Biography
Ray DeMeo handles insurance litigation, including claims stemming from large-scale natural and man-made disasters. He has extensive experience with complex and high-exposure property and general liability insurance claims and litigation, including class action lawsuits, domestically and internationally. He is a member of the firm's Insurance + Reinsurance Group.
Property Insurance Coverage Litigation
Ray has extensive experience as a property insurance litigator, both inside and outside the companies he represents. Before he joined Robinson+Cole, he was Assistant Vice President and Managing Counsel at Travelers Property Casualty Company, where he oversaw all commercial property insurance litigation nationwide, including bad faith lawsuits arising from property insurance claims. He directly supervised the World Trade Center property insurance litigation and oversaw all litigation arising from Hurricane Katrina. Ray also served as Assistant Vice President of Property Claims at Ironshore Specialty Insurance Company, where he supervised high-exposure surplus lines property claims and litigation, nationally and internationally, and assisted in the drafting of specialty policy forms and endorsements.
Ray has tried several cases to verdict in federal and state courts, and has briefed and argued numerous state and federal court appeals. He is a court-appointed arbitrator and special master for the Connecticut Judicial Department.
Pro Bono
Ray is involved in the firm’s effort to help immigrant children who are abandoned, abused, or neglected. The program involves assisting children who are seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), so they can avoid deportation and eventually become United States citizens.
Ray is also an adjunct professor of insurance law at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he teaches a course in Property Insurance Law. He is the former President of the Federal Bar Association of Hartford County. Ray is a frequent speaker at professional conferences sponsored by the American Bar Association’s Tort and Insurance Practice Section, the Defense Research Institute, the Loss Executives Association, and other industry groups. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ellen Ash Peters during her tenure as Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.
Ray regularly writes on insurance-related topics and contributes to the firm’s blog, Property Insurance Coverage Insights.