Biography
Dan Sullivan is a trial lawyer who represents clients in complex commercial disputes, with an emphasis on insurance coverage and extra-contractual claims litigation. He has represented clients in state and federal courts in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. He has been involved in appeals to the United States Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, and Fourth Circuits and the Appellate and Supreme Courts of Connecticut, as well as numerous arbitration and mediation proceedings. He has substantial trial experience, having tried more than 25 matters to verdict, final judgment, or final arbitration decision.
Insurance Coverage Litigation
Mr. Sullivan’s work representing insurance companies in complex property insurance coverage litigation includes serving as counsel for insurers in significant cases arising from Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Katrina, and the September 11 terrorist attacks. He has also litigated cases involving losses to residences and businesses arising from catastrophic fires and explosions, mold contamination, defective workmanship, and construction defects. In addition, he has litigated significant cases arising under liability, marine, boiler and machinery, and builders’ risk policies.
His experience includes coordinating a major insurer’s investigation, coverage analysis and litigation regarding claims for damages associated with Chinese-made drywall; representation of a commercial property insurer in a case involving a $100 million claim by a publicly traded company for claimed losses arising from an arson fire; and representation of an insurance carrier in coverage litigation initiated by a major Roman Catholic archdiocese seeking coverage for a multimillion-dollar settlement with alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse.
Business Litigation
Mr. Sullivan has also represented other businesses in a broad spectrum of commercial litigation. He was lead litigation and trial counsel for an international pharmaceutical company in its initial response to, investigation of, and litigation arising from an explosion that resulted in serious personal injuries and significant property damage. He has represented financial institutions in challenges to the validity of mortgages and the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS). Most recently, he assisted in the successful defense of a national actuarial firm in a malpractice case involving claims asserted by a municipal pension system. His other case experience includes the trial and appeal of dissolution and shareholder derivative actions which established the scope of the business judgment rule in the state of Connecticut and a murder case that was a case study on the issue of time of death in Dr. Henry Lee's book Cracking Cases: The Science of Solving Crime.
Mr. Sullivan has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America© in the area of Insurance Law since 2006 and in Connecticut and New England Super Lawyers® in the area of Insurance Coverage since 2007 (Super Lawyers is a registered trademark of Key Professional Media, Inc.). For ten years, he was a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he developed and taught a graduate-level course in property insurance law. He frequently speaks on insurance and litigation-related issues to bar and industry organizations and provides in-house training sessions to insurance company personnel on coverage issues and trial tactics. Mr. Sullivan previously served as co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Section and chair of the firm’s Insurance and Reinsurance Practice Group.