Insurance Coverage
Pacifica represents policy holders in all aspects of insurance coverage. This ranges from advice and consulting on insurance procurement and claims, to complex coverage disputes in Washington, nationally, and internationally.
Pacifica attorneys are familiar with and regularly analyze a complete spectrum of coverages, including general liability, product liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, errors and omissions, employment practices, property, crime, cyber coverage, professional liability, and public entity liability. Pacifica attorneys also focus on other important legal issues that arise in coverage disputes, such as relationships with excess carriers, multi-carrier claims, claims handling regulations, and bad faith.
Our Experience
We regularly counsel and litigate on behalf of public and private entities on insurance matters, and have recovered more than $100 million on behalf of policy-holders.
Representative insurance coverage experience includes:
- Representing Microsoft in a multi-million dollar general liability claim,
- Litigating from trial to the Washington Supreme Court the leading Washington case establishing that general liability insurance policies provide coverage for costs to clean up environmental damages, and
- Representing Plum Creek Timber Company in a multi-million dollar directors’ and officers’ coverage claim.
COVID-19 Matters
The COVID-19 Pandemic has implicated a number of novel insurance coverage matters, including those relating to business interruption insurance and coverage under property policies. While COVID-19 has affected all of us, the circumstances under which claims are being brought differ significantly. For instance, in some cases, businesses are being required to shut down by public health measures; while in other cases, businesses have shut down due to COVID outbreaks at the business location itself.
Additionally, businesses and other entities may face a threat of a lawsuit based on allegations that a business owner failed to take proper precautions to keep a location safe from COVID, thus resulting in employees or customers getting sick. Legislation is currently being considered which may negate or limit the liability of business owners (and their insurers) in these circumstances.
We stand ready to advise insurance companies of claims coverage and their duties under a wide variety of circumstances relating to COVID-19.
Practice Attorneys
Paul J. Lawrence
Jamie L. Lisagor
John Parnass
Kai Smith
