I received a letter from my professional liability insurer informing me of changes to my policy in my next policy year.  Among them: in the definition of “professional services”  “pro bono” services will be replaced with “eleemosynary” services.  This is not a typo.  It means “relating to or dependent on charity; charitable.”   The Oxford English Dictionary explains its origins:     Late 16th century (as a noun denoting a place where alms were distributed): from…

  As I discussed here, the Massachusetts legislature had been considering a bill creating retroactive insurance coverage for business income losses due to the pandemic, with losses adjusted by insurers and paid by the commonwealth.  The Massachusetts Senate has voted against the bill.      …

  The Insurance Library in Boston is a phenomenal resource for anyone who ever needs a deeper understanding of any insurance issue from commonplace to obscure.  From educational programs to absolutely top-notch reference librarians to insurance-related social events like a screening of Double Indemnity to an opportunity (in non-pandemic times, at least) to just soak in the historical insurance artifacts, maps, policies, and books available at the library, this institution is a gem for the…

I recently put together a panel on Insurance Issues for New Insurance Defense Attorneys for the Boston Bar Association’s subcommittee on Insurance Law.  I was thrilled to find panelists who were knowledgeable and engaging.  In light of a commitment I have made to look for opportunities to amplify voices of people of color, I had hoped to find an additional panelist who was an attorney of color at an insurance defense firm interested in an…

The Boston Bar Association’s Insurance Subcommittee (which I co-chair) is hosting a panel on Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at 10 AM on Insurance Issues for New Insurance Defense Attorneys.  You can register here.  Here’s the blurb:…

Strega Realty Trust, which was operated by Linda Cappuccio, rented property in Salem to Red Lulu Salem for the purpose of Red Lulu operating a restaurant there.  However, Red Lulu never opened the restaurant.  In 2012 Strega Realty sued Red Lulu.  That lawsuit settled, with the provision that Red Lulu would vacate the premises by October 31, 2013.  Red Lulu’s proprietors vandalized the property around the time that they vacated the premises.  Cappuccio informed Raymond…

  The Kenmore Army Navy Store (which is located in Downtown Crossing, several MBTA stops away from Kenmore), has sued Travelers Casualty Insurance Company of America in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.  Like so many other businesses, the Army Navy store seeks business interruption coverage for losses from the coronavirus pandemic.   The store alleges that the policy Travelers issued has the usual coverage for “direct physical loss.”  It alleges…