Industries

• Finance
  • Community Banking

Practices

• Litigation
• Product, Tort, & Insurance Litigation
  • Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith
  • Tort Defense

Languages

• English
• Spanish

Biography

Over the past 14 years, Chris has defended more than 300 bad faith cases for 11 major carriers. He also has deep experience handling coverage, wrongful death, maritime, product liability, personal injury and commercial matters. Chris recently served as Chair of the Kentucky Bar Association’s Civil Litigation Section.

In the vast majority of cases Chris has defended, bad faith claims were dismissed or resolved – one way or another – without the carrier paying any money for the extracontractual claims.  Additionally, when retained early, Chris has been very successful confidentially preventing extracontractual claims from ever being filed in potentially problematic cases. He also routinely steers cases to dismissal or successful resolution when defending high-stakes personal injury, maritime and commercial matters.

Chris prides himself on an aggressive, results-oriented approach dictated by his clients’ specific needs and goals. His extensive experience litigating a wide range of extracontractual claims and related coverage disputes make him uniquely qualified to defend against allegations of bad faith, which often brazenly and baselessly attack a carrier’s very practices and institutional integrity.

In Kentucky, Plaintiffs are increasingly asserting unsubstantiated first-party and third-party extracontractual claims, often in an attempt to create settlement leverage in an underlying case. Many cry “bad faith” simply because they disagree with a claim handler’s determination. Others engage in flagrant and elaborate efforts to “set up” carriers and adjusters, attempting to create the appearance of impropriety in pursuit of large punitive damages awards.

Bad faith allegations can be particularly disturbing, questioning the veracity of claims specialists and insurers. Chris prizes his relationships with his clients, many formed by years of vigorously battling spurious assertions of malice and intentional misconduct. Chris’ extensive experience helps him recognize Plaintiffs’ efforts to create/develop bad faith claims, often allowing him to curtail or resolve them early in the litigation process.

Chris is currently involved in legislative attempts to eliminate third-party bad faith claims in Kentucky. He often speaks to groups of adjusters regarding claims handling practices, and also presents CLEs teaching other attorneys to defend against extracontractual claims.

Before attending law school, Chris was an analyst for Citigroup.