Litchfield Cavo Partners Prevail Following Appeal of First COVID-19 Coverage Jury Trial

Litchfield Cavo Partners Daniel G. Litchfield, Ericka C. Hammett and Michael L. Brown obtained a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirming the lower court’s decision in favor of our insurance company client. The civil court case concluded a COVID-19 coverage defense verdict following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

Dan is a Founding Partner of Litchfield Cavo LLP. He has been extensively involved in litigation involving first-party property insurance coverage sought by businesses that lost money during the coronavirus pandemic. He was the first attorney to argue such a case in a federal appellate court, and the first to jury try such a case. Dan has handled state or federal cases in 37 states and leads a team of more than 20 attorneys who have handled over 300 coronavirus property coverage cases in multiple federal courts.

Ericka defends insurer-clients and their insureds at the trial and appellate court level against claims for property damage, personal injury and professional liability. She represents clients on insurance coverage matters, and advises insurers on first-party property, third-party commercial general liability, professional liability, toxic tort and bad faith claims. Ericka is a current member of Litchfield Cavo’s nationwide COVID-19 Resource Team.

Mike is a Founding Partner of the Firm’s Kansas City, Missouri office. He has extensive experience with contracts, risk management and business litigation. Mike’s clients comprise architects, engineers, contractors and insurance brokers for which he handles a range of business matters, from breach of construction contracts to insurance coverage disputes. In addition to his law practice, he is an authorized CE instructor and has presented and instructed agents, adjusters and lawyers on insurance and coverage-related topics.