UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new book co-authored by Christopher C. French, visiting assistant professor of law at Penn State Law, provides readers with a clear, concise, and comprehensive discussion of the fundamentals of insurance law. Written with John F. Dobbyn of the Villanova University School of Law, the fifth edition of "Insurance Law in a Nutshell" was published in December by West Academic Publishing as part of its Nutshell series.
The book provides a concise exposition of insurance law covering various lines of insurance, including auto, commercial general liability, health, life, and property. It also covers topics such as bad faith, claims submission/handling, duty to defend and settle, insurable interest, insurer defenses, loss valuation, regulation of insurers, reinsurance, risk transfer, subrogation, surety bonds, and waiver and estoppel.
The fifth edition of Insurance Law also includes new sections on:
- the rules of insurance policy interpretation;
- other lines of liability insurance such as cyber, directors and officers liability (D&O), errors and omissions (E&O or professional liability), employers lability (EPL), environmental impairment (EIL), flood, and terrorism;
- the key issues of “trigger,” “number of occurrences,” and “allocation” in long-tail liability claims;
- “personal or advertising” liability coverage;
- the “business risk” and “owned property” exclusions;
- the “duty of utmost good faith” and the “follow the fortunes” doctrine under reinsurance treaties;
- guaranty funds; and
- “surplus line” insurers.
West Academic’s Nutshells are compact, soft-covered study guides that explain the most important issues of law, highlighting key cases and statutes. They are written by recognized experts who present the essential rules of law in a uniquely condensed format. They provide highlights of key cases and statutes and allow for fast and easy referencing.
French has written and published extensively in the area where insurance law intersects with contract and tort law. He has written numerous chapters in a two-volume insurance law treatise entitled "Policyholder's Guide to the Law of Insurance Coverage," and his scholarly work has been published in, among other journals, the Georgia State Law Review, Kansas Law Review, Nevada Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law, Villanova Law Review, and Virginia Law & Business Review.
Prior to joining the faculty at Penn State Law, where he currently teaches insurance law, property, remedies, and torts, he taught at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Villanova Law School. He was formerly a partner at K&L Gates LLP where, as a commercial litigator, he handled all aspects of litigation matters for Fortune 500 companies and other businesses in federal and state courts across the United States, trying cases in seven different states. In addition to his advocacy work, he has also served as both a party-appointed and a neutral arbitrator.