Member Update
Hear from Sarah Braughler, UE’s Vice President of Risk Management
June 2026: Legal Trends, Jury Verdicts, and Upcoming Opportunities to Connect
Thank you to the members who joined our recent Bringing UE to You event at the Illinois Institute of Technology. We appreciate the opportunity to hear directly about the pressures institutions are facing and share our insights on today’s liability environment and strategies to help reduce risk.
We look forward to continuing those conversations at our upcoming Bringing UE to You event at the Morehouse School of Medicine in September. Members can register here.
Members continue to ask what is driving rising claims costs and what institutions can do to respond. A recent Swiss Re study, Verdicts on trial: The behavioral science behind America’s skyrocketing legal payouts, reinforces that liability costs are being shaped by more than traditional economic inflation. Swiss Re found that wage inflation, medical cost trends, and consumer price index growth no longer fully explain the pace of liability claims escalation, and that emotion-driven jury awards, shifting juror sentiment, and increased litigation are contributing to higher costs, less predictability, and greater severity for insurers, businesses, and consumers. (Swiss Re)
What Institutions Can Do
These findings reinforce the importance of proactive litigation and claims strategies, including those we are incorporating in defending UE member claims. These approaches are not one-size-fits-all, but they can help institutions and defense teams better understand risk, prepare for trial, and make more informed decisions throughout the life of a claim.
Explore these resources to better understand the liability landscape and practical mitigation strategies:
- What Is Driving Social Inflation — and How Institutions Can Respond
- EY: Don’t Cry Over Spilled Coffee; 6 Strategies to Mitigate the Impact of Social Inflation
- Risk & Insurance: Building an Effective Defense Against Nuclear Verdicts — Key Strategies for 2025
UE will continue to monitor these trends and share insights to help members navigate litigation risk, manage claims effectively, and support their educational missions.
Resolutions’ leadership and team members will be in Nashville for the National Association of College and University Attorneys Annual Conference, June 29-July 2. We are looking forward to the opportunity to connect with counsel for our higher education institutions at this annual event.
Thank you for your continued partnership. I look forward to seeing many of you in Nashville, Atlanta, or at another upcoming UE event.
Ellie Kennedy
Vice President of Resolutions Management and General Counsel
