This summer, the courts dealt Harvard University a brutal one-two punch.
First, in June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Harvard in the Students for Fair Admissions lawsuit—bringing nearly a decade of expensive litigation to a close by gutting affirmative action practices in student admissions.
Sexual abuse litigation is increasingly common, and an unfortunate wave of new lawsuits is coming. In her recent alert, Pillsbury’s Joan Cotkin reviews how the insurance industry has responded to these risks with new liability insurance products designed to address such claims, what coverage defenses insurers are likely to assert, and how you can anticipate and respond to them to secure the benefit of your coverage.
As outside coverage counsel for corporate policyholders, we see firsthand how corporate risk management and legal departments interact and work together—or don’t. Some risk management and legal departments are in sync. They tackle intersecting insurance and legal issues through a unified front, to the company’s benefit. But others seem to operate in silos. This can present a number of coverage pitfalls—from failing to pursue coverage in the first place to jeopardizing claims that have been made. Here are a few of the most common problems we see when risk management and legal departments are not working in harmony, and some practical tips for avoiding them.
Policyholder Pulse