Download PDF
Michael P. Markins

Michael P. Markins

Local Office Managing Partner

WV – Charleston
T: 304.833.9951 | F: 304.302.0504

vCard | LinkedIn

Michael is a partner in Litchfield Cavo LLP’s West Virginia office where he handles several types of litigated matters—from the routine to the extraordinarily complex. As a native West Virginian, he has an understanding of the challenges associated with construction projects in the Mountain State. He uses his geographic knowledge about the area’s topography to help guide his clients through the complexities of their litigation.

Michael’s broad archive of legal skills was gained by representing a multitude of construction defect claims which he tackled from the design professional or contractors’ perspective. His representative experience includes catastrophic geotechnical failures of gas well pads, water impoundment ponds and airport runway extensions. Michael has represented multiple entities involved in blasting claims arising from both mining and construction activities.

Michael has defended personal injury claims, no matter the genesis of the injury, including those concerning mining, timbering, oil and gas, trucking and transportation, and motor vehicle accidents. His clients’ matters have involved not only industrial incidents but also a host of other circumstances where people have been injured, such as premises liability, products liability and claims under West Virginia’s Deliberate Intent statute.  He has routinely handled litigated claims with multiple fatalities, severe traumatic burns and other catastrophic injuries.

While growing his legal practice, Michael developed a deep knowledge of insurance coverage law and now routinely defends and advises carriers on insurance coverage law and issues of bad faith in West Virginia. His counsel goes well beyond the aforementioned construction and commercial transportation fields, and comprises professional and executive liability as well.

Practices

  • Prevailed on appeal following a claim that our insurance client failed to provide coverage for damaged items that were not owned by Plaintiff following a flood that occurred on towing company owner and operator Plaintiff’s property; the Appellate Court agreed that Plaintiff’s Policy did not provide coverage for damaged items that were not owned by Plaintiff.
  • Represented class one railroad in trial asserting traumatic brain injury following the failure of a railroad locomotive engine part.
  • Represented general contractor in failure of the largest engineered slope in North America with damages asserted to be in excess of $20,000,000.
  • Represented general contractor in multi-million lawsuit allegedly arising from the destruction of a gas well pad as a result of improper excavation work.
  • Represented general contractor in lawsuit assert millions of dollars of damages as result of an allegedly improperly constructed wastewater retention pond.
  • Represented multiple general contractors from allegations of property damage to multiple homes from construction activities involving natural gas pipelines.
  • Represented numerous defendants in personal injury accidents arising from natural resource extraction such as timber, coal, oil and gas.
  • Represented an opioid manufacturer in numerous lawsuits in West Virginia asserting the manufacturer contributed to a public nuisance with its marketing and sales plans.
  • Represented propane supplier in multi-fatality explosion allegedly as a result of improper maintenance to a propane tank at a gas station.
  • Represented chemical manufacturer in multi-fatality explosion allegedly a result of inherent safety flaws in production process of zirconium and titanium products.
  • Represented contractor alleged to have contaminated an entire county’s water supply by improperly blasting near chemical storage tanks.
  • Represented numerous corporate defendants in claims involving alleged exposure to toxic substances.