Insurance companies rely on Field Jerger for representation in complex and sensitive Oregon and Washington coverage and defense matters. We add value with local know-how, courtroom results and keen attention to our clients’ national and case-specific objectives. We are accomplished litigators with outstanding resumes from courtroom results. Our insurance practice has evolved from commercial subrogation matters and priest abuse bankruptcy cases to coverage and defense representation which mirrors our attorneys’ practice strengths. We bring industry specific and significant trial and appellate court experience to insurers in our practice areas. We are comfortable in multi-party, complex cases where we often find ourselves in a lead role or alone on one side of the table. Our Practice Areas include the following:

Policy Collection Issues

Insurers take advantage of Field Jerger’s commercial litigation, collection and bankruptcy acumen for recovery from insureds and third parties in contribution, bond, subrogation and premium accounting actions. We also defend insurers in policy garnishment and subsequent declaratory actions. We litigate to collect for insurers in state and federal and appeal courts in Oregon and Washington. We work hourly and also accept certain engagements on a contingency fee basis. We have successfully litigated equitable contribution issues in state and federal and appellate courts including a seven figure recovery.

Construction Coverage and Defense

We have represented insurers in myriad construction issues including litigation on: construction defect claims, duty to defend, allocation, assignability of fronted policies in bankruptcy, judgment creditors’ garnishment of CGL policies, accounting actions to collect premiums, subrogation, equitable contribution for defense costs, etc. We also represent contractors, subcontractors and principals in their non-insurance litigation disputes.

 Insurance Defense

We defend insureds at competitive rates. Insurance companies particularly value Field Jerger attorneys because we are sensibly aggressive, efficient and we work collaboratively with insurers to defend insured policy holders. We have defended cases including an uninsured motorist case with traumatic brain injury claims, construction defects, financial misrepresentation, and various tort matters. Adjusters and in-house counsel look to Field Jerger for defense in more complex cases and cases requiring heightened litigation skills. We have had tremendous success taking apart plaintiffs’ cases through motion practice.

 Policy Issues in Bankruptcy

Field Jerger served as coordinating counsel for nine insurer’s local and national law firms on sex abuse coverage issues in the Archdiocese of Portland Bankruptcy Case – the first ever Catholic Church bankruptcy case. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Portland v. ACE USA, Inc., 2005 Bankr. LEXIS 2147, (2005). We helped keep the insurers working together with various competing constituencies in the bankruptcy case as the parties progressed through a complex claims resolution process with concurrent litigation and extensive mediations which led to eventual policy buybacks and channeling injunctions. Insurers do not hesitate to hire us in sensitive matters, such as our work on a Jesuit bankruptcy case, where our client contributed in excess of $100 million to a complex settlement. We have litigated contamination issues in Delaware bankruptcy cases and every order of construction issues in Oregon bankruptcy courts.