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Insurance Bad Faith Pre-Trial Strategies: Demand Letters, Pleadings, Defenses, Damages, Bifurcation, and Experts

Developing Winning Pre-Trial Tactics for Policyholders and Insurers

Recording of a 90-minute CLE webinar with Q&A

This program is included with the Strafford CLE Pass. Click for more information.
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Conducted on Thursday, March 2, 2017

Recorded event now available

or call 1-800-926-7926

This CLE course will outline pre-trial strategies for both insurers and policyholders litigating bad faith claims. The program will focus on demand letters to insurers, drafting and answering bad faith complaints, proving and opposing damages, bifurcation, and using expert witnesses.

Description

Bad faith allegations are a potent weapon for policyholders in coverage litigation to negotiate for a higher settlement due to the risk of an unacceptable jury award. In order to leverage this tool, policyholder counsel must carefully draft complaint allegations to survive a motion to dismiss.

Expert witnesses play a critical role in bad faith litigation, both for policyholders and insurers. Insurance experts typically are underwriters, claims handlers, brokers, regulators and attorneys with knowledge of insurance industry customs.

Insurers must weigh the pros and cons of bifurcating the coverage trial from the bad faith trial. Bifurcation may be imperative if the “bad” evidence regarding the bad faith claim may negatively impact the jury’s perception of the underlying coverage case.

Bifurcation also may enable the insurer to protect the claims file from discovery if the bad faith claim is stayed pending resolution of the contract issues.

Listen as our authoritative panel of insurance practitioners imparts insight on bad faith pre-trial strategies for both insurers and policyholders. The panel will discuss demand letters, drafting and answering bad faith complaints, proving and opposing damages, bifurcation of coverage and bad faith issues, and use of expert witnesses.

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Outline

  1. Policyholder strategies
    1. Bad faith demand letters
    2. Bad faith pleading requirements
    3. Proving insurer breach of duties
    4. Calculating damages
    5. Using experts in bad faith cases
  2. Insurer strategies
    1. Responding to demand letters
    2. Bad faith defenses
    3. Change of venue and removal if jurisdiction unfavorable to insurance carriers
    4. Bifurcating coverage and bad faith issues
    5. Challenges to claims professional testimony

Benefits

The panel will review these and other key issues:

  • Is the insurer’s disclaimer of coverage enough to state a bad faith claim?
  • What facts regarding the insurer’s actions should policyholders include in the complaint to survive a motion to dismiss?
  • What industry experts are best suited for bad faith claims, and what are common challenges or objections to their testimony?
  • What factors should insurers consider in deciding whether to move to bifurcate the coverage trial from the bad faith trial?

Faculty

Michael J. DiSantis
Michael J. DiSantis

Partner
Tressler

Mr. DiSantis focuses his practice in the areas of insurance coverage analysis and insurance coverage litigation,...  |  Read More

Sampson, Michael
Michael H. Sampson

Partner
Reed Smith

Mr. Sampson's practice is focused on representing corporate policyholders in complicated coverage disputes with...  |  Read More

Susolik, Edward
Edward Susolik

Attorney
Callahan & Blaine

Mr. Susolik is known and respected as one of the top insurance bad faith and coverage lawyers in the Western United...  |  Read More

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