SubscribeOn November 15, the US District Court for the Northern District of California granted Scottsdale Insurance Company’s motion for judgment on the pleadings in Hotchalk, Inc. v. Scottsdale Insurance Co. (Case No. 4:16-CV-03883), ruling that Scottsdale is not required to defend or indemnify Hotchalk from a 2014 False Claims Act (FCA) suit (and subsequent settlement). Hotchalk, an education technology company, was a Scottsdale policyholder and sought coverage related to a qui tam suit that alleged improper employee incentives for student recruitment. The court ultimately found that the underlying allegations related directly to the company’s professional services, and thus were barred from coverage based on a professional services exclusion in Hotchalk’s policy.
professional services exclusion
