Nationwide Insurance Units Sue Over Church Sexual Abuse Claims

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. units are suing a Baptist church in Virginia, seeking to limit their exposure to underlying sexual abuse claims.

Total coverage for the underlying claims is limited to $1 million under commercial general liability policies issued to Immanuel Baptist Church in Colonial Heights, Va., the insurers said in a complaint filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Umbrella liability policies provide no coverage for the claims, the carriers—Depositors Insurance Co. and AMCO Insurance Co.—said.

The underlying suits were filed by plaintiffs alleging they were sexually abused by a youth leader at ...