Mr. Murphy is an internationally recognized attorney with more than 40 years of experience representing clients in straightforward to complex, high-value matters across the U.S., Europe, London, Bermuda/Offshore and Asia-Pacific insurance markets. His litigation and monitoring practice included representation of/advice to carriers and policyholders regarding insurance, reinsurance, subrogation and recovery across all lines—including coverage, declaratory relief, claims handling and bad faith. He has handled matters ranging from straightforward two-party disputes to catastrophic and large-scale mass tort litigation.

As chair of Severson & Werson’s Insurance Practice Group, in addition to litigating liability cases, Mr. Murphy also advised and represented domestic and international insurers, reinsurers and numerous Lloyd’s of London syndicates in both primary and excess matters. His carrier-related work spanned the full spectrum of insurance and reinsurance issues, including coverage interpretation, claims management and the defense of insurers and their policyholders.

Mr. Murphy’s experience extended across multiple lines of business, including property and casualty, professional liability, construction, employment practices, energy, elder care and product liability. In addition to his litigation background, he brings extensive alternative dispute resolution experience, having served as mediator, arbitrator and a Superior Court– and federal court–appointed special master. He is recognized for his balanced, empathetic and pragmatic approach, which fosters collaboration and effective resolution in complex matters.

Representative Matters

All matters were handled by Mr. Murphy as an attorney except as otherwise noted.

• Class Action & Mass Tort
• Large Natural Resource Damage Property Claim
  Defended one of the largest natural resource damages claims in the history of the state of California, a claim brought by the United States of America; advised multiple international insurers through the life of one of the largest natural resources damages claims in the State of Alaska
• Hundreds of Injury, Death, and Property Damage Claims in Northern California Mass Tort Events Against Utility
  Was involved with resolutions of numerous “complex” designated mass tort (multiple death, injury, property damage and subrogation) claims in coordinated proceedings arising from an underground gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, Calif.; the majority of recent utility-related wildfires in California, Oregon, Texas, Colorado and Oklahoma; and a recent derailment with environmental consequences in Ohio
• Construction
• Defended hundreds of construction defect claims, ranging from single-family residences to commercial and public works projects, with claims involving failures, injuries, cost overruns and delay
• Special master in a construction-related claim between a municipality, contractors, and design professionals
• Energy & Utilities
• Mass Tort Energy Related Claims
  Handled resolution of many mass tort energy-related explosions and wildfires throughout the United States
• Class Action MDL Product Liability Claim
  Represented insurers in several multidistrict litigation (MDL) product defect class actions

Selected Presentations

“California Wildfires and Inverse Condemnation”; 8th Annual Bermuda Insurance Market Conference of the Bermuda Insurance Institute; Hamilton, Bermuda; 2018

“The Producing Broker’s Role in Response to Assured’s Report of Catastrophic/Mass Tort Event”; TechAssure’s International Members’ Conference; Baden, Baden Germany; 2018

• Entertainment & Sports
• Suit of National Significance Against Major League Baseball Team and Players
  Defended several Major League Baseball teams and individually named professional baseball players in California-venued casualty litigation; also defended numerous professional teams, organizations and professional athletes in property damage and bodily injury claims
• Defended numerous entertainment venues, including water parks, racetracks and arenas, as well as all aspects of motorsports-related claims, involving participants, customers and spectator claims, ranging from single-claimant injuries to mass casualties involving catastrophic injuries and death
• Insurance
• Coverage disputes involving a variety of policies including:
  • General liability
  • Professional liability
  • Fintech
  • Miscellaneous E&O
  • War
  • Health and disability
  • Art and specie
  • Auto
  • Builder’s Risk
  • Property
  • Sexual abuse
• Policy interpretation and coverage evaluation
  • Integrated/Batch occurrences
  • Reinsurance
• Bad faith, breach of contract and declaratory relief
  • Claim handling
  • Suspected fraud
  • Coverage denials and disputes
• International & Cross Border
• International Coverage Dispute
  Matter involving two European insurers in a coverage action of global significance involving the Alien Tort Claims Act and war exclusion, related to a Third World energy project
• International insurance-related disputes in the U.S., London, Europe, Bermuda/offshore and the Asia Pacific/Australia
• Personal Injury
• Resolved dozens of bodily injury claims as mediator or arbitrator
• Alaska Mass Tort Incident
  Represented insurers in what was at the time the largest bodily injury claim, as well as one of the largest natural resource claims, in the history of the state of Alaska
• Mass Tort Injury and Property Damage Claims
  Represented and advised insurers in what was at the time the largest insured property and casualty claim in the history of the state of Arizona, involving a toxic environmental discharge from an industrial chemical fire
• Special master in federal litigation involving class action between numerous homeowners and businesses against a chemical company, involving claimed groundwater contamination
• Transportation and Trucking/Vehicle
  Mass casualty and single-vehicle accidents with catastrophic injuries, death and property damage; claims involving buses, commercial freight transportation vehicles, taxis, permissive use/private vehicles and commercial transportation
• Represented a London insurer in a complex abuse case involving the state of Washington; represented multiple insurers in sexual abuse claims involving public entities, universities, clubs, and athlete-related and religious organizations
• Negotiated settlements in several elder abuse claims, including wrongful death, involving elder care facilities
• Professional Liability
• Handled numerous matters throughout the United States and federal protectorates involving law firms, design professionals, agents and brokers, and miscellaneous errors and omissions claims, and negotiated resolution of some of the largest legal malpractice claims in recent years
• Resolved a billion-dollar construction-related professional liability claim in Australia
• Successfully resolved significant claim against design team, involving a major infrastructure project in the Sultanate of Oman, via mediation in Dubai

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), 1996–2025
• American Bar Association, 1984–2025
• State Bar of California, 1984–2025
• State Bar of Indiana, 1984–2025
• AV Preeminent, Bar Membership Peer Group and Judicial Sections, Martindale-Hubbell

Background and Education

• Attorney, Shareholder, Chair of Insurance Practice Group, Firm General Counsel; Severson & Werson; 1987–2025
• Attorney, Tabbert & Capehart, 1986–1987
• Deputy Attorney General, State of Indiana, 1984–1986
• Investigator, State of Indiana Consumer Protection Division/Office of Attorney General, 1984
• J.D., University of Santa Clara School of Law, 1983
• B.A., University of Santa Clara, 1980