About a year into the litigation between American International Group and startup Dellwood Insurance Group a federal judge will allow much of AIG’s lawsuit to proceed against its newest potential competitor in the excess and surplus market District Court for the District of New Jersey ruled AIG can amend its complaint and go ahead with allegations of misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition by Dellwood Padin dismissed with prejudice AIG’s allegations of tortious interference aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty On the matter of taking trade secrets AIG can proceed with claims that former employee Thomas Connolly – now with Dellwood as chief financial officer – acted as a “double agent” for Dellwood while still employed with AIG AIG has alleged Connolly emailed himself information related to AIG’s E&S business plans Padin said courts within the district “routinely find that the types of information alleged to have been taken by Connolly to Dellwood constitute trade secrets.” She further ruled the information alleged to have been taken has independent economic value Connolly as well as former AIG executives Michael Price and Kean Driscoll were originally named in a lawsuit filed against Dellwood in April 2024 – about a month after New Jersey-based Dellwood was launched Price was AIG’s CEO of North America General Insurance before leaving the company at the end of June 2023 Driscoll was AIG’s global chief underwriting officer of General Insurance Driscoll and Connolly left AIG in March 2024 AIG later dropped the three executives from the lawsuit, but continued its claims against Dellwood, which then filed a motion to dismiss the case based on the res judicata doctrine Dellwood asserted the lawsuit couldn’t go on because AIG’s allegations against it included similar allegations against the individual executives who had been dropped from the case Padin in this latest ruling said the doctrine is almost always applied to subsequent lawsuits based on a final judgement from an earlier suit “To the extent there are situations where res judicata may apply within the same case this is not one of them,” Padin said is not for “a game of ‘gotcha’ for parties to try and escape claims based on voluntary dismissals of other defendants.” The case is American International Group Inc Please tell us what we can do to improve this article Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" A federal judge will allow AIG to proceed with its lawsuit claiming E&S carrier Dellwood Insurance misappropriated trade secrets when it was started by former AIG execs You have reached the limit for gifting for this month Insurance Insider US is the premier intelligence solution for the P&C insurance market Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy Dellwood Insurance Group has hit back at American International Group (AIG) following the latter’s amended complaint against the startup Dellwood had this to say in a new court document filed this week: “This lawsuit is the latest attempt by one of the largest insurance conglomerates in the world – AIG – to use the judicial system as a cudgel to crush a fledgling startup – Dellwood Insurance Group LLC – and to punish Dellwood’s founder and senior executives Kean Driscoll and Thomas Connolly for having the courage to go out on their own after several years of faithful service to AIG “While AIG frames its complaint as seeking to prevent unfair competition its clear motive is to unreasonably restrain competition and prevent former employees from earning a living AIG’s First Amended Complaint (FAC) is not only legally insufficient but its claims are also precluded because of AIG’s own strategic maneuvering the FAC should be dismissed in its entirety with prejudice.” Last month’s amended complaint came as AIG dropped Price and Connolly as individual defendants while continuing to pursue its case against Dellwood It was argued that the individual claims were dropped to avoid delays in case the three opted to take the arbitration route it outlined how Connolly supposedly took trade secrets prior to his departure from the major insurer Dellwood stated: “AIG fails to identify how Dellwood purportedly misappropriated or used AIG’s trade secrets AIG also fails to identify any misappropriated trade secrets with specificity its description of the ‘trade secrets’ is so broad – ‘Confidential Information,’ defined as all non-public AIG information – that it fails to give Dellwood sufficient notice to mount a defense “To buttress those insufficient allegations AIG points to superficial similarities between AIG’s and Dellwood’s public websites (similarities that are unsurprising given that they market some of the same products) accusing Dellwood of somehow engaging in misconduct by advertising the experience of its employees AIG also alleges (incorrectly) that the Individuals had no prior experience in the E&S (excess and surplus) industry such that Dellwood must have misappropriated trade secrets or it could not have launched.” Dellwood is requesting that all counts be dismissed with prejudice DELLWOOD — On a sunny September morning last year hundreds of people gathered in the parking lot of a strip mall that sat vacant for years The crowd was eager for the official opening of the R&R Marketplace which finally filled the space with a host of services designed to boost economic access in and around the small north St One of those was a new branch from Midwest BankCentre bank Chairman and CEO Orvin Kimbrough noted the financial landscape his organization had chosen to move into There were dozens of payday loan establishments within five miles “There’s one right there within eyesight of me,” Kimbrough said gesturing from the podium he was speaking from “One of our objectives of opening up this facility … we want to put them out of business.” Cheers erupted from the crowd at that declaration Kimbrough admits those payday lending facilities haven’t been easy to disrupt because they do serve a specific need within a market “You can’t talk about displacing those facilities without replacing [them] with something that would meet that particular need,” he said “It’s very difficult for traditional financial institutions to compete in that space and be profitable.” Kimbrough said his bank is trying to figure it out though even launching an alternative product to compete with payday loans But that initial product had to be scrapped because there were too many losses from people who didn’t pay back their loans Midwest BankCentre is revamping it and has plans to start offering it again soon “We have to do a better job as a financial services institution of helping create the conditions for people to understand,” he said “We’re not going to charge you these super expensive rates We need to be in [a] relationship with you and we expect payback.” which Kimbrough said is the bank’s “innovation center,” is a prime location for experimentation to determine how to forge stronger ties with communities in St Louis or elsewhere that haven’t always had strong relationships with banks In addition to Midwest BankCentre’s branch in Dellwood, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis announced this summer it will include a bank in a new $10 million business plaza that broke ground on West Florissant Avenue in August One of the critical first steps to a lasting banking connection is education Midwest BankCentre’s senior vice president of retail banking It’s about helping people feel comfortable asking financial questions and providing tools for how to evaluate a decision about money “I don’t want anyone to feel threatened by having a banking relationship,” O’Neal said they may have had bad interactions with institutions in the past But we have an opportunity to help start over and be on the right path moving forward.” this looks and sounds like normal banking interactions that happen every day who needed help making a deposit in her checking account She was worried she’d get hit with an overdraft fee after a loan charge posted to her account a few days earlier than it normally does and I’ve been paying them over a year,” Gardner explained to O’Neal who then advised Gardner to contact the company to find out why the debit posted early before helping her make the deposit I will take care of that and reverse it back to the account,” O’Neal said handing Gardner a business card in case she had further questions who’s banked with Midwest Bank Center for more than five years said she appreciates now having a banking location just a few minutes from home “It saved the drive of going all the way to the city on Martin Luther King,” she said O’Neal goes to help Lenzell Green who has come in with a range of questions about different financial products: auto loans They chat for about a half-hour about the various loans and credit options and how they work It’s more about doing what’s right for the customer “The education piece is the biggest thing for us,” she said who own and run Cathy’s Kitchen in Ferguson and had been searching for a way to alleviate the order volume that was overloading their restaurant on South Florissant Road “We knew we needed a to-go restaurant to solve that problem,” Cathy Jenkins said They had been considering this kind of expansion since the beginning of 2023 before opening Cathy’s Kitchen To-Go in Dellwood which is next to Midwest BankCentre’s new location It was serendipitous and made sense to reach out since they’d be in the same complex “This was an opportunity because Midwest Bank[Centre] was looking for someone to help,” he said “Now it’s just nice to be one of the first people to knock on the door They spent months negotiating with the bank before agreeing to a $100,000 loan to help with the roughly $185,000 buildout cost He added they were committed to a second restaurant location regardless of where they’d find the financing “There’s a lot of ways that you can get capital but this project was about the community,” Jenkins said “Midwest Bank[Centre] was trying to figure out what to do for the community.” Securing financing in this manner was new territory for both of the Jenkinses “We didn’t get a loan at all for the original Cathy’s Kitchen,” Cathy Jenkins said and a lot of blessings and miracles along the way.” It’s an all-too-common experience for many Black-owned ventures who directs the Center of Community Uplift at the Brookings Institution “There are many Black-owned businesses that had to self-finance,” he said Banks can be the institutions that provide that capital and help sustain the communities they’re located in over years and decades They do this by holding deposits and using that capital to make loans or investments in the surrounding community “That’s the dilemma with Black communities,” he said “If you don’t have as many high net-worth individuals in a location you’re going to have less capital in that bank to ultimately use as investment capital.” This reality is articulated when examining deposit data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp Louis region managed some $130 billion in deposits but only about 3.5% of that dollar figure was in locations in north St about 17% of the region's nearly 2.8 million population lives in north St The strained banking relationship goes both ways “A lot of times in the African American community we don’t trust banks,” Jerome Jenkins said they never get that far to even reach their hand out because they already perceive they’re not going to get money for financing anything.” Perry added that many bankers are more physically distant from individuals in the communities they serve because of bank consolidation over the past 20 to 30 years you may not get a sense of who that person is,” he said you may not pick up when someone has not received intergenerational wealth transfers because of past discrimination so their application looks very different from someone who did.” Perry argues that the relationship between banks and the neighborhoods they reside in is reciprocal and that they will grow as the community does But this takes time and patience that some banks don’t have “Many Black and brown communities just need more time in order for these services to get traction,” Perry said let’s pull out the bank because it’s not profitable today.’” It’s a sentiment Kimbrough shares and one of the driving philosophies behind Midwest BankCentre’s decision to open in Dellwood even down to how the bank built out the location A new branch can cost between $2.5 million and $5 million depending on a few factors but the bank managed to build the Dellwood location at 10% of that figure “Let’s see how we can shift the cost structure because we want to be sustainable for this community and this part of the region,” Kimbrough said “Oftentimes when [banks] think about low-to-moderate income communities Philanthropic actions are important but not everything Kimbrough doesn’t mince words when he explains the decision to open a new branch in Dellwood is just good business “I’m not on this because it’s a social crusade,” he said for any bank to be sustainable in any community Kimbrough concedes the Dellwood location isn’t profitable yet but he didn’t expect it would be for another few years He said he’s convinced there is money to be made while helping community members reimagine how they can engage with financial institutions moving forward The legal squabble between American International Group (AIG) and a startup-up formed by some former employees continued this week with another filing from Dellwood Insurance Group in support of its motion to dismiss AIG’s claims AIG in April originally sued Dellwood and it’s founders Michael Price Kean Driscoll and Thomas Connolly for misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information and unfair competition shortly after Dellwood launched with more than $250 million in capital and backed by RenaissanceRe and a group of individual investors for wholesale brokers in the small- and middle-enterprise E&S market used business strategies and trade secrets to form and compete against AIG’s E&S companies AIG then dropped then former executives from the lawsuit but an amended complaint continued to name Dellwood Insurance AIG and Dellwood have fired back and forth over whether the suit can proceed Dellwood has said a legal doctrine called res judicata prevents AIG from making the same allegations against the company as it did against its individual former employees AIG said the doctrine is only applied to subsequent cases AIG called Dellwood’s arguments “quixotic.” Related: In Latest Salvo AIG Says its Former Execs at Dellwood Are ‘Bad Leavers’ Dellwood reasserts what it called a “basic and well-supported principle that there can be no secondary liability without primary liability.” By dismissing the claims against Price “The with-prejudice dismissal of the individuals is a finding of no liability on the merits,” Dellwood said in the filing “If the Individuals are not liable Dellwood’s actions through those Individuals cannot be a basis for liability and AIG’s first amended complaint should be dismissed in its entirety.” Dellwood added that AIG’s last filing was absent of court precedent and instead relied on “soundbites to deflect from an indisputable reality” that it is prevented from continuing with the litigation against Dellwood Dellwood Insurance Group has hired Piyush Patel as its SVP of programs and launched a management liability offering led by Richard Noonan and John Humphreys In its latest court filing to keep alive a lawsuit against start-up Dellwood Insurance American International Group said its new competitor failed to explain why the suit cannot go on AIG argued in a brief filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in New Jersey that Dellwood “strained to argue” that AIG could not continue with a lawsuit against Dellwood after earlier dropping claims against three of its executives—all former AIG employees “No matter how hard Dellwood tries to spin it otherwise the voluntary dismissal of the former executives was not an adjudication of the merits of AIG’s claim in their favor,” AIG said The company continued to allege Dellwood and its executives stole confidential information and trade secrets later used in Dellwood’s business plans while violating employment agreements with AIG AIG furthermore used the filing to fire back at other Dellwood contentions including that AIG was using the court system to beat down a “fledgling startup.” “With all due respect to Dellwood’s ambitions as one of the world’s leading insurance companies virtually all of them more significant than Dellwood,” lawyers for the company wrote will not tolerate any company misappropriating its confidential information and assets to unfairly compete.” Dellwood in its filing to dismiss also had claimed AIG makes it very difficult for employees to leave the company for other industry jobs even referencing lyrics from the Eagles song Hotel California: “You can check out at any time you like but you can never leave.” AIG said the insurance industry is filled with individuals at other companies who spent significant time at AIG adding that the “critical difference in this case is that the former executives who founded Dellwood were bad leavers who breached duties they owed to AIG.” AIG’s counsel pointed out that the song is not about trapping guests but is “a metaphor depicting the plight of those who have made poor decisions and engaged in other problematic behavior…” Get the insurance industry's trusted newsletter it will forever be linked to the garbage creation and bundling of credit default swaps and the massive bailout from the taxpayers American International Group and a group of its companies have filed a new amended complaint against Dellwood Insurance Group started earlier this year by a group of former AIG executives The lawsuit filed July 10 in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey is the latest development in mammoth insurer’s litigation against startup Dellwood that began in April, about a month after Dellwood announced its launch Related: AIG Sues Newly Launched Dellwood Insurance and Its Founders AIG said it seeks to “stop and obtain redress and compensation for Dellwood’s ongoing misconduct,” including the alleged misappropriation of AIG trade secrets and confidential information The amended complaint by AIG also clarifies its reasoning for dropping Michael Price, Kean Driscoll, and Thomas Connolly as individual defendants formed for P/C wholesale brokers with a focus on small- and middle-enterprise risks in direct competition with AIG’s excess & surplus lines insurers Price was AIG’s CEO of North America General Insurance and Connolly was chief financial officer of AIG’s North America General Insurance before resigning AIG said its individual claims against the trio were “backed by strong evidence” but were dropped after the former executives’ intention to go into arbitration AIG said it dismissed the claims to “avoid unnecessary delays” and make sure its claims against Dellwood were addressed with full discovery A Dellwood spokesperson previously said AIG dropped the claims only because there “was no factual basis” for them “Any suggestion otherwise is meritless,” said the spokesperson Dellwood filed a motion to end AIG’s lawsuit against it and the new insurer was given until the end of July to answer the amended complaint and Connolly for using knowledge of AIG’s strategy for its E&S business underwriting and customers to start Dellwood which is allegedly “using AIG’s know-how and confidential information to attempt to replicate AIG’s E&S insurance business and unfairly compete against AIG,” the company said AIG continued to allege Price and Driscoll violated employment agreements prohibiting them from competing against AIG Connolly’s alleged infractions include allegedly soliciting other AIG employees and acting as “a mole and double agent” for Dellwood while still at AIG who alleged Connolly forwarded confidential information to his personal email who was AIG’s chief financial officer for North American general insurance at the time allegedly emailed himself AIG’s general ledger accounts and business plans for Dellwood before his departure Connolly used his AIG email to send a co-worker an Excel file containing business plans for Dellwood and AIG’s confidential data This occurred three weeks before he left the company The filing further alleges that Connolly sent a payroll hierarchy for Dellwood he forwarded a to-do list for creating Dellwood to his personal account In May, AIG dropped a lawsuit against three former executives who founded Dellwood accusing them of “unlawful misappropriation” of inside information AIG clarified that it did not drop claims against Dellwood Insurance Group LLC accuses Connolly of utilizing AIG’s “U.S Regional Investment Advisory Committee Charter” to form Dellwood’s governing committee It also claims that Connolly neglected his transition duties and failed to report to the office during his final month at AIG “Dellwood’s misappropriation of AIG’s confidential information has caused and will continue to cause significant damages and irreparable harm to AIG,” the filing stated AIG initially filed the lawsuit against Dellwood and former executives Connolly The lawsuit seeks to prevent the “unlawful misappropriation” of trade secrets are accused of violating noncompete agreements during Dellwood’s formation an excess and surplus lines insurance holding company was launched with over $250 million in capital and backing from prominent underwriters and investors The company is dedicated to wholesale brokers emphasizing small and middle enterprise risks South Florissant Road and West Florissant Avenue bear similarities beyond just their names with some stretches packed with storefronts and others serving as gateways to nearby suburban residential neighborhoods The roadways were also where protests and unrest erupted a decade ago in response to a white Ferguson police officer killing Michael Brown Jr West Florissant saw the worst of the destruction “It was unbelievable the anger people had,” he said “I can remember coming home at night and just seeing devastation to places that were once thriving businesses and gathering places and literally sit there and just watch some of them go up in flames.” a neighbor of Ferguson with a population of roughly 5,000 quickly adding that figure eclipses the damage in Ferguson It’s a point Jones said he fought to highlight to the media that descended to the area because he wanted to make sure his city would also see economic development money “I didn’t want people to forget about Dellwood and just soak everything into Ferguson Jones said the city fought to attract new tenants to those sites “Even though things happened basically overnight only one of those 13 sites doesn’t have a development plan Earlier this year, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis opened a $10 million, 42-unit senior living facility on the same lot along West Florissant Avenue that used to have an Auto Zone executive vice president for the Urban League of Metropolitan St describing a new north county senior living center The organization also plans to break ground Friday on a $10 million business plaza on the other side of West Florissant that will have a bank storefronts and multipurpose space that could host community meetings or small receptions Holmes said these developments are the result of the commitment from Michael P to invest and rebuild on the lots affected by the unrest a decade ago “If you don’t react or do something immediately This commitment may spur other businesses and organizations to follow suit and invest in the area also notes there are business plazas that have been rebuilt with new tenants and others that were long vacant have been filled in “We are still recovering,” said Idowu Ajibola a small grocery and retail store tucked behind an auto shop and across from the senior living facility on West Florissant Ajibola has been in this space since 2006 and ran the pharmacy next door before selling it in 2021 He said the unrest spurred him to carry fewer beauty supply products because they were frequently stolen “We had to do a lot of close down [for] repairs.” traffic to his store is growing more consistent as people search for his unique African products Ajibola said there could stand to be more shops directly around his store on West Florissant Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones (no relation to Dellwood’s mayor) agrees and adds a sit-down restaurant to that list “Just as much as South Florissant is growing we need West Florissant to grow,” she said One way regional leaders hope to promote new growth is through a long-talked-about redesign of West Florissant that will bring greenery islands where pedestrians can safely cross the busy road and other improvements and Dellwood Mayor Jones said it has taken years to secure a crucial grant from the U.S but it was not until Joe Biden’s administration got in office we got to meet with Pete Buttigieg and his department Louis County Department of Transportation and Public Works He said federal grants account for $21.8 million and local funds Construction is set to begin in fall 2025 and expected to take a few years Dellwood and Jennings have each adopted comprehensive zoning ordinances that will help guide new developments along the corridor Dellwood Mayor Jones calls the zoning law “a great asset” and said it will help the city avoid allowing businesses it doesn’t want along West Florissant play and eat and don’t go too far from home,” he said The street redesign and new zoning are a start 1 goal in the coming years is to help West Florissant develop the vibrancy that has flowered along South Florissant Road “It’s [thousands of] cars that pass West Florissant every day,” she said But replicating South Florissant’s vibrancy in other north county business corridors may not be as easy a gourmet popcorn and ice cream shop on South Florissant Small businesses do better when they’re next to some kind of anchor that acts as a main draw for traffic “They’re not built to survive on their own,” he said the stretch around his business has developed into a “Black business haven,” he said easily rattling off roughly a dozen businesses nearby including mainstays such as Cathy’s Kitchen and recent additions like the Hive Cafe “That’s a real concentration of Black-owned businesses in such a small area I don’t know of any other place like that in St Davis said he was struck by the outpouring of support he received when he opened in 2020 had moved out after being vandalized in the unrest that followed George Floyd’s murder in May of that year “I remember how happy people were because it was something that was bright And something that was opening in a time that everything was closing,” he said it was important to him to open a place that reflected what he wanted to see in his community Davis encourages other people considering opening new businesses in north county to do the same “Create the stuff that we want outside of what we typically get the stuff that we have to go outside of the community [for],” Davis said Davis has the type of energy that Beverly Jenkins sees more broadly among people and organizations across north St Jenkins and her husband, Ken, both pastors in the area, did the same thing with Refuge and Restoration, their nonprofit, whose CEO is Jenkins. It runs the R&R Marketplace, a $20 million redevelopment of a previously vacant Dellwood stripmall. The 90,000-square-foot site now hosts a plethora of services to help promote economic mobility and access “These were the opportunities we felt like were missing in [the] community,” Jenkins said “Spaces that our community was traveling to or utilizing in other neighborhoods or communities but was not accessible in their own.” especially to a bank that’s interested in investing into community-based ventures she said she’s had many interactions with community members some who even have lucrative jobs but still struggled to finance new businesses We already know what it is that we want,” Jenkins said but we don’t necessarily have access to the capital to get it done.” Even the Jenkinses faced a challenge in securing financing for the marketplace The idea for it came before the protests and unrest in 2014 which intensified their commitment to seeing the project through there’s not a lot of private equity investments in communities that people forget about,” she said That long timeline reflects the strategic economic disinvestment that happened across north St And this reality isn’t confined to the city or immediate area around where Michael Brown lived The conditions and challenges that were scrutinized intensely in Ferguson after his death are also present in other north St “Ferguson was not the only [place] that needs the additional support of our officials,” Carter said Carter is the site director for the North County Community Nexus a forthcoming redevelopment of the old Hathaway Hills Shopping Center on the border of Jennings and Bellefontaine Neighbors The nearly $10 million project by A Red Circle a nonprofit that promotes community betterment in north St Louis County by responding to racial equity issues is still in its early stages but has secured a $3 million grant And there’s already activity at the intersection of Lewis and Clark Boulevard and Jennings Station Road A small garden along the road is producing cucumbers “It’s not for us at all; it’s for the community.” Healthy foods are a cornerstone of this project There are plans for a demonstration kitchen to help teach those in the surrounding community how to make healthier foods on their own About 10,000 square feet of the shopping center will be transformed into a grocery store to provide a high volume of nutritious produce from local farmers and other providers for an area Carter describes as a food desert meaning many people in the surrounding area shop at the nearby convenience store for a lot of their needs “We’re all not privileged enough to get from A to B without any restrictions,” she said Similar to the R&R Marketplace in Dellwood the goal of the Nexus is to bring economic access and wellness to part of north St The development will also feature a small-business incubator and spaces for entrepreneurs to lease The services that will eventually be housed in this development directly reflect what the community members living around it want to see adding they deserve as much access to these resources as any other part of north county “Mike Brown wasn’t confined to one city,” Carter said A trio of former American International Group executives are asking a New Jersey court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the insurance giant alleging misappropriation of confidential information The executives launched Dellwood Insurance Group Kean Driscoll and Michael Price – took confidential information before departing AIG Dellwood attorneys sought to paint AIG as an insurance behemoth out to crush a little startup company The New York City law firm Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna also showed an appreciation for The Eagles’ 1970s soft-rock efforts “AIG’s theory of the case is built on the false belief that it is solely responsible for the creation and development of the E&S market and leaving AIG to go to a competitor is per se unlawful for former AIG employees,” the motion reads “AIG’s Hotel California theory that you can check out at any time you like but you can never leave AIG restrains trade.” AIG initially filed a lawsuit in April in the District of New Jersey federal court disclosing confidential information or “disparaging” AIG The noncompete clauses included expiration dates of Sept Price and Driscoll breached their obligations to AIG long before their non-competes expired Dellwood’s own publicly-filed documents reveal that the Dellwood legal entity was formed in Delaware no later than December 28 and registered to do business in New Jersey no later than January 30 Price and Driscoll had already raised more than $250 million in seed capital from various investors.” AIG’s lawsuit goes on to claim that Price and Driscoll “convinced Connolly to work for Dellwood as a secret agent during at least his final month at AIG Connolly served as chief financial officer for North America General Insurance AIG dismissed its lawsuit against the three executives while stressing its right to revive claims against Dellwood An amended lawsuit was filed against Dellwood only on July 10 Dellwood attorneys say AIG pulled the plug on its initial lawsuit to avoid a request for “advancement of defense costs in this litigation (as required by AIG’s bylaws).” The insurer cannot revive the same claims it just dismissed “with prejudice” only weeks ago “AIG’s dismissal of the Individuals with prejudice constitutes an adjudication on the merits,” the motion reads “Dellwood and the Individuals are also in privity as AIG itself concedes by alleging that Dellwood’s liability is based on the conduct of the Individuals who it argues are Dellwood’s agents and employees.” Defendants cite the legal principle of “res judicata,” which states that a thing or matter that has been decided on its merits cannot be litigated again between the same parties The amended complaint “cannot extricate AIG from the knot in which AIG has trapped itself,” the motion reads “Having dismissed its claims against the Individuals with prejudice its claims against Dellwood are barred by res judicata.” © Entire contents copyright 2024 by InsuranceNewsNet.com Inc No part of this article may be reprinted without the expressed written consent from InsuranceNewsNet.com InsuranceNewsNet Senior Editor John Hilton has covered business and other beats in more than 20 years of daily journalism. John may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @INNJohnH US deficits are unlikely to detract from fixed income’s appeal Calif. signs law requiring high school finance education class and money- making insights straight into your inbox Helping clients determine when and how to best claim benefits is valuable Most Guaranteed Lifetime Income Benefits are fully guaranteed others not so much; does your client understand what they have Make sure you are THE ONE in your territory who can answer common consumer questions [free guide] American Equity offers competitive commissions [Check out our FREE VIDEO on why you should have E&O.] Learn this and much more from the Society of FSP's FREE 2014 Advisor Success Kit Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInMEMPHIS (WMC) - A woman is fighting for her life after a shooting Monday evening at a Frayser convenience store The Memphis Police Department says the victim was located at the EZ Express Mart at the corner of Dellwood Avenue and Steele Street Officers received the shooting call at 5:39 p.m The woman was rushed to Regional One Hospital with life-threatening injuries Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH Click here to sign up for our newsletter Click here to report a spelling or grammar error Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInST (First Alert 4) - A boil advisory that covered much of north St Louis County has been lifted after two days The precautionary boil advisory was lifted Thursday after Missouri American Water tested the water quality and deemed it safe Louis County was put under a precautionary boil advisory on Tuesday following a water main break at Hazelcrst Drive and Dunn Road Thousands of people were affected by the break, including those dealing with flooded homes A portion of Dunn Road is still affected by the break with MoDOT advising drivers to use caution in the area and expect delays American International Group (AIG) has filed a brief opposing Dellwood Insurance Group’s motion to dismiss AIG’s amended complaint against the new firm suggesting there was a “mole” within the company Represented by Robin Cohen, Adam Ziffer, and Meredith Elkins of insurance recovery law firm Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna LLP, Dellwood filed its motion to dismiss on July 31, requesting that all counts be dismissed with prejudice and Thomas Connolly as individual defendants When AIG amended its complaint to exclude the trio – former AIG executives now leading Dellwood – the reasoning was to avoid delays in case they opted to take the case into arbitration argued that by voluntarily dismissing the action against the three with prejudice AIG achieved an adjudication on the merits of its claims against Dellwood 2024) business also wanted the case dismissed on the basis that AIG’s amended complaint “does not plausibly plead claims” against the excess and surplus (E&S) insurance startup AIG argued: “AIG’s First Amended Complaint (the ‘FAC’) lays out a detailed account of Dellwood’s wrongdoing that more than plausibly states the claims alleged Dellwood’s own website makes clear that Dellwood’s E&S business plan is to copy AIG’s E&S business plan details how Dellwood went well beyond that by taking AIG’s Confidential Information and inducing AIG’s current and former employees to breach their fiduciary and contractual obligations to enable Dellwood to get off the ground.” The court filing goes on to read: “While the full extent of Dellwood’s theft will not be known until discovery concludes it is already clear that Dellwood used its current chief financial officer “AIG’s investigation has already determined that while Connolly was still on AIG’s payroll he was drafting business plans for Dellwood and that he did so using AIG’s Confidential Information and business plans… which he emailed to himself from his AIG email account.” Citing post-employment restrictive covenants the major insurer also argued that the FAC provides “ample detail” with respect to Dellwood’s alleged inducement of the trio to breach their non-competition was CEO of North America general insurance at AIG before his separation from the firm on June 30 Dellwood president and chief underwriting officer after last serving as global CUO of general insurance who was AIG’s chief financial officer for North America general insurance and now serves as CFO and treasurer at Dellwood Meanwhile AIG’s camp also stated: “Apparently hoping to avoid the undeniable sufficiency of AIG’s allegations Dellwood strains to argue that the res judicata doctrine requires dismissal of the entire complaint against Dellwood because AIG voluntarily dismissed the claims it had asserted in this case against the Former Executives (after they signaled an intent to force this case into arbitration and thereby avoid the comprehensive discovery afforded by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and a public accounting for their misconduct) because res judicata only affords judgments preclusive effect in subsequent cases; it cannot be used to bar claims asserted in the same case.” 2024 at 9:01 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}All veterans are welcome to enjoy free food and beverages from 11:30 a.m in the Veteran Hospitality Tent on both days IL — The Lockport Township Park District will host its annual Military History Weekend on Sept This annual event features encampments and battles from the Civil War All veterans are welcome to enjoy free food and beverages from 11:30 a.m The Veterans’ Tent is sponsored by the Lockport VFW Post 5788 and AARP There will also be pyrotechnics sponsored by Heidelberg Materials uniforms and equipment from different eras The following is the schedule of events:Sept Sweet Reminder – performing hits from the ‘40s Brass from the Past – Chicago’s top cover band covering the hits of Motown Bridge Skirmish (West of Footbridge)6:45 p.m USO Show featuring Silver Bullet – Bob Segar Tribute Band10:30 p.m Sweet Reminder – performing hits from the 40s WWII Girls Baseball Living History Demo Meet the Rockford Peaches!(Baseball Field)1 p.m and adults are $10; children 12 years and younger Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. 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AIG has pushed back against Dellwood Insurance’s latest attempt to dismiss a lawsuit against the start-up E&S carrier alleging it stole confidential trade secrets from the insurance giant Dellwood Insurance Group has filed to dismiss a lawsuit against it by American International Group who is using the court system “as a cudgel to crush a fledgling startup,” the new surplus insurer said According to the motion filed last week in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, Dellwood contends AIG cannot bring the same claims against Dellwood as it did against three former AIG executives who founded the company after those claims were dismissed by AIG late last month “AIG’s dismissal with prejudice has consequences: AIG’s remaining claims against Dellwood are in addition to being legally insufficient and/or non-cognizable now barred by res judicata,” Dellwood said AIG and a group of its excess and surplus lines subsidiaries filed suit against Dellwood Insurance Group (DIG) and Michael Price and Thomas Connolly about a month after the nationwide E&S lines insurance holding company was launched AIG seeks injunctive relief and damages on allegations of breaches of contract Dellwood said AIG’s claims against its newest competitor are void “because AIG’s causes of action against Dellwood arise out of the same alleged conduct underlying the dismissed claims against the individuals.” Even before the voluntary dismissal of claims against its former employees AIG’s claims were “legally insufficient and/or fatally duplicative,” said Dellwood’s lawyers in the motion The only support for much of AIG’s allegations is an “assertion that no insurance company in this market could launch successfully without misappropriating AIG’s trade secrets would result in a pervasive restraint of trade.” DIG will be dedicated to P/C wholesale brokers with an emphasis on small- and middle-enterprise risks. Its Dellwood Specialty Insurance Company received a financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) from AM Best earlier this week Price was AIG’s CEO of North America General Insurance before ending his tenure with the company about a year ago formerly chief financial officer of AIG’s North America General Insurance is now Dellwood’s chief financial officer AIG’s claims against the trio were dropped only after the former employees demanded defense costs which Dellwood asserts “would defeat AIG’s effort to use the burden and cost of litigation to their strategic advantage.” Dellwood Specialty has hired Britt Sellers as head of brokerage casualty while Tyler Turk will be working as Dellwood’s director Dining The walls at Cathy’s Kitchen ToGo (10198 West Florissant), the new location of Cathy’s Kitchen There are personal photographs of co-owners Cathy and Jerome Jenkins a husband-and-wife team who started with a bespoke necktie business and ended up developing a chemical used for printing on spacesuits Alongside those hang images of their travels that were funded by this discovery many of the food that inspired the original Cathy’s Kitchen which they founded not long after their return in 2013 tell the chapter they lived through in 2014 when unrest following the shooting death of Michael Brown made them wonder whether their business would endure Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene Then there are the numerous images of the Jenkinses with the celebrities that have come through their restaurant and whom they’ve met along the way everyone from Tom Hanks to Paul McCartney to their dear friend Melissa Ethridge “We’re so grateful,” says Cathy “It’s always better to be invited to the party than to ask to come.” Cathy’s Kitchen ToGo, located in the R&R Marketplace development in the heart of Dellwood celebrates its grand opening today with a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m The restaurant is open from 11 a.m.–6 p.m Here’s what to know before you go—including the details on its robot server but customers can expect the same Cathy’s Kitchen dishes they’ve come to love over the past 11 years Cathy Jenkins continues to draw upon the culinary traditions she’s learned during her travels from New Mexico to Florida to California and the Southwest Popular items include the delectable shrimp and grits laden with cheddar cheese and spiced sausage gravy a creamy Cajun chicken pasta (also available with seafood) and the Friday special—a combination of fried chicken and catfish that’s become so popular so now it’s available all the time,” says Cathy.  In addition to the tried-and-true favorites Jenkins plans to add more items to the menu which she’s rolling out during the grand opening She’s also excited to show off what she learned during a recent trip to Australia “My goal has always been to try to bring flavors back here,” says Jenkins “What was interesting about Australia is how much of a melting pot it is but I really was excited to learn about Aboriginal food crocodile tongue… Everything was good—except for the kangaroo Those who choose to eat onsite can order at the counter or at two kiosks The space is light-filled and features red walls covered in the aforementioned artwork as well as a small window that offers views into the expansive kitchen which is much larger than the original Ferguson location Jenkins is confident that the kitchen can execute short ticket times and offer more specials Among the most noteworthy additions at the new location: a robot server named Plato which delivers food and takes customers’ trash. “The first time we saw one was in the airport and we thought we needed it because we don’t have enough employees,” says Cathy “This allows the person at the counter to talk on the phone and take orders while food is being delivered Customers love it—it takes your trash tells you ‘happy birthday,’ and it’s nice and friendly The owners are also happy to be part of the R&R Marketplace, spearheaded by Jerome’s brother, pastor Ken Jenkins The idea for the development is to be a one-stop shop for social services where community members can access everything from childcare to job training to addiction care “We all started out working together at the necktie store and now we are back together,” says Cathy “How could we not come here to be with family It feels like we have come full circle.” After hitting it big with an invention that allowed for inkjet printing on fabric—one that was used everywhere from NASA spacesuits to George Clooney’s wardrobe in Ocean’s 12—the Cathy and Jerome Jenkins were able to afford large yearly trips but they decided to do something different one year and set out on a cross-country culinary adventure which allowed them to learn about different food traditions across the United States The journey was so inspiring that when they came home Cathy decided to start a home-based takeout service based on what she’d learned during her travels she decided to open a full-fledged restaurant which welcomed its first guests into its Ferguson storefront in 2013 the menu is based on the greatest hits of the country’s diverse culinary offerings. The restaurant has garnered a loyal following and she looks forward to expanding that reach in the new location “We’re very excited about being here,” says Cathy “and being a part of this vision for the community.”  Start your mornings with a fresh take on the day’s top local news from Sarah Fenske and Ryan Krull Our award-winning content brings readers revealing profiles Start your mornings with a fresh take on the day’s top local news Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Army receiving a Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal His daughter Julie was born during his military service in Vietnam Kevin was the President of Dellwood Hills Golf Club in 2009 Kevin dressed up as Santa to bring joy to his family and friends during Christmas time & cousins; and longtime friends and travel partners September 11 from 4-8pm at Mueller Memorial with a toast celebrating his life at 7:30pm with visitation starting at 10am at the church September 16 at 9am at Fort Snelling National Cemetery memorials preferred to Collier-Lee Honor Flight www.collierhonorflight.com or to Tunnel to Towers Foundation Kevin was scheduled to attend the Collier-Lee Honor Flight at the end of this month honoring his military service We are saddened that he will miss this opportunity Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Dellwood Specialty Insurance Company has received a financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) from AM Best The industry rating agency said the rating as given due to Dellwood’s “very strong” balance sheet strength as well as other factors such as business plan The excess and surplus lines insurer dedicated to property/casualty wholesale brokers with an emphasis on small and middle enterprise (SME) risks Dellwood Insurance Group was launched in March by former AIG executives Michael Price and Kean Driscoll and backed by RenaissanceRe along with more than $250 million in capital AIG said it developed a unique and proprietary binding process that involved only wholesalers and that Dellwood “appears to have adopted that strategy” and is competing directly with AIG specialty insurers AM Best considered Dellwood’s leadership in the rating “Dellwood’s senior management team consists of individuals with extensive experience and strong track records in the industry.” The 317 Project tells stories of life in Indianapolis’ vibrant neighborhoods – 317 words at a time Have a tip for a story in one of Indianapolis’ neighborhoods there exists a road outside the 465 loop that offers a moment that can't be found among the city's tall buildings or in the state's sea of corn A tunnel that blocks out the sun with an assortment of red as the branches of more than a couple of dozen trees guide drivers in and out of Indianapolis It's a drive that embodies the spirit of autumn And it's perhaps one of the best-kept secrets for those who live around the Girl Scouts' Dellwood camp the trees along West 21st Street protect drivers from the sun with a lane of green leaves that hang over the road anticipation for the season grows as neighbors begin talking about the week before the leaves fall "It really is a different experience," said Tanesha Smith "You will always remember it when fall time comes because it changes quickly and the colors are really vibrant." shimmering in the eyes of drivers as they make their way through Dellwood's tunnel Leaves dance in the air stream created by cars passing through the tunnel It provides a moment of nature-induced serenity something that is rare to come by in the modern era For Smith and others in the surrounding neighborhoods it was a moment many didn't realize they were purchasing with their homes but it is a moment that is uniquely theirs Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@indystar.com or follow him on X @1NoePadilla American International Group and a group of its excess and surplus lines subsidiaries have dropped claims against three former AIG executives who launched Dellwood Insurance Group but its claims against the E&S lines insurer live on District Court in New Jersey of its intent to drop the individual claims against Michael Price The trio launched Garden State-based Dellwood in early March with more than $250 million in capital and backed by RenaissanceRe and Connolly was formerly chief financial officer of AIG’s North America General Insurance formed for P/C wholesale brokers with eye on small- and middle-enterprise risks AIG said in a court filing that it chose to dismiss the claims against its former executives “to avoid unnecessary delays and costs” and to make sure its remaining claims against Dellwood remain in the District of New Jersey “AIG has engaged in a highly unusual move of dismissing with prejudice its own claims against Mr Connolly for one reason only,” a Dellwood spokesperson said in an email to Insurance Journal “It knew that there was no factual basis for their claims and that such claims would likely be dismissed Any suggestion otherwise is meritless.” The defendants’ lawyers in mid-May filed a letter to the judge to request a conference to discuss dismissal of all claims AIG in March sent a cease-and-desist notice to Price alleging they violated agreements and fiduciary obligations by allegedly soliciting AIG employees and misappropriating trade secrets and that they would not solicit any AIG employees or had any knowledge of confidential or proprietary information in their possession “This litigation is an attempt by AIG – a $50 billion behemoth insurance company – to crush a fledgling startup restrain the entrance of new capacity in the underserved market for small and medium sized businesses struggling to find adequate insurance and punish Dellwood’s founders who had the entrepreneurial spirit and courage to set out on their own after years of faithful service to AIG This is exemplified by the complaint’s kitchen-sink approach of asserting causes of action that are not legally cognizable and/or are legally insufficient,” said a lawyer for the defendants in the letter AIG’s suit, filed in early April alleged Dellwood is “directly competitive” with AIG’s E&S insurers “AIG was at the forefront of a recent market trend of moving the E&S market from a dual distribution model to a wholesale-only model,” AIG said in the suit “AIG developed its own unique and proprietary version of the contract bind process that eliminated the need for hiring a fleet of sophisticated underwriters Dellwood appears to have adopted that strategy and intends to leverage the relevant expertise that Price and other former employees learned at AIG to develop a company that competes against AIG not only in the E&S market but in other segments as well.” Dellwood Specialty Insurance has hired Aspen’s Richard Noonan as head of programs The exact focus of his role is yet to be determined Sail Away Soca and Jumuiya Ya Afrika have joined forces having a fundraiser to support a healthy meals program already in place at Dellwood Middle School Hafid James and his community sponsors: ONE Communications Sound Concept and others started a healthy meals program at The Dellwood Middle School offering healthy meals for underprivileged students Monday “I heard about the situation at Dellwood and it was heartbreaking but glad I was in a position to help.” said Mr “Since our initial talks with the school the number of students have grown which isn’t surprising as lower income households are greater affected in this stormy financial climate As a health coach I know the importance of how no or lower quality foods can affect learning behaviour and performance and how if not corrected can have negative ramifications for the children of Bermuda down the line.” “One Communications is proud to be a community sponsor and support the Dellwood’s Healthy Meals program,” said Shira Jatto Senior Director of Marketing and Customer Experience at One “We are delighted to contribute to the well-being and nourishment of the students ensuring they have the energy and focus needed for a successful day Helping our community is at the heart of everything we do Thank you to Hafid and his partners for making a difference.” “The program is funded by the events put on through Sail Away Soca a event group started during Covid with Hafid and his friends Sheena Cholmondeley and Melissa Trott This year Sail Away Soca and Jumiya Ya Afrika are teaming up and all proceeds will go to the healthy meals program.” “As Africans we respect the value of proper nutrition and believe everyone should have substantive meals consisting of “Preparing meals is a ritual we Africans take very seriously across the continent,” he added “Food is an integral part of almost everything we do and so we also feel compelled to assist the Dellwood healthy meals program.” FUSE: Soca meets Afrobeats is the fundraising event the two organisations have teamed up to organize. It will feature Bermuda’s best performers in these two music genres including Rusty G, Korie Minors, Fire Wayne, DJ Choosen and more on Saturday 19 October 2024 at Pier Six. Tickets are $50-$100 [early bird] available at https://bdatix.vbotickets.com/event/FUSE_Soca_meets_Afrobeats/132312 “Our goal is to have this program grow and help students in other ways as well This wouldn’t be possible without the continuous patrons and our growing community sponsors This year so far Sail Away Soca and Jumiya Ya Afrika are excited to have added Butterfield International Island Boys and The City of Hamilton as community sponsors for the healthy meals program.” “The Corporation of Hamilton is proud to stand alongside community leaders and organizations like Sail Away Soca and Jumiya Ya Afrika in making a tangible difference in the lives of Bermuda’s youth We believe that investing in the well-being of our students today is investing in the future of our entire island through efforts like the healthy meals program at Dellwood Middle School “Please come out and support this event or contact us to become a community sponsor by email sailawaysoca@gmail.com or info@jumuiya.bm we can collectively create a significant positive impact on our island Category: All, Entertainment, News XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong> authoritative news and information source for executives focused upon risk management Never miss important news: Become a Business Insurance Online subscriber today Create your free Business Insurance account now Sign up for unlimited free newsletters from BI and get introductory access to all content on the new Business Insurance online (WLOS) — The North Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating a crash into a building that sent one person to the hospital The incident occurred when a full-size pickup truck hit a building on Dellwood Road injuring a person inside.The driver of the truck was not injured Emergency officials say the victim was flown to Mission Hospital for treatment No other details are available at this time.