Biography

Laura Goodman focuses her practice on the defense of class action lawsuits and complex insurance litigation. She serves as a member of Sedgwick’s Class Action and §17200 Task Forces.

Litigation Matters

Ms. Goodman counsels and represents insurers in connection with nearly every aspect of insurance litigation, ranging from class action defense to policy rescission to coverage disputes.

Representative matters include:

• Favorable settlement for insurer client of environmental contamination coverage claims involving multiple sites and multiple insureds competing for limited policy proceeds.
• Obtained stay of a class action lawsuit in federal court against a large insurer pending resolution of appraisal issues and validity/enforceability of underlying insurance regulation.
• Obtained judgment on the pleadings in a class action in federal court pending arbitration of certain underlying disputes. 
• Obtained partial summary judgment in California federal court holding rescission applies to all insureds, including additional insureds. 
• Obtained favorable resolution of multi-million dollar environmental coverage action in Washington federal court. 
• Obtained a defense jury trial verdict in California Superior Court (Los Angeles) in favor of the insurer in a complex premium bad faith dispute and obtained full relief on the client’s cross-complaint for monies owed.
• Represented the technology unit of an insurer in connection with rescission of a technology errors & omissions and commercial general liability policy issued to a large corporate insured in federal court in California.
• Represented an insurer in connection with the favorable settlement of a multimillion-dollar technology coverage dispute in California Superior Court (Santa Clara). 
• Obtained summary judgment in federal court affirming rescission of a large corporation’s directors and officers liability insurance policy procured by fraud.
• Obtained numerous stipulations and orders of rescission.
• Obtained judgment in favor of automobile insurer in connection with an unfair competition lawsuit filed against the automobile insurance industry.
• Obtained partial summary judgment in favor of insurer in a multi-million dollar action involving a product liability coverage exclusion.
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of insurer in federal court for a case involving the “your product” exclusion.

Published Decisions

• Atmel Corporation v. St Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (April 18, 2006) --- F.Supp.2d ----, 2006 WL 1009011 (N.D.Cal.)
• Atmel Corporation v. St Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (March 27, 2006) --- F.Supp.2d ----, 2006 WL 827115 (N.D.Cal)
• Atmel Corporation v. St Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (March 21, 2006) 421 F.Supp.2d 1265
• Atmel Corporation v. St Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (Feb 21, 2006) 416 F.Supp.2d 802
• Atmel Corporation v. St Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (Oct 11, 2005) ---F.Supp2d ----, 2005 WL 2562626 (N.D.Cal.)

Presentations

• “What To Do With The Runaway Train – Excess Verdicts,” PLRB/LIRB (October 2008).
• “Errors & Omissions Insurance: What Managed Care Attorneys Need to Know,” California Society for Healthcare Attorneys (April 2007).
• “Roundtable on Rescission Issues,” ABA Tips (February 2007).

Publications

• “California Supreme Court Holds That Innocent Insured Is Not Subject to Intentional Act or Criminal Conduct Exclusion in Fire Insurance Policy,” Author, Sedgwick’s “Insurance Law Flash” (February 17, 2011).
• “Independent Counsel,” Author, GC California (October 14, 2009).
• Contributing Editor, “Environmental Insurance Coverage,” The Rutter Group, California Insurance Litigation, Chapter 7(h) (March 2009).
• “Apply Here,” – Reasonable Investigation and Disclosure in Insurance Applications, Author, GC California, (March 16, 2009).
• “California Supreme Court Issues Seminal Decision on Qualified Pollution Exclusion,” Author, Sedgwick’s “Insurance Law Flash” (March 10, 2009).
• “Termination, Reformation & Rescission,” Contributing Editor, The Rutter Group, California Insurance Litigation, Chapter 5 (June 2008).
• “Construction Liability,” Contributing Editor, The Rutter Group, California Insurance Litigation, Chapter 7E, (June 2008).
• Past Editor, Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold “Insurance Update.”