Reed Smith LLP

Three recent California lawsuits against some of the country’s largest energy companies represent the latest effort by civil litigants to obtain legal relief for damages allegedly sustained because of climate change. Although the legal viability of these suits is in doubt, companies significantly involved in the extraction, sale, and use of fossil fuels should consider what, if any, insurance coverage may be available to them to respond to similar legal actions in the future. In general, liability policies should provide coverage for suits alleging property damage and trespass linked with global warming. But policyholders likely will face several obstacles, including insurer coverage denials, in obtaining coverage. Policyholders can and should take steps now to improve their ability to secure insurance coverage.

French competition authority to start investigations into potentially “excessive prices” in the healthcare market in the next weeks, following increasing scrutiny across Europe.

Reed Smith’s Singapore office recently hosted a seminar on the Singapore-China commodities nexus. In the seminar, we highlighted the current trend of commodity market participants increasing their commodity exposure in China either by expanding the scope of their current business there or by establishing a presence for trading activities in the domestic market. The seminar discussed some of the key legal issues relevant to anyone considering such increased investment in China.