One Day, Two Different Decisions: Mississippi and Texas Federal Courts Issue Opinions in COVID-19 Insurance CasesConfirming the growing split of decisions among federal courts addressing COVID-19 insurance issues, two district courts in the Fifth Circuit differed in their interpretation of virus exclusions, with one denying coverage and the other permitting the policyholder’s claim to proceed.

On November 4, a Mississippi federal district court dismissed a restaurant’s complaint for business interruption

Fifth Circuit Decision Excluding Coverage under Pollution Exclusion for Damage to Stream Caused by Rock FinesIn a sweeping decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit extended the absolute pollution exclusion to the unplanned discharge of “rock fines,” pellets produced during quarry operations, and denied coverage for the cost of removing the rock fines and defending a state law claim against the insured.

The insured, Eastern Concrete Materials,

Coverage for Cannabis? How Cannabis’s Legal Limbo Affects Property Insurance PoliciesA recent federal court of appeals’ decision raises interesting questions for all policyholders, particularly commercial and residential landlords with tenants that grow, possess, and/or distribute cannabis, even where it is legal to do so under state law.

In K.V.G. Properties, Inc. v. Westfield Ins. Co., decided by the United States Court of Appeals for