8th Circuit Denies Petition for Rehearing in Benzene-Related Insurance Dispute

ST. LOUIS –– The 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has denied a petition for rehearing in a benzene insurance coverage dispute, allowing its order affirming a decision that one insurer is entitled to equitable contribution from another to stand.

In the one-page order issued March 14, the 8th Circuit denied The Valspar Corp.’s petition for rehearing by the panel, effectively backing its originally finding that Valspar’s agreement to pay National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, PA, costs and Continental Insurance Co.’s agreement not to recover defense costs from Valspar are “distinct obligations.”

Valspar had moved the court …