Those who practice insurance coverage law in Missouri understand the potential perils associated with an 065 agreement. Missouri passed legislation to help protect the insurers interests and thwart collusive arbitration awards and settlement agreements between plaintiffs and insureds. Missouri legislators introduced SB-HB 345 which amends two statutes—Missouri Revised Statutes 435.415 and 537.065. The bill was signed into law on June 29, 2021 and became effective August 28, 2021.

Although many states have relaxed regulations, cannabis remains a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, meaning that under federal law it is illegal to manufacture, sell, or distribute cannabis. This has meant that many large commercial insurance carriers, and particularly those that are publicly traded, have been hesitant to offer cannabis coverage due to the fear of federal illegality and reputational damage.

2020 was a record year for severe weather, with 22 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. It was the sixth consecutive year in which 10 or more billion-dollar disaster events occurred in the U.S.

At Warren, we frequently investigate losses involving industrial machinery. Many of the losses involve workplace injuries, fires, or explosions; however, we also analyze industrial machinery and processes for other types of problems.

According to published weather data for the year 2019, 2.35 billion lightning strikes were recorded across the world, with 223 million of these in the United States. The movement of atmosphere causes electrical charges to build up between clouds. A tipping point is reached where the insulating properties of the air cannot withstand the level of energy and a discharge occurs.

As property insurance claims slowed due to COVID-19 lockdown measures and quarantines, the frequency of cyber-attacks exploded. A study of more than 6,000 businesses by Hiscox, Ltd found that 43% of the companies had suffered some type of cyber-attack in 2020, with the victims of these attacks ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.

The investigation of spontaneous heating fires can be challenging and come with a unique set of circumstances due to many factors; evidence is consumed, a site is left with little or no evidentiary material, or collected evidence sent for laboratory analysis does not show the presence of chemical residues. Additionally, burn patterns from such fires can be difficult to interpret.

On May 7, 2021, Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. pipeline system for refined oil products, was hit by a ransomware attack that forced the company to shut down its entire fuel distribution pipeline.