Jane M. Byrne, Co-Chair of Quinn Emanuel's Insurance and Reinsurance Litigation Group, has been consistently recognized as one of the very best litigators in the nation in the areas of insurance coverage and reinsurance. As Chambers found in its Guide to U.S. Lawyers,  clients “are effusive in their praise” for Ms. Byrne, who is as “extremely bright, tenacious and strategic” and  a “renowned insurance and reinsurance litigator”  (Chambers 2017) who is as “as good as it gets” in her field.  (Chambers 2015).  Most recently, Ms. Byrne was honored by Benchmark Litigation 2017 as one of the top ten insurance litigators in the country (2017), as a National Litigation Star (2017) and as one of the Top 250 Women in Litigation by Benchmark Litigation (2015-2018).   She was also selected to be a member of the Legal 500 Hall of Fame for Insurance for having been identified by clients and peers as an elite leading lawyer representing insurers for six consecutive years. Ms. Byrne has been included in the 6th and 7th editions of Women in Business Law 2016 and 2017 as one of the leading insurance & reinsurance practitioners in the world, as well as the 2017 edition of Euromoney’s Insurance and Reinsurance Expert Guide. Ms. Byrne advises a who’s who of domestic and international insurers in high-value coverage disputes, reinsurance litigation and arbitration, and transactional disputes.     

Ms. Byrne represents American International Group, Infrassure, QBE, Great American Insurance Co., Berkshire Hathaway, and HDI-Gerling, among other insurers, in high-stakes, high value matters. 

• Obtained dismissal on summary judgment of bad faith and breach of contract claims for insurer Infrassure Ltd. in Sinclair Wyoming Refining Go. v. Infrassure Ltd. (United States District Court, District of Wyoming), a case involving a business interruption claim due to a fire at an oil refinery. 
• In a case of first impression in the reinsurance industry, obtained affirmance from the Second Circuit in Infrassure Ltd. v.  First Mutual Transportation Assur. Co. (Second Circuit)in  a declaratory judgment action involving property damage claims suffered as a result of Sueprstorm Sandy.   The cedent sought to compel  compel arbitration under the London Arbitration Clauses, where the certificate also contained a New York arbitration clause.  The Second Circuit rejected the cedent’s  argument that “UK and Bermuda Insurers Only” should be disregarded under the “Titles Clause” of the Reinsurance Certificate, which provided that the titles of the certificate’s provisions have no meaning.
• Obtained a 5-0 victory in the New York Court of Appeals in a landmark decision on the “follow the fortunes” doctrine,   United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company  v. American Re-Insurance Company (New York Court of Appeals), in a case where reinsurers challenged the allocation of a $1 billion settlement of asbestos related liabilities.
• Obtained dismissal for defendant United Guaranty of class actions alleging violations of RESPA’s anti-kick-back provisions arising from United Guaranty’s practice of obtaining reinsurance for its mortgage insurance policies from captive insurers affiliated with lending banks.  See, e.g., White v. PNC Bank et al (E.D. Pa.); Menichino v. Citibank, et al (W.D. Pa.); Manners v. FifthThird Bank et al (W.D. Pa.); Cunningham v. M&T Bank (M.D. Pa); McCarn v. HSBC, et al (E.D. Ca.).
• Obtained summary judgment dismissing claims for conspiracy against reinsurer National Indemnity in Ford Motor Co. v. National Indemnity (E.D. Va.), a case where plaintiff is challenging a loss portfolio reinsurance structure.
• Obtained dismissal of class action alleging coverage for losses arising from the Madoff Ponzi scheme  in Horowitz v. American International Group Inc., (S.D.N.Y. 2010) and affirmance by the Second Circuit (2d Cir. 2011).
• Represented AIG and its subsidiaries in class actions and individual lawsuits related to defective Chinese-manufactured drywall products, consolidated in a multi-district litigation in the Eastern District of Louisiana.   In re Defective Chinese-Manufactured Drywall (E.D. La.)
• Represented National Union Fire Insurance Co. in coverage litigation arising out of Boston-s infamous “Big Dig” tunnel collapse.  National Union v. Modern Continental Construction Co.
• Represented bond insurer in Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. v. JPMorgan Chase NA and JPMorgan Securities Inc. (NY. Sup. Ct.), involving municipal bond insurance policies allegedly procured by fraud in one of the largest municipal bribery schemes in the nation’s history
• Representation of AIG in AXA Versicherung AG v. New Hampshire Insurance Co., (2d Cir. 2010), taking the case over on appeal and obtaining reversal of a $35 million jury verdict against AIG in a reinsurance dispute.
• Representation of CNA in Park Terrace LLC. v. Transportation Insurance Co., 2010AP2432 (WI Ct. App. 2011), obtaining reversal of jury verdict involving business interruption insurance.
• Represented AIG in America Home Assurance Co. v. Nausch, Hogan & Murray, Inc. (1st Dept. NY App. Div. 2010), addressing liability of reinsurance broker for rescissionary damages.