Practice Expertise

  • Appellate
  • 3D Printing
  • Advertising and Marketing Litigation
  • Advertising Litigation

Areas of Practice

  • 3D Printing
  • Advertising and Marketing Litigation
  • Advertising Litigation
  • Appellate
  • Appeals
  • Blockchain
  • Blockchain and Digital Assets
  • Business Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Complex Consumer and Financial Services ...
  • Cross-Border Insurance Coverage
  • Cyber Insurance
  • Cyber Investigation and Privacy Litigation
  • Cyber Investigations and Privacy Litigation
  • Discovery and E-Discovery
  • E-Discovery
  • Energy and Environmental Litigation
  • Energy Litigation
  • Financial Services Litigation
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Insurance Coverage Counseling and Litigation
  • Insurance Litigation and Counseling
  • Issues and Appeals
  • Litigation
  • Pipeline
  • Reinsurance
  • Rocket Docket Practice (US District Court ...
  • Transactional Insurance
  • View More

Profile

Mike is a Legal 500 and Chambers USA-ranked lawyer with more than 25 years of experience litigating insurance disputes and advising clients on insurance coverage matters.

Mike Levine is a partner in the firm’s Washington, DC office and a member of the firm’s Insurance Recovery team. Mike’s policyholder representation focuses on:

  • Property damage and business interruption claims, including COVID-19 losses
  • Commercial, professional, corporate and employment liabilities under CGL, pollution, E&O, D&O and EPLI insurance policies
  • Cyber risk and media liability claims
  • Construction liability and damage under Builders’ Risk, OCIP, CCIP, Construction Bonds and Inland Marine Coverages
  • Captive Insurance
  • Event cancellation insurance counseling
  • Representations and warranties coverage

Mike has spent his entire career advising clients about insurance and handling insurance coverage disputes. Previously, Mike represented the insurance industry in some of the highest-stakes matters, including the property, liability and reconstruction appraisal proceedings arising from the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Since 2005, Mike has exclusively helped policyholders maximize their insurance recoveries, where Mike leverages his substantial insurance industry experience to obtain the greatest possible recoveries.

Mike has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars of insurance proceeds for clients under general liability, property, directors and officers, cyber, errors and omissions, employment, environmental, and representations and warranties insurance coverages, among others.

Mike is a prolific writer and frequently serves as a faculty member and lecturer on issues concerning insurance recovery, insurer bad faith and unfair claims practices and assessing coverage for new and emerging risks, such as COVID-19, cyber and disruptive technologies. Mike also is Editor-in-Chief of the ABA’s insurance coverage journal, Coverage, as well as manager and editor of the firm’s Insurance Recovery Blog.

Relevant Experience

  • Member of the firm’s Retail, Blockchain, COVID-19 and PFAS Working Groups.
  • Advising and litigating numerous COVID-19 business interruption insurance claims.
  • Advising major petroleum pipeline company about insurance coverage issues arising out of recent accidents and environmental incidents. Also advising the client about potential recoveries from contractors’ insurers and additional insured coverage.
  • Advised national service provider regarding business interruption claims arising from Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, Michael and Florence.
  • Representing private equity firm in litigation over government investigation defense costs and indemnification for related settlements.
  • Advising private equity firm and its portfolio companies on directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance, professional liability insurance, and cyber insurance matters.
  • Advising major energy infrastructure company concerning business interruption losses arising out of petrochemical plant explosion.
  • Advised financial institution regarding business interruption losses and extra expense resulting from Hurricane Maria.
  • Represented law firm in litigation regarding firm’s business interruption losses resulting from Hurricane Harvey.
  • Advised luxury resort concerning property damage, business interruption and extra expense loss resulting from 1000-year flood event.
  • Recovered more than $200 million from liability insurers for major energy infrastructure company’s third-party liability and property damage losses arising out of petrochemical plant explosion.
  • Litigated claim to recover defense costs and amounts paid to settle class claims concerning allegedly improper bank fees and assessments.
  • Represented municipality to recover $13.7 million under commercial property policy for flood-related property damage and extra expense.
  • Successfully resolved insurance dispute over the duty to defend a public entity’s tort liabilities and resulting $32 million dollar jury verdict.
  • Successfully resolved dispute concerning claims of tortious interference and business conspiracy against a major auto manufacturer’s liability insurer.
  • Successfully resolved dispute concerning availability of insurance for mass claims alleging civil rights violations, wrongful imprisonment and unlawful prosecution.
  • Lead trial counsel in lawsuit by auto dealer involving claims for property damage, loss of business income and insurer bad faith; obtained favorable jury verdict on all claims.
  • National coordinating counsel for welding fume exposure claims and related third-party liability coverage issues.
  • Successfully litigated a lawsuit involving a major US airline’s 9/11-related business interruption claim.
  • Trial and appellate counsel in the World Trade Center Properties property coverage litigation; obtained summary judgment and a favorable decision from the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit regarding the number of “occurrences” arising from the 9/11 terrorist attack.
  • Appraisal counsel for the World Trade Center property valuation appraisal.
  • Successfully litigated coverage dispute concerning third-party “bodily injury” and “property damage” claims arising out of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
  • Successfully litigated individual and class claims involving property and liability coverage for claims involving toxic mold.
  • Successfully litigated numerous coverage actions concerning the availability of liability coverage for lawsuits alleging industry-wide negligence and intentional conduct in the manufacturing, marketing and sale of handguns.

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Massachusetts
  • New York
  • Virginia

Education
BA, Stony Brook University, The State University of New York, 1988

Areas of Practice

  • 3D Printing
  • Advertising and Marketing Litigation
  • Advertising Litigation
  • Appellate
  • Appeals
  • Blockchain
  • Blockchain and Digital Assets
  • Business Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Complex Consumer and Financial Services Litigation
  • Cross-Border Insurance Coverage
  • Cyber Insurance
  • Cyber Investigation and Privacy Litigation
  • Cyber Investigations and Privacy Litigation
  • Discovery and E-Discovery
  • E-Discovery
  • Energy and Environmental Litigation
  • Energy Litigation
  • Financial Services Litigation
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Insurance Coverage Counseling and Litigation
  • Insurance Litigation and Counseling
  • Issues and Appeals
  • Litigation
  • Pipeline
  • Reinsurance
  • Rocket Docket Practice (US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia)
  • Transactional Insurance

Professional Career

Significant Accomplishments
  • Successfully resolved lawsuit involving tortious interference and business conspiracy claims.
  • Successfully resolved insurance coverage dispute concerning mass claims alleging civil rights violations, wrongful imprisonment and unlawful prosecution.
  • Lead trial counsel in lawsuit involving property damage, loss of business income and insurer bad faith; obtained favorable jury verdict on all claims.
  • National coordinating counsel for welding fume exposure claims.
  • Trial counsel and appellate counsel in a lawsuit involving an airline's 9/11-related business interruption claim.
  • Trial and appellate counsel in the World Trade Center Properties property coverage litigation; obtained summary judgment and a favorable decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirming the number of occurrences arising from the 9/11 terrorist attack.
  • Successfully litigated property and liability coverage matters involving toxic mold, including a class action lawsuit in Louisiana.
  • Successfully litigated numerous coverage actions concerning the availability of liability coverage for lawsuits alleging industry-wide negligence and intentional conduct in the manufacturing, marketing and sale of handguns.


Professional Associations
  • Managing Editor, Coverage, American Bar Association Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee (2006-present)
  • Co-Chair, American Bar Association Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee's Programming Subcommittee (2005-2009)
  • Co-Chair, American Bar Association Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee's Subcommittee on Emerging Coverage Issues (2003-2005)
  • Vice Co-Chair, American Bar Association Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee's Mid-Year Meeting (2003)


Articles

Additional Articles
  • Look Closely At Insurer Allegations Concerning Privilege, Law360
  • Migrating Sand Triggers Separate Policy Limits for CGL Policy’s Personal Injury and Property Damage Coverages, FC&S Legal
  • Hurricane Harvey Threatens Huge Losses, but Insurance Can Help Weather the Storm, Texas Lawbook
  • A Tough Pill to Swallow for Insurers – Seventh Circuit Finds Defense Owed for State’s Prescription Drug Suit, FC&S Legal
  • Welding Fume Exposure Claims and Their Implications Under Contracts For General Liability Insurance, Mealey's Litigation Report, Vol 2, No. 1
  • Virginia Federal Court Rejects Liability Insurer’s ‘Business Pursuits’ and ‘Known Falsity’ Exclusions; Owes Defense For Slander Allegations, FC&S Legal
  • Business Liability Policy Requires Insurer to Defend Defamation and Business Tort Claims Arising Out of Business’ Web Site Publications, FC&S Legal
  • Fourth Circuit Rules under Maryland Law that Insurer May Not Void Policy Based on Ambiguous Policy Application Questions, FC&E Legal
  • Defense Is Owed by CGL Insurer For Loss of Use and Diminished Value Resulting from Alleged Easement Trespass FC&S Legal
  • As Amazon’s and Walmart’s Drones Take to the Skies, it is Important for Commercial Policyholders to Have a Strategy to Protect Against Drone-Related Risks and to Maximize their Recovery in the Event of a Loss, National Law Review
  • Implications of Flagship Credit V. Indian Harbor, Law360
  • Maximizing Recovery For Hurricane Sandy Losses, Insurance Law360
  • Insurer Equitably Obligated to Contribute to the Defense of a Common Insured, Eye on the Experts: FC&S Legal
  • Subpoena Defense Cost Ruling Gets Insurance Law Wrong, Law360
  • Insurance Coverage for Supply Chain Interruptions, Risk Management Magazine
  • Md. Abuse Law Makes Past Liability Coverage Review Vital, Law360
  • CGL policies and coverage for ‘forever chemical’ product liabilities (part 2), PropertyCasualty360
  • Eleventh Circuit Rules Under Alabama Law That Breach Of Warranty Claims Constitute An “Occurrence” And Coverage Is Not Barred By A General Liability Policy’s Contractual Liability Exclusion, FC&S Legal
  • 2016 Retail Industry Year in Review
  • Judges – Not Juries – Award Attorney’s Fees In Virginia Bad Faith Cases, FC&S Legal
  • Insurance May Help the Winter Storm, FC&S Legal
  • Texas Federal Court Finds Factual Allegations Trump Legal Theories for Coverage Purposes
  • Top 10 Employment Liability Concerns, SHRM HR Magazine, Vol. 60, No. 6
  • Hurricanes Highlight Need for Contingent Business Interruption Insurance, Risk Management
  • Court finds no crime coverage for computer fraud losses, International Law Office: IT & Internet Newsletter
  • Protect Your Insurance Recovery After California Fires, Law360
  • Fla. Appellate Court Expands Insurance Bad Faith Law, Law360
  • Uncertainty About Hurricane Florence’s Impact Zone Has Caused Widespread Event Cancellations. Insurance May Cover The Financial Loss
  • Most Courts Limit Scope of Insured v. Insured Exclusion, Law360
  • Are Courts Ignoring Policy Interpretation Rules in COVID Decisions?, Insurance Coverage Law Center
  • Insured Directors Not ‘Necessary’ for Complete Adjudication of Insurer’s Coverage Obligations, Insurance Coverage Law Center
  • State COVID Insurance Rulings Highlight Errors In Dismissals, Law360
  • The Cyber Threat: Is Your Business Adequately Covered for a Cyber Event?
  • Check Your Inventory; Do You Have Enough Cyber Insurance?, Retail Industry 2022 Year in Review
  • D&O insurance: an essential tool in the evolving ESG landscape, Westlaw Today
  • A "Flood of Uncertainty": Contractual Erosion in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina and the Eastern District of Louisiana's Ruling In Re Katrina Canal Breaches Consolidated Litigation, Tulane Law Review, Vol. 81:1277
  • Nanotechnology: Tiny Technology, Big Risk?, Andrews Insurance Coverage Litigation Reporter, Vol. 15, No. 10
  • The Essentials of Business Interruption Coverage In The Wake Of September 11, 2001, Mealey’s Business Interruption Insurance Report, Vol. 1, No. 3
  • Wis. High Court Clarifies Contours of Pollution Coverage, Law360
  • Filling In The Gaps For Excess Insurance Coverage, Law360
  • CGL Policies In 4th Circ. May Cover Intentional Conduct, Law360
  • Hurricane insurance claims: key causation and coverage issues, WestLaw Insurance
  • Costs Relating to Regulatory Investigations, Derivative Lawsuits, and Independent Consultant's Investigations Are Covered Under Contracts for Directors' and Officers' Liability Insurance, Financial Fraud Law Report, Vol. 3, No. 9
  • Year in review: Top insurance cases of 2018, Thomson Reuters Westlaw
  • Pollution Exclusion Applies To Lead Poisoning Claim Under CGL Policy
  • Is There Insurance Coverage For Lawsuits Against The Firearm Industry?, Nevada Law Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2, 533
  • 2020 Year in Review: Top Insurance Cases of 2020, American Bar Association
  • As a matter of fact, COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 does cause physical loss or damage to property, Westlaw Today
  • The Insurance Industry's COVID Sin, Insurance Coverage Law Center
  • What 6th Circ. Ruling May Portend For PFAS Coverage Cases, Law360
  • Insurance Considerations For Cos. Assessing New AI Risks, Law360
  • Boardroom Cryptonite: Assessing Coverage for Crypto-Related Exposures, The Journal of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Law
  • How VA Court Change Is Affecting Insurance Disputes, Law360
  • Property Insurance Dispute Resolution, Appleman on Insurance Law, Vol. 5, Chapter 48
  • Contingent Business Interruption Coverage for Superstorm Sandy Losses, American Bar Association Section of Litigation – Insurance Coverage Litigation Newsletter
  • Fourth Circuit Confirms Insurer Waived Right to Rescind Policy Based on Pre-Loss Knowledge that Certain Conditions to Coverage Had Not Been Met, Eye on the Experts: FC&S Legal
  • PRP Letters Now Trigger Insurer's Duty To Defend, Law360
  • Year in Review: Insurance Coverage Developments in 2016, Westlaw Journal’s Insurance Coverage
  • Unchained and Decrypted: Coverage Issues Concerning Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Explained, Insurance Law Essentials, Deep Dive, IRMI
  • Insurers To Indemnify $132 Million Loss From Train Collision Allegedly Caused By Texting Engineer, FC&S Legal
  • Cannabis coverage conundrum: Was this property claim doomed? Property Casualty 360°
  • NJ Insureds Benefit From Broad Reading Of Physical Loss, Law360
  • Clarifying Bad Faith Jurisprudence in Virginia, Federal Court Recognizes Bad-Faith Claim Against First-Party, FC&S Legal
  • First Circuit’s Revival of Lost Policy Case Demonstrates That Policyholders Should Not Be So Quick To Give Up On Coverage, FC&S Legal
  • Federal Judge Refuses to Limit Coverage and Moves Forward with Policyholder’s Claims Against Insurer and Broker, National Law Review
  • Top Insurance Cases of 2020 - Part 1: Business Interruption, Insurance Coverage Law Center
  • Top Insurance Cases of 2020: Part 2 - Other Noteworthy Cases, Insurance Coverage Law Center
  • Supply Chain Disruption? Don’t Overlook Insurance, Retail Industry 2021 Year in Review
  • Will Your Crime Insurance Cover Cyber?, Risk Management Magazine
  • Fifth Circuit Holds That Insured Versus Insured Exclusion Does Not Bar Coverage For All Suits Between Insureds, FC&S Legal
  • Key Insurance Considerations in a Record Hurricane Season, Risk Management
  • Florida Appellate Court Says Class Action “Relates Back” To Earlier-Filed Suit, Thereby Triggering Claims-Made Coverage, FC&S Legal
  • Insurer’s Duties to Defend and Indemnify: New York, Practical Law
  • Q&A: Insurance attorney Michael S. Levine on COVID-19 coverage issues, Thomson Reuters- Westlaw
  • Florida Supreme Court: When It Comes To UM Damages Verdicts And Bad Faith, “What Is Good For The Goose Is Good For The Gander,” FC&S Legal
  • Ensuring Adequate Coverage for 3D Printing, Sharing Economy and Other Emerging Industries
  • REBUTTAL: Flood Insurance Is Different For Businesses, Law360
  • Lessons Learned from the Storms of 2017, ABA’s Insurance Coverage, Vol. 28, Issue 3
  • CGL policies and coverage for ‘forever chemical’ product liabilities (part 1), PropertyCasualty360
  • Eleventh Circuit Rejects Insurer’s Application of ‘Manifestation Trigger’ in Property Damage Case, FC&S Legal
  • Flood Coverage and High Hazard Zones: Issues Policyholders Should Be Aware Of, ABA Coverage Journal
  • Purported COVID-19 Class Actions Face Big Hurdles, Daily Report
  • Third DCA Ruling Requires Insurers to Provide Extra Counsel, Daily Business Review
  • Year in Review Insurance Developments in 2014, Law360
  • Setback For Pa. Insurers In Product Liability Cases, Law360
  • Can Estoppel Coverage be Created if Defense Prejudices the Insured?, Law.com
  • Noteworthy insurance cases from 2019, PropertyCasualty360
  • Federal Courts Make 2 Basic Errors In Virus Coverage Rulings, Law360
  • The New Bermuda Triangle: Arbitration of Coverage Disputes Under the Bermuda Form, American College of Coverage Counsel Member News Article of the Month
  • Year in Review: Important Long-Tail Claim and Malicious Prosecution Cases from 2019, Connecticut Law Tribune
  • Md. Abuse Law Makes Past Liability Coverage Review Vital, Law360
  • PFAS Product Liabilities and Defense Costs May Be Covered by Insurance, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP’s Hot Topics for Retail General Counsel (June 2023)
  • Insurance Mitigates Cyber-Related Risk, The American Oil & Gas Reporter
  • Fracking Liabilities May Be Covered By Insurance, Mealey's Litigation Report, Vol. 26, No. 1
  • Insurers Win Series Against Lakers in TCPA D&O Shootout, Law360
  • PFAS Product Liabilities and Defense Costs May Be Covered by Insurance, The National Law Review
  • Insurance Planning for 2016: Top Ten Real Estate Liability Concerns, Real Estate Finance Journal
  • REBUTTAL: Fracking Bans May Trigger Civil Authority Coverage, Law360
  • Year in Review: Notable Insurance Coverage Developments of 2017!, Thomson Reuters Westlaw® 
  • Class Certification And Multidistrict Litigation Hurdles For Business Interruption Claims, Mealey’s Litigation Report: Insurance
  • Top D&O insurance cases of 2019, NU Property Casualty 360
  • 5th Circ.: D&O Insurer Must Cover Firm for Social Engineering Losses Despite Professional Services Exclusion, The D&O Diary
  • Florida Federal Court Rejects Insurer’s Attempt To Avoid Indemnity For Damage Caused By Construction Defects, Insurance Coverage Law Report
  • Court: You Can Create Coverage by Estoppel if Insurer’s Defense Prejudices the Insured, Daily Business Review
  • 3 Unexpected Risks Covered By Homeowners Insurance, Law360
  • Plaintiffs' Potential Pitfalls When Obtaining Fed. Forum, Law360
  • Year in Review: Top Directors & Officers Insurance Cases of 2019, Insurance Coverage Law Center
  • Insurance May Be Available For Flood-Related Losses, FC&S Legal
  • After Matthew, The Insurance Storm Begins, Daily Business Review
  • Year in Review: Top Social Engineering Insurance Cases of 2019, Insurance Coverage Law Center
  • 3 D&O Questions Regarding Event-Driven Securities Litigation, Law360
  • Insurance coverage for claims stemming from the national opioid crisis, PropertyCasualty360.com
  • After SARS, insurers changed policies covering businesses, The Washington Post
  • Energy industry: Is Your Insurance Sufficient to Handle a Major Cyber Event?, Electric Light & Power
  • Three Key Things in Health Care
  • 2019 Retail Industry Year in Review
  • ESG Hot Topics
  • Protecting Business Income When Disaster Strikes
  • 2020 Retail Industry Year in Review
  • 2023 Retail Industry Year in Review
  • Insurance Coverage Issues in Hydraulic Fracturing, LexisNexis® Emerging Issues Analysis
  • Cybersecurity Insurance – Mitigating Compliance Risk Under the DFARS and Other Federal Regulations, Contract Management

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