Berkshire Insurer Sheds NJ Spa's Demand for More Defense Costs

A Berkshire Hathaway insurance unit was spared additional defense costs beyond a $100,000 limit in New Jersey. The case arose from a 2023 lawsuit by a day-spa patron who said an employee sexually assaulted her during a massage. A federal court held the policy’s abuse-or-molestation exclusion unambiguously barred coverage. The ruling applied to the underlying litigation and ended the insurer’s obligation for more defense spending.