Tugander Quoted in Law360 Story on Opioid Rulings’ Impact
March 21, 2025 | |Rob Tugander spoke to Law360 for the story, “Opioid Orders Weigh Insurers’ Role In Fighting Societal Harm.”
The article notes that while commercial general liability insurers have been successful in defending against opioid coverage suits brought by large entities, the decisions raise the issue of whether the intent of insurance is to help protect the public against societal harm.
Rob noted that insurers have already adapted to the threat of public nuisance suits “by adding opioid exclusions to policies issued to insureds involved in the chain of distribution.” He added, “So in terms of public nuisance opioid risks, the insurance industry has probably already done what is needed to limit its exposure.”
Regarding the Travelers Companies announcement that they will begin issuing specialized product liability policies to the life sciences market, Rob said, “Generally, if insurers exclude certain types of risks from traditional liability policies, that may open up a market for specialized policies addressing those risks,” he said. “New types of policies may become available to fill in the gaps.”
