Insurance Coverage

The Insurance Coverage Practice focuses on interpreting contracts of all kinds and representing insurers in complex coverage claims. Such representation includes monitoring, mediations, arbitrations and declaratory relief litigation in state and federal courts throughout the United States.

The coverage group’s experience encompasses a wide variety of insurance matters, such as:

  • Insurance coverage related to general liability, professional liability, homeowners, title, disability, accident and health, life, jeweler’s block, inland marine, multi-peril business and customized (manuscript) policies;
  • Insurance coverage for employment practices including wrongful termination, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, federal Title VII and EEOC, State Fair Employment and Housing Act, employment contract claims and age discrimination claims;
  • Insurance coverage related to construction defect litigation, including coverage issues arising out of land subsidence and related problems;
  • Insurance coverage disputes arising out of national products liability litigation;
  • Insurance coverage related to pollution and toxic tort claims, such as CERCLA claims by state and local environmental authorities, and claims by private parties against one another;
  • Insurance coverage related to intellectual property litigation (including patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade names, licenses and trade secrets) and arising out of “advertising injury” or “personal injury” policy provisions (including defamation, disparagement and invasion of privacy);
  • Insurance coverage with respect to rights and obligations of parties under directors and officers liability policies;
  • Insurance coverage related to errors and omissions policies, including policies issued to lawyers, accountants, insurance agents and real estate agents;
  • Claims involving interpretation of excess and umbrella policies, including “drop down” issues;
  • Interpleader actions;
  • Reinsurance;
  • Monitoring of, and fee arbitrations against, “independent counsel” selected by insureds;
  • Policy drafting and insurance forms drafting.

Our experience in insurance coverage essentially extends to all major types of insurance. Recently, Lewis Brisbois has been involved in a number of significant coverage matters involving such diverse issues as the Taco Bell Chihuahua ads, an MTV music video programming dispute, pet food poisoning cases, multiple mortgage scams and other business fraud claims, the “big rig pile-up” on Interstate 5 in Los Angeles and the liability of a “hostage rescue” firm for the disappearance of a corporate officer in Venezuela. We are confident that there is no law firm better able to provide quality coverage advice to the insurance industry than Lewis Brisbois.

Chairs

  • Seth Friedman (Partner) - Seth.Friedman@lewisbrisbois.com, 404.991.2184
  • Jill Collins (Managing Partner) - Jill.Collins@lewisbrisbois.com, 505.545.8304

Vice Chairs

  • Jeffrey Goldwater (Partner) - Jeffrey.Goldwater@lewisbrisbois.com, 312.463.3344

National Coordinating Chair

  • Michael Velladao (Partner) - Michael.Velladao@lewisbrisbois.com, 213.580.7958