Marine Insurance
The Wiggin and Dana Insurance Practice Group provides underwriters and other professionals in the marine insurance industry with effective and efficient representation. Our lawyers advise clients in connection with marine insurance claims and coverage issues, defense and monitoring of complex claims, policy wordings, and compliance matters. We represent clients in individual lawsuits and class actions, and insurance and reinsurance arbitrations and mediations. We also have broad experience in many substantive areas in addition to inland and ocean marine, including energy, property, commercial general liability, professional liability, environmental, and aviation.
We bring our substantial knowledge and experience to bear in providing our clients sound counsel. Group members frequently publish and lecture to industry trade groups, conduct insurance company workshops, and instruct in law schools on insurance law and issues. Group members also serve as arbitrators in insurance and reinsurance matters. The Group is proud to serve as counsel to both the American Institute of Marine Underwriters and the Inland Marine Underwriters Association.
The Group includes partners Joe Grasso, Tim Diemand, and Michael Menapace, counsel Robyn Gallagher and a number of associates in New York, Connecticut, and Philadelphia. In addition to his experience in private practice, Joe worked in the General Counselโs office of Amlin Underwriting Ltd., one of the premier syndicates at Lloydโs of London. Joe has been nationally recognized as a leading insurance lawyer in several publications, including Bestโs Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys, Whoโs Who Legal, and The Legal 500. Tim has extensive experience representing clients both domestically and abroad in high profile and cutting-edge litigation and has worked overseas in both London and the Middle East.
We have represented many major marine insurance underwriters in coverage disputes, casualties, arbitrations and litigations worldwide, including matters involving yachts, ocean-going (blue water) and coastal and inland (brown water) vessels of all descriptions, and cargoes, as well as liability insurers, war risk insurers, insurers of shipyards, drydocks, terminal operations, marinas and wharfs and loss of earnings, hire or passenger monies insurers.
We also advocate the interests of marine insurers before legislative and regulatory bodies and administrative agencies in the United States.
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Representative marine insurance matters include:
- Represented insurers of automated underwater vehicle in salvage dispute concerning extent of damage caused by collision.
- Represented owners and insurers of custom-built racing yacht in claims against shipyard, classification society and others for defects in design and construction.
- Represented subrogated insurers of mega-yacht in recover action against shipyard following total loss of yacht by fire while undergoing refit.
- Represented numerous owners and insurers of yachts in various claims involving hull and machinery damage, salvage, personal injuries sustained by crew members, passengers and third parties.
- Represented reinsurers of a shipyard in dispute concerning claim for defects in construction of vessels, relating to proportion of risk ceded under reinsurance contract.
- Represented various hull and machinery, war risk, and kidnap and ransom underwriters in connection with seizures of various vessels by pirates off the coast of Somalia and elsewhere.
- Represented insurers of an integrated tug-barge unit in connection with claim for CTL due to damage to barge only.
- Represented owners and insurers of container vessels in claims against shipyard for defective repairs.
- Represented insurers of cargo vessels in claims against shippers for damage to vessel and cargo caused by improper stowage of hazardous cargo.
- Represented charterers legal liability underwriters in litigation against shippers of project cargo which broke loose during ocean voyage causing damage to vessel and other cargo.
- Successfully defended reinsurers in proceeding concerning scope and applicability of offset provision in marine excess of loss treaty with solvent European subsidiary of U.S. cedent in liquidation.
- Represented reinsurers regarding the proper application of quota share and facultative reinsurances to extra-contractual losses arising out of the settlement of a multi-million dollar verdict concerning the death of two teenagers who were killed when the underlying insuredโs boat collided with their jet ski.
- Successfully represented underwriters seeking to recover damages in excess of $40 million, following the alleged fraud by their insured, a broker of marine cargo.