Akin Gump Attorney Pens Article on Homeowner’s Insurance for Defamation Claims
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“Bloggers Beware: Defamation Claims Brought by Public Figure Plaintiffs,” an article written by Akin Gump litigation associate Clayton Matheson, has been published by Insurance Journal.
The article discusses the insurance ramifications of alleged defamation by an individual. Homeowner’s insurance, the author reveals, in many cases covers “claims for defamation and related torts, libel and slander,” as part of “personal injury” coverage.
Matheson outlines the brief history of defamation judgments against bloggers and describes the limits of coverage, including specific exclusions such as the “business activities” exclusion and the “intentional acts” exclusion, the latter of which may be invoked by the insurer in cases involving public figures.
The author’s conclusion: “To protect themselves, agents and brokers not only should highlight for their clients the ‘personal injury’ provisions specifying defamation as a covered claim, but they also should clarify how those provisions interplay with the intentional acts and other potentially applicable exclusions.”
To read the full article, please click here.