Insurance Bad Faith on Trial: The Fine Line Between Fair Dealing and Bad Faith

Michael Stoner | Haynes Boone

Michael Stoner is a counsel in the Litigation Practice Group in the Dallas office of Haynes Boone. His practice focuses on insurance recovery, corporate and commercial litigation, and environmental law.

Prior to joining the firm, Michael worked at an insurance recovery firm in Southern California where he represented corporate policyholders and public entities to secure insurance coverage for first-party losses and third party liabilities. While there, Michael represented his clients across various lines of insurance including CGL, EPL, D&O, E&O, cyber, crime, and Commercial Property policies.

While in law school, Michael served as a legal extern at the United States Embassy where he reviewed and drafted trial materials, assisted in trial preparation, researched international legal issues, and helped design and implement a new legal database for the Department of Justice, Civil Division, European Office.

Michael was a winning team member in the Pepperdine-Middle Temple Moot Court Competition held in London. Upon graduation, he was awarded membership into the Order of the Coif.

Virginia Bates | Independent consultant

Bates is a nationally known independent consultant and insurance educator. She is a licensed broker and advisor, with strong carrier and agency background. Her specialties include technical personal and commercial lines subjects, expert analysis and testimony in bad faith and professional liability cases, company and agency profitability methodologies, automation and technology choice and utilization, compensation and related subjects.

She often speaks on professional liability prevention strategies, agency-carrier relationships, insurance technology and other management and industry topics.

She can be reached at (781) 665-0623 or by email at [email protected].

I. Carrier misinterpretation of insurance contract language with the intent or result of denying or limiting claim payment | 1:00pm – 1:30pm

II. Carrier devaluation of monetary demands of claimants | 1:30pm – 2:00pm

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

III. Categorizing damage as an excluded peril to avoid paying a claim | 2:10pm – 2:40pm

IV. Agency and direct writers’ failure to procure coverage requested by insured | 2:40pm – 3:10pm