Press Release
Source: Law360 Insurance Authority
Press Release
Press Contacts: Erik Cummins, Matt Hyams, Olivia Thomas
01.25.24
A Nevada Supreme Court panel granted Pillsbury client Hilton Worldwide’s request to dismiss an appeal filed by the company’s property insurers for lack of appellate jurisdiction.
In September 2022, Hilton filed a lawsuit in Nevada state court against 21 insurers seeking more than $1.7 billion in COVID-19-related losses. Hilton accused the insurers of wrongfully denying coverage for the company’s virus-related losses.
While the insurers argued that the case should be heard in Virginia—where Hilton’s headquarters is located—Nevada District Judge Joanna Kishner denied their motion to dismiss and ruled that the court would defer to Hilton’s choice of forum in Nevada due to the dispute’s significant connections with the forum. Judge Kishner also ruled that Hilton had adequately pleaded that the insurers had breached the policies by refusing to provide coverage and had violated Nevada’s Unfair Claims Practices Act.
The insurers appealed from the trial court’s forum-related ruling, but the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that it lacked jurisdiction to review the rejected bid to dismiss Hilton’s state court suit.
Click here to read the full article (subscription required).
The Pillsbury team representing Hilton includes Insurance Recovery & Advisory partners Joseph D. Jean, Benjamin D. Tievsky, Alexander D. Hardiman, senior counsel Scott D. Greenspan and senior associate Colin Davis.