Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Creditor Exclusion<br><b><i><font="-1">The Perils of D&O Coverage</b></i></font>

By Shmuel Vasser and Yehuda Goor
March 02, 2017

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently held that a Creditor Exclusion provision in directors and officers (D&Os) insurance policies may result in significant limitations on the coverage provided to the D&Os when the underlying dispute is with a creditor acting in its creditor capacity. Markel Am. Ins. Co. v. Verbeek (5th Cir. Sep. 27, 2016). See http://bit.ly/2fkNY1a.

In the Markel case, the owners and officers of Color Star Growers of Colorado, Inc. (Color Star) were sued by lenders who provided the company with a credit facility to refinance its debt. It should be noted that nowhere are the defendants referred to as directors as well. The lenders alleged that the individual defendants misrepresented the company's financial condition in procuring the loan. The defendants tendered the litigation to Color Star's D&O insurer requesting it to defend the litigation as required by Color Star's D&O insurance policy. The insurer refused citing the policy's Creditor Exclusion.

Read These Next
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations Image

This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.

The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs Image

The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.

CLE Shouldn't Be the Only Mandatory Training for Attorneys Image

Each stage of an attorney's career offers opportunities for a curriculum that addresses both the individual's and the firm's need to drive success.

Discovery of Claim Construction and Infringement Analysis May be Compelled Prior to a Markman Hearing Image

A defendant in a patent infringement suit may, during discovery and prior to a <i>Markman</i> hearing, compel the plaintiff to produce claim charts, claim constructions, and element-by-element infringement analyses.