Insurance Law

2nd District Court of Appeal, Insurance Law, Personal Injury & Tort

O’Brien v. Midway Rent-A-Car, Inc. — Federal Law Bars Owner Liability and Rental Company Had No Duty to Verify Insurance

automatic / October 29, 2026

The Second District affirmed. California Vehicle Code sections 17150 and 17151 ordinarily impose limited vicarious liability on an owner who permits another person to operate a vehicle. But the Graves Amendment expressly prevents states from imposing liability on a rental or leas

4th District Court of Appeal, Construction Law, Insurance Law, Litigation

Scottsdale v. California Military Department — Rescission Defeated Additional-Insured Coverage

automatic / October 14, 2026

The Fourth District held that valid rescission for a contractor’s material application misrepresentations also eliminated an additional insured’s coverage.

5th District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Insurance Law

People v. North River Insurance Co. — Bail-bond judgment may be entered in the criminal case

automatic / October 9, 2026

The Court of Appeal affirmed the summary judgment enforcing the forfeited bond.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Insurance Law, Litigation

Passport 420, LLC v. Starr Indemnity — Insurer May Rescind a Policy for Undisclosed Material Facts Even Without Asking

automatic / October 1, 2026

The Second District Court of Appeal holds an insurer may rescind a policy for an applicant's concealment of a material fact even if the insurer's application never asked about it — and that a manager's knowledge of his own embezzlement can be imputed to the company he managed.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Construction Law, Insurance Law, Real Estate Law

Linsao v. First American — Incomplete retaining wall triggers inadequate-construction exclusion

automatic / September 23, 2026

The Second District held that an unfinished retaining wall was inadequate construction and the efficient proximate cause of storm damage, defeating homeowners coverage.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Insurance Law, Litigation

Linhart v. New York Life — Pre-2013 Life Policies Need Not Receive New Designation Forms

automatic / September 22, 2026

The Ninth Circuit held that California’s third-party designation-form requirement applies only to life policies issued after the statute took effect in 2013.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Civil Procedure, Insurance Law, Personal Injury & Tort

In re Kia Hyundai Vehicle Theft Litigation — Korean Manufacturers Face Suit in California

automatic / September 14, 2026

Korean automakers’ California-bound shipments and U.S.-specific designs plausibly supported personal jurisdiction in nationwide vehicle-theft litigation.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Healthcare Law, Insurance Law, Litigation

Healthcare Ally v. WSP — ERISA does not preempt provider’s negligent-misrepresentation claim over benefit verification

automatic / August 11, 2026

An out-of-network provider's negligent-misrepresentation claim based on a plan administrator's benefit-verification statements was not preempted by ERISA.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Insurance Law, Labor & Employment Law

Employers Preferred v. WCAB — Ignoring Payroll-Audit Requests Justified Policy Cancellation

automatic / August 6, 2026

An employer’s repeated failure to provide payroll records constituted failure to permit an audit and supported cancellation of its workers’ compensation policy.

4th District Court of Appeal, Insurance Law, Litigation, Personal Injury & Tort

Farmers Insurance Exchange v. Superior Court — Timely acceptance formed binding policy-limits settlement

automatic / August 4, 2026

A claimant's policy-limits demand became a binding settlement when Farmers timely accepted and supplied the requested declarations page.

California Supreme Court, Insurance Law, Litigation

Fox Paine & Company, LLC v. Twin City Fire Insurance Company — Excess Insureds May Sue Before Underlying Coverage Is Exhausted

automatic / July 27, 2026

California's high court held that insureds may pursue declaratory relief, and in limited circumstances bad-faith claims, against excess insurers before underlying coverage is fully exhausted.

1st District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Insurance Law, Litigation

Kumar v. Mid-Century Insurance Co. — Closed insurance claim started the one-year suit deadline

automatic / July 22, 2026

Closed insurance claim started the one-year suit deadline.

1st District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Insurance Law

Ison v. Lara — Marital Status Auto Insurance Rating Factor Survives Civil Rights Challenge

automatic / July 16, 2026

The First District Court of Appeal held that California's Insurance Commissioner regulation permitting auto insurers to use marital status as an optional rating factor remains valid despite the 2005 amendment to the Unruh Civil Rights Act adding marital status as a protected characteristic.

1st District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Insurance Law, Litigation

Guthrie v. Transamerica Life Insurance Co. — Class Certification Denied for UCL Claims Over Bundled Life Insurance Premium

automatic / June 22, 2026

California's First Appellate District affirmed denial of class certification in a UCL action alleging Transamerica's bundled Trendsetter LB life insurance policy misled buyers about the cost of included accelerated death benefits, holding that individual differences in agent communications and policy data pages prevented class-wide proof of deception.

1st District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law, Insurance Law, Litigation

People v. Bankers Insurance Co. — Trial Court Retains Bond Jurisdiction After Off-the-Record Finding of Sufficient Excuse

automatic / May 21, 2026

First District affirms bail bond forfeiture, holding that a trial court's on-the-record acknowledgment of an off-the-record explanation for a defendant's nonappearance suffices to retain jurisdiction over the bond under Penal Code section 1305.1.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Insurance Law, Litigation

Nargizyan v. State Farm — Court Revives Homeowner’s Claim Over Pipe Leak, Finding Insurer Misapplied Seepage Exclusion

automatic / May 14, 2026

The Second District reversed summary judgment for State Farm, finding triable issues on whether a pinhole pipe leak met the policy's seepage exclusion and whether the insurer acted in bad faith by reversing its own coverage determination.

4th District Court of Appeal, Insurance Law, Litigation

City of Riverside v. RLI Insurance Co. — Royal Globe joinder rule does not bar additional insured from suing both insurer and the named insured contractor in same action

automatic / March 20, 2026

Fourth District holds that the Royal Globe joinder rule does not bar an additional insured city from suing both its contractor's insurer and the contractor in the same action arising from a fatal pedestrian accident.

4th District Court of Appeal, Insurance Law, Litigation

People ex rel. Henggeler v. Dauod — Insurance-Fraud Qui Tam Suit Survives Public-Disclosure Bar Even When Based on Trial Testimony

automatic / January 6, 2026

Fourth District holds the public-disclosure bar in California's Insurance Frauds Prevention Act stops a qui tam plaintiff only when the suit is based on publicly disclosed allegations or transactions of fraud — not when it merely uses publicly available information.