided Mudpie, Inc. v. Travelers Casualty Insurance Company of America, Case No. 20-16858 (9th Cir.).  The opinion affirmed the district court’s order dismissing Petitioner Mudpie, Inc.’s claims against its insurer, Continue reading

Court Issues Order on Consumer Watchdog’s Motion to Compel Commissioner Ricardo Lara to Respond to Discovery Requests

By: Allison Plette Consumer Watchdog v. Ricardo Lara, Case No. 20STCP00664 (Super. Ct. Los Angeles County). On May 12, 2021, the court issued an order granting in part and denying in part Petitioner Consumer Watchdog’s motion to compel specific documents Continue reading

California Department of Insurance Leaving Virus Exclusion Questions up to the Courts

By: Jennifer Wilczynski At the start of 2021, there were over 1,500 property insurance claims across the country due to COVID-19 business interruptions. These cases largely address interruptions caused by local and state ordinances, which forced the closure of many Continue reading

Federal Judge Upholds Legality of Drug Transparency Law Requiring Manufacturers to Report Drug Price Increases to Department of Insurance

By Hannah Ohman On January 4, 2021, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California filed an order upholding the legality of a 2017 California drug price transparency law in Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (“PhRMA”) Continue reading