Our lawyers have extensive experience litigating and arbitrating on behalf of policyholders in complex, high-stakes insurance related disputes. Our practice group combines the talents of exceptional commercial litigators with the expertise of experienced coverage counsel. Group leader, Danielle Gilmore, has been named a Law Dragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer for the last three years in a row and was recently recognized as one of Law 360’s 2023 MVPs in insurance. Danielle was one of a handful of those chosen from over 900 submissions by Law360 as an attorney who has distinguished herself from her peers over the past year through high-stakes litigation and complex global matters.
We have represented large corporate policyholders and smaller insureds in actions against their insurers in all types of insurance coverage claims and matters, including antitrust, asbestos, broker liability, business interruption, commercial and general liability (“CGL”), crime and fidelity, cyber, directors and officers (“D&O”) liability, employment practices liability, entertainment, environmental, errors and omissions, healthcare, intellectual property, and product liability. Our lawyers have consistently achieved recoveries far exceeding fees paid. In many cases, we have obtained favorable resolutions for our clients before—and without the need for—litigation.
Recent Representations
- We represented Hakkasan USA, Inc. in a bad faith insurance coverage action against Sompo International, Endurance American Specialty Insurance Company, Willis Towers Watson Insurance Services West, Inc., and Willis of Arizona, Inc. in connection with Hakkasan’s claim for coverage for its business interruption losses at its restaurants, nightclubs, and entertainment venues in the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The case resulted in a favorable settlement for Hakkasan.
- We represented Kaseya Holdings in an insurance coverage dispute with AXA XL Insurance Company and Zurich American Insurance Company in connection with its claim for coverage under its cyber insurance policy for first party and third party losses arising out of a ransomware attack. The case resulted in a favorable settlement for Kaseya.
- We secured coverage for Aspiro AB dba Tidal following a denial of coverage for the defense costs to respond to a search warrant and investigation by the Norwegian criminal authorities arising out of allegations related to the streaming of certain songs.
- We acted for Ensham to recover business interruption and property losses arising out of flooding in Queensland. At the time of the recovery, it was the single largest payout by Lloyd’s of London insurance market in Australia.
- We acted for Bovis Lend Lease in its successful defense and resolution of the World Trade Center clean-up litigation. We secured coverage for LendLease and independent legal representation under a U.S. $1 billon captive insurance policy and worked with that insurer to drive a successful resolution strategy.
- We represented Platinum Management LLC in a coverage action brought by its excess D&O insurers regarding the advancement of attorneys’ fees and costs for defense of a criminal prosecution by the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, a civil enforcement action by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the same Court, and a parallel civil action in Texas state court.
- We acted for LendLease in seeking recovery under its insurance program for claims arising out of allegedly defective fire stopping in a series of U.K. hospitals. Quinn Emanuel assisted LendLease to enter into an advantageous deed of settlement by which LendLease was able to recover its losses against primary and excess insurers.
- We represented International Lease Finance Corporation (“ILFC”) in a bad faith insurance coverage action against Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London for denial of coverage of the total loss of a Boeing 757 aircraft confiscated and seized by Russian Federation Customs. The case resulted in a favorable settlement for ILFC.
- We act for Local Councils in Victoria and New South Wales in two separate class action proceedings brought against global insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson Pty Ltd (“JLT”), seeking compensation in respect of financial losses suffered by Local Councils as a result of alleged breaches of general law, contract, and fiduciary duties owed by JLT in relation to insurance broking services that it provided to Local Councils.
- We secured coverage for Brud, Inc. after a denial of coverage for an employment practices related claim.
- Quinn Emanuel initially acted for Pitcher Partners in its defense of a shareholder class action regarding its role as the auditors of Slater & Gordon and continues to act for Pitcher Partners as strategic counsel. With the benefit of the work done by Quinn Emanuel in defense of Pitcher Partners, their insurers granted indemnity under their professional indemnity insurance and assumed conduct of the defense.
- We secured insurance coverage for the former CEO of an energy services company under a D&O liability insurance policy for the defense of a criminal action for misconduct brought by the U.S. Department of Justice.
- We obtained a favorable settlement for Jacobs France, a subsidiary of Jacobs Engineering, in an insurance coverage dispute regarding coverage for claims brought by a governmental entity of France alleging negligent design and construction of a state-of-the-art waste incineration plant in eastern France.
- We secured reimbursement of defense costs for com under a D&O liability insurance policy for the defense of multiple actions brought by former employees arising out of their termination for engaging in illegal price-fixing activity.
- We obtained a nine-figure settlement for a regional bank in a novel lawsuit involving allegations that its insurer and broker had breached their contract and fiduciary duties in failing to automatically reallocate the bank’s $612 million investment in bank-owned life insurance policies to a more conservative fund when certain performance triggers were hit.
- We represented Occidental Petroleum and won a jury verdict establishing liability in an insurance coverage case regarding business interruption losses sustained from over two hundred terrorist bombings of an oil pipeline in Colombia. The case settled for nine figures before the damages phase of the trial.
- We represented MHR Advisors, LLC, other MHR entities, and Mark Rachesky in connection with obtaining coverage for the multiple suits and actions initiated by Carl Icahn and entities controlled by Icahn regarding various transactions that led to Dr. Rachesky and MHR obtaining a large amount of Lions Gate shares.
- We secured coverage for Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. (“SolidWorks”) after the insurer withdrew its defense and denied coverage for an action asserting claims against SolidWorks for unfair competition, false designation of origin, false advertising, trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, and unfair business practices, among other claims.
- We were retained by Family Dollar Stores in a dispute regarding insurance coverage under a D&O insurance policy for several stock options backdating derivative actions. The case was quickly settled on favorable terms soon after our appearance in the case.
- We represented The Kor Group, a privately held real estate investment and management company, and negotiated a favorable settlement for coverage of multiple disputes arising out of a construction defect action in which plaintiff sought in excess of $50 million in damages in connection with the sale of a high-rise apartment building and its subsequent conversion to condominiums.
- We represented Jacobs Engineering in a coverage dispute involving utility service interruptions caused by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav that resulted in millions of dollars of business interruption losses.
- We secured payment of policy limits on behalf of certain directors and officers of Maxim Integrated Systems under several D&O insurance policies in connection with a stock options backdating derivative action. The insurer’s ultimate participation resulted in a favorable settlement for the directors and officers and Maxim.
- We represented a large national retailer in numerous insurance coverage disputes with its property and casualty insurers for coverage of excessive property damage losses arising from Hurricane Georges. As a result of strategic discovery and motion practice, the coverage disputes were all favorably resolved.
- We represented Marsh & McLennan for over 15 years in a wide variety of policy matters, ranging from coverage disputes to class actions. Recently, we successfully defended Marsh in a series of California class actions arising out of Elliot Spitzer’s high-profile investigation against Marsh.
- We obtained a favorable settlement for Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. in a coverage dispute regarding coverage for a wage and hour class action in which the insurer had denied coverage under its employment practices liability insurance policy.
- We represented The Walt Disney Company in a coverage dispute regarding idea submission claims in excess of $200 million. We obtained a reversal of summary judgment in the Ninth Circuit, as well as a determination that summary judgment should have been granted in favor of Disney. The appellate result led to a favorable settlement for Disney.
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