Insurance Coverage Liability
NZA prides itself on its developed expertise in areas of insurance policy interpretation and application. We stand ready to assist our insurance industry clients at every phase of the claim process. NZA attorneys bring 20 years of legal experience to the insurance industry and excel in assisting clients with the analysis and defense of complex coverage matters under all types of insurance policies.
NZA attorneys frequently lead highly-regarded industry presentations on property insurance matters and have presented at numerous industry conferences, including those sponsored by the Property Loss Research Bureau, American and Chicago Bar Associations, Inland Marine Underwriters Association, and The Boiler and Machinery Insurance Association of Chicago.
Our insurance coverage practice extends across a broad range of lines of insurance, including property and casualty, open cargo, warehouse legal liability, commercial general liability, and excess and special risk policies. Our firm’s longstanding presence in the property insurance industry means we bring a special expertise to these types of policies, and we pride ourselves on being able to assist clients with a ground-up analysis of complex claims.
An insurance coverage practice often necessarily entails claims of bad faith. Our attorneys have defended insurers in a number of bad faith claims. Our partners have acted as Midwest Bad Faith Counsel for a large national insurer, and are sensitive to the issues that such claims present. Additionally, our work on behalf of insurance brokers and agents often involves bad faith claims alleged against the insurers and its agents.
Our goal is always to counsel the client to a correct interpretation and application of its policy, given the unique circumstances of each claim. We work closely with clients to identify their specific needs with respect to each claim, which can range from a comprehensive review of a complex insurance claim to a more cost-effective research project narrowly focused on a specific legal issue.
Our team has successfully prevailed at trial and at summary judgment on behalf of our clients, including legal victories affirming our interpretation and application of a range of policy provisions. Some of our recent accomplishments include:
- Summary Judgment upholding rescission of an insurance policy as a result of misrepresentations made to the insurer during the insurance application process;
- Summary Judgment affirming a denial of a claim based on the insured’s failure to comply with a protective services endorsement;
- Judgment in favor of an insurer, finding that the insured violated the insurance policy’s timely notice requirement.
We have also assisted our clients with analysis of complex coverage issues, taking examinations under oath, research regarding historic and judicial interpretation of standard and manuscript policy forms, and defending our clients’ prior determinations on coverage. Our firm’s nationwide exposure to laws of numerous jurisdictions complements our insurance coverage practice. Within the last several years, we have litigated insurance coverage matters in both federal and state courts throughout the country, including Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Texas, to name a few.