While our business and individual clients pay substantial premiums for their insurance coverage, insurance companies often deny claims that should be paid. Texas has strong laws that protect Texas policyholders and the T&Y lawyers have many years of experience enforcing these laws against insurance companies.

After the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, Lloyds of London and the major United States insurance companies denied Exxon's valid insurance claim. John Tavormina and Kimberly Brown were on the lead trial team representing Exxon when it sued these insurance companies. The case was tried in Harris County (Houston), Texas, and the Jury awarded Exxon the full amount of coverage ($250 million). In other, more typical cases, we obtained a $1.8 million jury verdict for an insurance company's refusal to cover damages to a drilling rig caused by an oil field blowout. We have also obtained settlements of between $1 million and $6 million for wrongful denial of claims for life insurance, disability insurance, refusal to cover a truck driver's negligence, loss from the burglary of a business and the sinking of a commercial vessel.

Related News Articles

• Exxon wins $250 million from Lloyd's for Alaska Oil Spill
• "The Blue Sheet" Exxon gets $410 million judgement against Lloyd's of London
• The International Commercial Litigation Journal: Commercial Prosecutors of the Year
• Drilling company wins $1.8 million lawsuit

Related Publications

Insurance Bad Faith, State Board of Texas 17th Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law Conference (2001)
Insurance Agent Liability, University of Houston Law Foundation Insurance Law Seminar (May 1996)