Insurance Coverage Litigation + Counseling

Stephen’s insurance coverage experience includes the representation of property, liability and excess insurance carriers in connection with high-exposure litigation often involving claims for extra-contractual damages. In the property insurance arena, he has served as counsel for major commercial property insurers in connection with litigation arising out of damages associated with Chinese Drywall, and natural catastrophes such as Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy. He has also handled cases involving large business interruption and/or ordinance or law exposures. In addition to handling litigation, Stephen also assists his property insurer clients by coordinating investigations and appraisals, providing coverage opinions and analysis, and assisting with responding to inquiries from various state insurance departments. He has also been retained to provide advice regarding the proper organizational structuring of a claims department in order to best avoid imputed conflicts of interest and to protect privileged communications and confidentiality.

Stephen’s liability coverage litigation experience includes the representation of liability and professional liability insurance carriers in connection with high-exposure litigation often involving allegations of bad faith settlement practices. He also provides pre-judgment advice to liability and professional liability insurance carriers in connection with minimizing bad faith failure to settle exposure.

Professional Liability Defense

Stephen’s experience also includes the representation of a diverse group of individual and institutional clients including legal, medical, financial, insurance, and design professionals. He has successfully defended professionals in connection with seven and eight figure malpractice litigation.

Stephen is a regular speaker before legal and industry organizations on various insurance coverage related topics. He is the chair elect of the American Bar Association TIPS Property Insurance Law Committee and a member of the Steering Committee of the Hartford Chapter of the Professional Liability Underwriters Society.

Prior to joining Robinson+Cole, Stephen served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Barry R. Schaller of the Connecticut Appellate Court. While at the University of Connecticut, he represented indigent clients as a member of the school's criminal appellate and trial clinics, and he also served on the editorial board of the Connecticut Law Review.