Our involvement in the areas of environmental law, toxic tort, mass tort, class action litigation and multi district litigations began in the mid 1970s during the developmental stages of complex multi party litigation. We worked with and for a variety of domestic and international underwriters and their insureds as in-house claims and coverage counsel, regional or national counsel and in the capacity of assigned trial counsel. As these complex bodies of law have developed, we have established a comprehensive practice in all aspects of defense and coverage.
In the arena of environmental liability our experience includes claims and corporate management, coverage analysis and litigation of suits involving chemical spills, work place exposures, environmental exposures, remediation of sites relating to small businesses, residences and major Superfund sites on behalf of property owners/generators, municipalities, waste haulers/transporters, PRPs, and state and federal agencies.
Our expertise bridges coverage and defense issues arising out of CGL, EIL, Specialty Programs/ Policies and other forms of coverage potentially impacted by Environmental Liability, Toxic Tort Liability, Product Liability, Class Action Litigation, and Multi-District Litigation.
In the capacity of in-house claims counsel, regional or national coordinating counsel (insurance or reinsurance), and as local coverage or defense counsel, our attorneys have the experience necessary to represent your interests. Our experience in environmental or complex litigation and coverage disputes (involving horizontal and vertical coverages domestic and London Market coverages and reinsurance), Superior Court and District Court trial defense, policy commutations and buyouts, environmental & casualty insurance programs and financing, environmental loss portfolio transfers, mergers and acquisitions, and related matters, provides us with the foundation upon which to build the appropriate strategy for your case.
Through representation of individuals and corporations involved in environmental matters (whether through carrier retention or direct retention), we stay abreast of current trends and opportunities in environmental & casualty insurance products and financing alternatives including Pollution Legal Liability policies, Cleanup Cost Cap policies/programs, and finite risk Environmental Protection Programs/Policies.
Our experience and expertise in managing major litigation, class actions, and multi-district litigation in matters involving environmental sites, asbestos, chemical exposure, Haz Mat, transportation, cargo and maritime, lead paint, heavy metals, mold, sick-building syndrome cases, significant construction losses, chemical treated wood cases, breast implant litigation, latex litigation, diet drug litigation, and pharmaceutical, medical device and product liability – gives Garrity, Graham, Murphy, Garofalo & Flinn the knowledge and foundation necessary to represent the interests of insureds and insurers. Whether through national or regional organizations, we are involved in evaluating and guiding trends in these areas of practice and our attorneys have licenses in jurisdictions including California, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
In environmental coverage matters, Garrity, Graham, Murphy, Garofalo & Flinn has been active in litigation and mediation since the earliest disputes in the mid-1980’s. Since that time we have represented insurers in significant litigation in New Jersey and New York involving major corporate insureds in precedent-setting cases.
We are committed to counseling and representing clients in disputes resulting from the evolving law in the United States concerning coverage or environmental matters and are familiar with a broad range of policy forms from the 1970s through the present. This gives us the unique ability to handle both runoff and ongoing environmental books of business.
Garrity, Graham, Murphy, Garofalo & Flinn is devoted to providing consistency in its legal representation of and counseling to insurers, reinsurers or clients/insureds at all levels of their operation. We provide efficient, effective, yet aggressive representation to our clients and guarantee a personal, hands on approach to our representation. This enables us to provide pro-active participation on behalf of our clients in each step of the coverage dispute or litigation process and guarantees that our clients and Garrity, Graham, Murphy, Garofalo & Flinn remain mutually involved at all times with regard to the litigation or coverage dispute.