Strategies, Challenges, and Answers

Archives for July 2008

IT’S HARD TO GET ONE OVER ON THE MAN

In the recent case of Clark County School District v. Richardson Construction, Inc., 123 Nev. Adv. Op. 39 (2007), the Nevada Supreme Court reiterated its position that Nevada’s waiver of sovereign immunity would be strictly enforced.   Sometimes, a governmental entity, such as a city or a county, will be a co-defendant in a case involving our client.  Where a governmental entity is involved, issues related to sovereign immunity must be considered.  The rule is that … [Read more...]

The Nevada Supreme Court Says There Is No Need For A Causal Link Between The Exclusion And The Loss In Order To Enforce An Otherwise Unambiguous Exclusion

When it comes to an exclusion of coverage, the carrier is often arguing that the exclusion is enforceable. The person arguing for coverage will often argue that the exclusion is just a "technicality". In the case of Griffin v. Old Republic Ins. Co., 122 Nev. Adv. Op. 42 (2006), each party took its expected position.In Giffin, Jensen’s plane crashed in Griffin’s backyard. Griffin got hurt. Old Republic wrote Jensen’s aviation policy. The Old Republic policy required the plane to have a … [Read more...]

Organization Of Opinion Letters

Just last week, I provided a client (let’s call her Mary Smith) a coverage opinion letter relating to one of her company’s claims.Ms. Smith called to thank me for the opinion letter and discuss its contents.  At the end of the conversation Ms. Smith thanked me, not for the content, but for the organization of the opinion letter.Mary recited the story that we hear much too often in the insurance industry.  She said that she had recently received an opinion from another firm.  The letter … [Read more...]