D&O Insurance: Don’t Let Insurance Companies Stop Payment Of Defense Costs

This article also appeared in Corporate Counsel (February 2004).

Advancement of defense costs, on a monthly or quarterly basis, is one of the most important rights provided to any policyholder in a Directors and Officers insurance policy. Recently, insurance companies have been attempting, however, to block such payments based solely upon the assertion that the policyholder made a misrepresentation in the policy application (which you as an outside director did not see, review or sign). Can D&O insurance companies negate such payments based upon mere assertions alone?