Insurer Litigation Guidelines—The Hidden Landmine In The Duty To Defend

After considerable effort and expense that can last for months, you finally convince your liability insurance company to pay for the defense of a new lawsuit against your company.  You breathe a sigh of relief, thinking you can now focus on the defense of the suit without worrying about the costs of defending it.  After all, that is the protection you paid for when you bought liability insurance.  But then you get a call from the insurance carrier informing you that counsel must comply with the insurer’s “litigation guidelines.”  What are these “litigation guidelines” and what does it mean for the defense of your case? (more…)