Insurance

first & third party claim defense

Since its inception, Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson has devoted the majority of its practice to defense of first and third party automobile, homeowner, and premises liability lawsuits on behalf of insurance companies. These claims include physical and emotional injuries and all other damages resulting from auto, trucking, property damage and slip and fall accidents. Whether defending an insured against liability claims or the insurer in a first party lawsuit, we carefully evaluate all aspects of litigation from its inception to its resolution. Our attorneys are skilled in handling first party claims involving allegations of bad faith, breach of contract, violations of state insurance and trade practice regulation, negligence and fraud. We are also skilled in providing coverage investigations, opinions and defense in both first and third party cases. We routinely represent insureds in a number of claims brought by third parties including anti-trust, asbestos, construction, deceptive trade practices, defense of directors and financial institutions, environmental contamination, general business torts, general premise liability, lender liability, product liability, professional liability defense, real estate and toxic tort.

extracontractual and bad faith

Attorneys at Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson are experienced in handling the broad spectrum of emerging bad faith and extra contractual claims. Whether defending the insurance company in a first party case or an insurer facing an excess judgment in a third party case, our attorneys work carefully with our clients to identify from the outset of the litigation any issues that might give rise to a potential bad faith claim and work diligently to resolve those claims for our clients. Our attorneys have been at the forefront of the recently changing field of bad faith litigation in Louisiana and are well skilled in investigating all avenues to see that our clients’ cases are presented in a fair and proper light.

insurance coverage

Attorneys on the Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson coverage team have experience in virtually every aspect of insurance coverage litigation. Whether an automobile liability policy, homeowner’s policy or a more complex CGL policy, our firm has the knowledge and experience to handle all of our clients’ coverage litigation needs. Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson enjoys a long standing reputation for its effectiveness and efficiency in handling insurance coverage litigation. We work with our clients from the beginning of the claim to identify all possible coverage issues and to ensure that litigation proceeds with appropriate reservations of rights for the insurers. We work carefully with the clients to create and conduct a discovery plan focused on obtaining the necessary information to develop our case in a timely fashion. Further, our experience in the courtroom and at the mediation table is well known throughout the region in handling all manner of insurance coverage issues.

SIU / arson

Insurance fraud costs insurers and insureds millions of dollars in fraudulent claims every year. Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson’s team is dedicated to the investigation of fraudulent claims to ensure that payments are only made on legitimate claims. Our attorneys have a sophisticated understanding of SIU and Arson matters. Our team has decades of experience and knowledge in defending cases involving auto theft, staged accidents, identity theft, worker’s comp fraud, and arson. We are skilled in pre-suit investigations, examinations under oath, assessment of coverage defenses, drafting of reservation of rights letters and coordination with law enforcement officials.

excess and surplus lines

As a longtime friend of the property/casualty industry, attorneys on the coverage team at Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson offer extensive knowledge and expertise of coverage, wordings and intents of insurance contracts as well as the standards of underwriters and brokers. We have an understanding of and a profound respect for the norms, practices and ethics of the insurance industry.

Most excess and surplus lines insurance business consists of property and casualty coverage and it is sold mostly to businesses. While surplus lines carriers issue almost all third-party policies for unusual risks, they also sell mainstream insurance products to companies that an admitted market will not insure When a dispute arises involving excess and surplus coverage, our attorneys are well prepared to handle the wide-range of issues associated with this line of insurance.

catastrophe / natural disaster

The damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the fall of 2005, Ike and Gustav in 2008 and 2012, and the Baton Rouge floods of 2016 extensively and severely impacted the State of Louisiana, its citizens and the insurance industry. The disaster litigation team at Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson began working shortly after Katrina made landfall on the many legal issues that would impact the insurance industry in the wake of that unprecedented disaster. Our attorneys were at the forefront of many of the major legal issues and legal challenges that arose following Hurricane Katrina. Our experience in this field led five of the state’s top ten property insurers by market share to rely on Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson to steer them through the new and fast changing world of hurricane litigation. In the years since Hurricane Katrina, the firm has litigated over 2,000 cases involving Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, and the flooding in Baton Rouge for our clients with great success.

reinsurance

Our team of experienced attorneys advises large national reinsurers and intermediaries on complex reinsurance issues at trial, mediation, and arbitration. Our practice encompasses every segment of the reinsurance marketplace including property, casualty, life, health and marine matters. Our firm offers our reinsurance clients our nationally recognized experience and capabilities coupled with the exceptional trial and litigation skills for which Porteous, Hainkel & Johnson has long been known and respected. Our attorneys have extensive knowledge of the complexities of finite reinsurance disputes and have represented clients in several significant matters.