On The Pulse...Marshall Dennehey's Coverage Group Expands In Florida, DD, 6/08

Defense Digest

On The Pulse...Marshall Dennehey's Coverage Group Expands In Florida
By Eric A. Fitzgerald, Esq., CPCU, ARe*

Marshall Dennehey's Coverage and Extra-Contractual Claims Practice Group took a big step forward in Florida with the recent addition of an exceptionally experienced group of coverage attorneys late last year.

Joe Miele, Michael Packer and Ron Armbrust joined our Ft. Lauderdale office as shareholders in November 2007. It was immediately evident that Joe and his team needed extra help, and Janice Allende was hired in January 2008 to assist the group. We now have a team of lawyers who are skilled and seasoned in Florida's turbulent coverage and bad faith jurisdictions statewide.

Joe Miele has an impressive resume. He began his career as claims counsel at AIG, where he handled environmental and bad faith litigation. He then worked at several firms in the New York and northern New Jersey region, building on his expertise as a coverage and bad faith attorney. In 2000, he decided to move south, and not surprisingly, his clients moved with him and entrusted him with their coverage and bad faith matters throughout the state of Florida. Joe is a rare breed of coverage attorney - a property specialist. While most of us view coverage as a specialized area of law, those in the practice know that commercial and residential property coverage cases are a complete subset of skills which are reserved for few attorneys. Joe's focus on first party property cases was a natural fit for hurricane-prone Florida, and he steers insurers through the very unique challenges that the Florida courts impose on these type of cases. In addition, Joe is also fully versed in third party coverage issues, with particular emphasis on construction defect claims. Joe litigated the recent JSUB decision all the way to the Florida Supreme Court, and he is uniquely aware of the subtle scope and nuances of that critically important decision to insurers of builders and subcontractors.

Michael Packer is also a northeastern native who relocated to Florida. Michael had already developed bad faith skills working for a large Florida defense firm before he joined Joe. Michael now handles property cases with Joe and also serves as the firm's resource for Florida automobile coverage issues and litigation. Michael has a passion for educating our clients in Florida and across the country on the challenges and pitfalls of Florida's Claims Administration statute and coverage issues involving both property and automobile cases. You may see Michael at your front door soon, as he will be presenting seminars for many of our clients on these issues throughout the year.

Ron Armbrust brings a unique background as an engineer to his litigation of property cases. Ron's scathing cross-examinations of building professionals are often crucial in bad faith litigation, particularly with regard to hurricane claims. He also has a background in mass toxic tort litigation and is a seasoned litigator.

Janice Allende is the newest member of the group with an impressive background. Janice previously worked for a large coverage firm in New York City, handling complex coverage issues both in the United States and abroad. She decided to relocate to southern Florida to join many members of her family, and she is already an integral resident of the Ft. Lauderdale office. Like Michael, Janice is also an enthusiastic speaker, and we look forward to Janice making many appearances in our clients' offices handling Florida claims.

These four attorneys have catapulted Marshall Dennehey into the upper echelons of coverage firms in a state which many insurers consider the most challenging and hazardous in the country. As our clients nationwide learn of our exceptional skill in this area, we expect this group to grow quickly. If you have any questions regarding Florida coverage, or if you would like to schedule an educational seminar, please contact our Ft. Lauderdale office managing attorney, Craig Hudson, at (954) 847-4920 or email him at cshudson@mdwcg.com.

* Eric, a shareholder who splits his time between our Philadelphia and Scranton, Pennsylvania, offices, is Chair of the firm's Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith Practice Group. He can be reached at (215) 575-2688 or eafitzgerald@mdwcg.com.