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Brent M. Burns

Partner

LA – New Orleans area
T: 985.869.8702 | F: 985.303.6500

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Brent is an experienced litigation attorney who defends insurers in complex litigation and coverage matters involving bad faith, insurance fraud and first-party property, as well as catastrophe-related claims. He advises large insurers on complicated coverage matters, regulatory compliance and claims handling under a range of policies. These include excess and surplus lines, commercial general liability policies, garage policies, motor vehicle policies, business policies and Standard Flood Insurance Policies under the National Flood Insurance Program (“NFIP”). Brent is skilled in managing legal teams, collaborating with internal insurance company stakeholders and delivering strategic counsel to successfully mitigate risk and support business objectives.

Practices

  • Successfully defended breach of contract claim, plus penalties and attorney fees, for denial of coverage under a commercial insurance policy; obtained a pre-trial Daubert ruling excluding Plaintiffs’ bad faith expert and then went on to obtain a favorable verdict after a federal jury trial.
  • Obtained summary judgment dismissing bad faith allegations against a large Louisiana insurer after the insurer denied an auto theft claim for a vehicle that was discovered burned in a rural area; the court noted that the insurer had based its decision on facts, which as a matter of law demonstrated the claim denial was reasonable.
  • Obtained summary judgment against insurer in theft claim wherein the insurer argued it had reasonable basis to investigate and defend against the claim; as a matter of law, the Court dismissed the claim for bad faith.
  • Successfully obtained summary judgment in a breach of contract case involving a denied flood claim and this case helped clarify the definition of a “flood” under the National Flood Insurance Program.
  • Obtained summary judgment for noncooperation under an automobile insurance policy when the insured delayed in reporting the facts of a theft loss to the carrier.