Insurance Coverage Exclusions for Known Loss, Prior Knowledge, and Prior Notice: Evolving Judicial Standards

Ms. Moore represents policyholders in insurance coverage and bad faith litigation in state and federal courts. Ms. Moore has handled numerous complex cases and tried insurance coverage, negligence and bad faith cases to policyholder verdicts. She is a frequent speaker on insurance law issues.

Mr. Hamawi has extensive expertise in insurance coverage, business negotiations, and commercial litigation. He focuses his practice on representing businessowners, homeowners, property owners, and other insurance policyholders in fire, property damage, and insurance-coverage disputes with insurance companies and in errors-and-omissions cases against insurance agents. Mr. Hamawi has successfully litigated hundreds of cases against insurance companies and insurance agents, and recovered millions of dollars for his clients. He has also litigated cases against residential and commercial builders, restoration companies, and fire repair contractors. He has also litigated cases against towing and storage companies for charging consumers unreasonable and excessive towing and storage costs, and for wrongfully determining vehicles to be abandoned. Mr. Hamawi has also litigated cases involving breach of commercial lease agreements, commercial real estate transactions, commercial purchase agreements, and sales commissions agreements. He has represented insurance agents, financial advisors, stockbrokers, and public insurance adjusters in regulatory or other disciplinary actions initiated by governmental agencies.

Mr. Wester focuses his practice on representing insurers in the investigation and litigation of complex insurance matters arising out of commercial disputes, construction accidents and defects, trucking and transportation accidents, marine casualty, environmental and long-tail claims, premises liability, and property damage. He has served as special coverage counsel to major insurers in connection with catastrophic weather, and has particular experience defending first-party property claims. Mr. Wester has substantial experience representing clients in all aspects of litigation in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania state and federal courts. He regularly counsels and provides written opinions to primary and excess level insurers concerning a full spectrum of coverage issues involving multiple lines of insurance to help achieve cost-effective resolutions. Drawing from his extensive first-hand experience, Mr. Wester has lectured to peers and industry representatives on the topic of defending first-party property claims and has written about states’ expansion of private causes of action for bad faith.