Insurance

Insurance

Gordon & Rees has over 50 attorneys representing many of the largest domestic and foreign insurers and reinsurers doing business in the U.S., assisting them in a variety of matters in state and federal courts across the country, including the defense of bad faith claims; rescission, sales practices, and complex coverage litigation; reinsurance disputes; declaratory relief actions; FINRA arbitrations; and contribution actions. The Insurance Group also provides a broad spectrum of non-litigation services, including product development, underwriting consulting, policy drafting, claims review and coverage advice, claims management solutions, and statutory compliance and legal ethics training.

Specialty Expertise

The Group regularly handles precedent-setting cases involving high exposure claims and novel legal theories, including class actions, insurer liquidations, suits based on California Business & Professions Code section 17200, excess insurer issues, environmental and toxic exposures, and claims relating to life, health and disability insurance including ERISA. The Group’s experience extends to personal and commercial lines. Our Insurance Group includes lawyers who have worked in the insurance industry in various positions prior to entering the practice of law, including an Insurance Litigation Consultant and Claims Supervisor with over 10 years of experience in overseeing large commercial disputes, auditing and consulting on various insurance programs, and providing risk management advice, as well as an attorney who worked in numerous claims department capacities, advancing from the adjuster level to senior technical and management positions in which he worked directly with insurer claims and underwriting management. As a result, our team has a unique perspective on insurer problems and we are able to provide practical approaches to solving them.

Appellate Distinctions

The Group has significant appellate experience, including recent cases involving property and duty to defend issues, class actions, workers compensation insurance, limitations on the scope of conduct for which bad faith damages may be recovered, and punitive damages recoveries.

Trial Record

The jury verdict and bench trial record of the Group is noteworthy. The Group obtained a defense jury verdict in an environmental coverage and bad faith case for an insurer sued by a property management company for millions in defense costs, “Brandt” fees, and punitive damages. The Daily Journal ranked this result as a Top 10 Defense Verdict. The Group also obtained a multi-million dollar verdict for an insurer against an insured based on fraud, with a criminal restitution order against the insured.