At Bauman Loewe Witt & Maxwell we are pleased to announce that Las Vegas Defense Lawyers (LVDL) members elected Aileen E. Cohen, Esq. to its Board of Directors. The election took place at the Fifth Annual LVDL Dinner on March 30, 2017.Aileen will be working on LVDL advocacy efforts in support of the civil litigation defense bar before the Nevada Legislature in addition to other ongoing projects to promote LVDL objectives.Las Vegas Defense Lawyers is an organization of attorneys … [Read more...]
When Is An Insurer Responsible For Pre-Tender Defense Costs?
March 23, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The Nevada Supreme Court has not decided whether an insurance company is obliged to reimburse its insured for defense costs incurred prior to the tender of the claim to the company. However, in many instances, where Nevada law is silent, Nevada looks to California law for direction. See Zurich Am. Ins. Co., 720 F. Supp. 2d 1223, 1234 n. 11 (2010). See also Commercial Standard Ins. Co. v. Tab Constr., Inc., 94 Nev. 536, 539, 583 P.2d 449, 451 (1978) (relying on the California Supreme Court’s … [Read more...]
In Deciding Whether An Insurance Company Has A Duty To Defend Its Insured, Will Nevada Courts Look Beyond The Four Corners Of The Complaint?
January 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment
In deciding whether an insurance company has a duty to defend its insured, courts have often said that they will not look beyond the “four corners” of the plaintiff’s complaint. If the allegations of the Complaint allege facts that fall within coverage, there is a duty to defend. If not, there is no duty.In the case of United Nat’l Ins. Co. v. Frontier Ins. Co., 120 Nev. 678, 687, 99 P.3d 1153, 1158 (2004) the Nevada Supreme Court enunciated the rule that it would follow in making the duty … [Read more...]
The Duty To Defend Is Broader Than The Duty To Indemnify
December 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The duty to defend is broader than the duty to indemnify because the duty to defend covers not just claims for which the insured is liable, but also claims for which the insured could be found liable. United Nat’l Ins. Co. v. Frontier Ins. Co., 120 Nev. 678, 687, 99 P.3d 1153, 1158 (2004). Where there is no potential for coverage, there is no duty to defend. Bidart v. Am. Title Ins. Co., 103 Nev. 175, 179, 734 P.2d 732, 734 (1987).When interpreting insurance policy terms, the Nevada Supreme … [Read more...]
What Type of Proceedings Must a Nevada Insurer Defend?
September 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Most liability policies obligate the insurance company to defend its insured in case of a “suit”. So what proceedings constitute a “suit” that an insurer must defend? Assuming a duty to indemnify for damages based on a theory of liability put forth in the Complaint, the insurance company has a duty to defend such a lawsuit. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Hansen, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 74, 357 P.3d 338 (2015). However, the Nevada Supreme Court has not faced a decision as to whether that duty … [Read more...]
