A W. R. Berkley Corp. insurance unit beat a Chubb Ltd. unit after a federal appeals court said Chubb must cover a construction company’s defense and settlement for a wrongful death at an Exxon Mobil Corp. facility in Texas.

Indemnity Insurance Co. of North America, the Chubb unit, has to pay for Bechtel Oil, Gas, and Chemicals Inc.’s legal defense and settlement costs in the underlying suit, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said Friday. The appeals court reversed a lower court order against Gemini Insurance Co., and asked the district court to rule on whether Gemini …