West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. v. Krishna Schaumburg Tan, Inc.
2021 IL 125978 (IL. 2021)Words & Phrases
Personal Injury Liability CoverageTrial Judge
Franklin Valdarrama; Mary MikvaAppellate Judge
NevilleHolding
Insurer had duty to defend insured against customer's BIPA claim because disclosure of biometric information to a second company was a "publication" violating the customer's "right of privacy."Fact Summary
See appellate decision. 2020 IL App (1st) 191834
6 cases following: See Am. Family Mut. Ins. Co. v. Caremel, Inc 
., Case No. 20 C 637, 2022 WL 79868 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 7, 2022) ("Caremel); Citizens Ins. Co. of Am. v. Thermoflex Waukegan, LLC , Case No. 20-cv-05980, 2022 WL 602534 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 1, 2022) ("Thermoflex"); State Auto. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Tony's Finer Foods Enters., Inc ., Case No. 20-cv-6199, 2022 WL 683688 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 8, 2022) ("Tony's Finer Foods"); Citizens Ins. Co. of Am. v. Highland Baking Co., Case No. 20-cv-04997, slip op. (N.D. Ill. Mar. 29, 2022) ("Highland Baking"); Am. Fam. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Carnagio Enters. , Inc., Case No. 20 C 3665, 2022 WL 952533 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 30, 2022) ("Carnagio"); Citizens Ins. Co. of Am. v. Wynndalco Enters., LLC , Case No. 20 C 3873, 2022 WL 952534 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 30, 2022) ("Wynndalco").
CONTRA: The decisions held the Access or Disclosure Exclusion, which is commonly found in general liability policies, unambiguously barred coverage for BIPA claims. See American Family Mut. Ins. Co., S.I. v. Carnagio Enters., Case No 20-c-3665 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 30, 2022); Thermoflex Waukegan, LLC v. Mitsui Sumitomo Ins. USA, Inc., Case No. 21-c-788 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 30, 2022).
The rulings by the Hon. John Z. Lee, U.S.D.J. (N.D. Ill.) departed from recent decisions within the District that held the exclusion did not unambiguously exclude coverage. See Am. Fam. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Caremel, Inc., Case No. 20-c-637, 2022 WL 79868 at 3 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 7, 2022); Citizens Ins. Co. of Am. v. Thermoflex Waukegan, LLC, Case No. 20-cv-05980, 2022 WL 602537 at 6-7 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 1, 2022); Citizens Insurance Company of America v. Highland Baking Company, Inc., Case No. 20-cv-04997 (N.D. Ill. March 29, 2022).