Insurance Litigation

When the Insurer Says “No” – Our Job Begins

Defendants commonly neglect to consider their insurance policies as a source to fund expensive litigation.  When they do seek coverage, insurers may try to avoid fulfilling their obligations for compensation.  At Lurie, Zepeda, Schmalz, Hogan & Martin, we research your insurance coverage when developing a strategy for your litigation.  We analyze the often complex wording of insurance policies to determine whether your coverage can offset the costs of defense and assist in the claim process.  Our experience representing major insurance companies on coverage-related matters means we are familiar with their handling and denial of claims, including refusal to pay a reasonable settlement.

Our strategies related to insurance coverage and litigation include:

Insurance Bad Faith

Successfully reversed insurance company’s denial of client’s claim under a directors and officers liability insurance policy, settling the claim in client’s favor.

Breach of Contract

In federal court, obtained a summary judgment resulting in payment of $775,000 in damages to a small business investment corporation in a breach of contract/insurance bad faith action against a major national insurance company.

Coverage Disputes

While trial judge in a personal injury action kept jury’s verdict under seal, successfully engineered a three-way, multi-million dollar settlement between an insurer, driver (defendant) and injured passenger (plaintiff) for the insurer to pay for damages caused by defendant.