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
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