General liability insurance is frequently overlooked in business litigation. These policies, however, include coverage for “disparagement” and “malicious prosecution.” Both terms are construed broadly and may provide coverage for a variety of lawsuits, including antitrust claims, patent disputes, trade secret claims, as well as other commercial litigation between competitors, or suppliers and their customers.
What should clients and counsel look for? There are two types of allegations in particular which should immediately raise a red flag regarding the potential for insurance: 1) any allegation that the insured made unfavorable comments about the plaintiff or its products, or 2) any allegation that the insured filed improper lawsuits or otherwise misused the litigation process. Today’s post will examine coverage for “disparagement”-type claims; Part 2 will examine claims for the misuse of legal process. Continue Reading General Liability Policies May Cover Antitrust, Patent, and Other Business Litigation – Part 1