The firm’s expertise extends to a variety of insurance contracts, including first party property, commercial general liability, excess liability, professional liability, directors and officers’ liability, commercial inland marine, boiler and machinery, and environmental impairment liability policies.
Bad Faith Litigation
The firm has handled hundreds of insurance bad faith lawsuits in California federal and state courts since its inception.
The majority of the firm’s bad faith litigation arises from high exposure first party and third party claims asserted against our national and multi-national insurance carrier clients.
First Party Property
The firm has a wide ranging first party property practice. Our attorneys are trained to address complex first party coverage issues, including claims arising from such diverse perils as fire, earthquake, and other natural disasters, water damage and mold, theft, and ensuing loss from construction defect claims.
In addition to interpreting policies, we provide assistance with the evaluation of claims, including taking examinations under oath in complex business income loss disputes and suspected fraud cases.
Coordinating Counsel
Since its inception, the firm has acted as coordinating coverage counsel with respect to construction defect claims arising from commercial general liability policies issued to major developers by several multi-national insurance carriers.
Inter-Insurance Carrier Disputes
The firm litigates numerous risk transfer disputes among insurance carriers, including for contribution, subrogation, indemnity, and reinsurance disputes.
Appeals
The firm has extensive appellate experience in the insurance coverage and bad faith areas. We have argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the California Court of Appeal on many occasions, with considerable success in high value cases.
Our appellate experience has involved issues as diverse as advertising injury claims, construction defect claims, environmental impairment claims, first party property claims, professional liability claims, mold claims, and inter-insurance carrier disputes.
Third Party Liability Coverage
We have extensive experience handling third party liability matters, including analysis and litigation of wide-ranging duty to defend issues in connection with both commercial and personal lines. We have handled numerous bad faith lawsuits arising from third party liability claims, including bodily injury, property damages, personal injury, advertising injury, and website injury. We also initiate declaratory relief actions to determine rights under third party liability coverages.
Suspected Fraud
The firm has handled numerous cases and claims involving suspected fraud, including claims arising from arson, workers’ compensation billing practices, undocumented business income losses, Cumis counsel fee disputes, mysterious disappearances, and underwriting misrepresentations.