Insurance Litigation

Insurance litigation involves the representation of insurers, policyholders, and other stakeholders in disputes concerning the meaning, scope, and effect of insurance policies and related contracts.

Insurance Defense

Carney Badley Spellman insurance litigation attorneys in Seattle represent insurers and insureds in mediation, arbitration, and in all federal and state courts. We provide aggressive defense representation and have in-depth experience with insurance defense matters. We also serve as arbitrators, mediators, and judges pro tem.

We have experience with the following types of claims:

• bad faith
• coverage
• toxic tort
• construction
• products liability
• employment law
• defamation
• general negligence
• civil rights
• highway design
• homeowners
• premise liability
• professional liability
• property and casualty
• automobile and truck

Insurance Coverage

Insurers doing business in Washington state are subject to the most stringent insurance claims-handling scrutiny in the United States. New regulations, increasing governmental protections for policyholders, and judicially mandated requirements in Washington, encourage a growing number of litigation against insurers. The risk of extra-contractual liability surrounding claims-handling and coverage determinations continues to increase.

We are experienced in the most complex insurance coverage matters and disputes, actively representing insurance clients in state and federal courts in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. We strive to help our insurance clients succeed in this dynamic regulatory environment. Our insurance experience includes:

• bad-faith litigation
• environmental coverage litigation
• D & O and professional liability coverage litigation
• first-party coverage litigation
• ERISA litigation
• aviation insurance litigation
• coverage opinions
• claims handling and cost-sharing agreements
• primary, umbrella and excess coverage issue
• employment practices
• builder’s risk and construction insurance law
• insurance fraud
• appellate litigation
• legislative interests
• reinsurance

We have longstanding relationships with the largest domestic and London-market insurers, and have represented them in hundreds of first-party and third-party claims, and in litigation, including bad faith litigation. We provide opinions analyzing insurance claims and policies, develop strategic responses to covered liabilities and losses, develop settlement strategies, and arbitrate and litigate insurance coverage disputes.

Aviation Law

As an outgrowth of our representation of domestic and London Market insurance interests, we are actively involved in defending aircraft owners, operators, manufacturers, suppliers, and repairers in wrongful death, personal injury, and property damage claims, ranging from air disasters to airport premises liability claims, throughout the Pacific Northwest.
We represent insurers’ interests in complex multi-party insurance coverage claims throughout the United States.
Past aviation clients include Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Lloyd’s of London, and the Experimental Aircraft Association.
Areas of counsel include:

• wrongful death
• personal injury
• products liability
• property damage
• premises liability

Our clients rely on our aviation experience for early evaluation of the legal and technical merits of claims and our efforts to quickly resolve claims whenever possible. Mr. Laveson served as a United States Navy pilot for eighteen years. His aeronautical qualifications include private and commercial pilot ratings, single and multi-engine land and instrument ratings, flight instruction, and aircraft carrier operations.