Christian Andrew Cavallo

Christian Cavallo, a leader of the GIS New Jersey team, is an experienced insurance coverage litigator who regularly represents insurance industry clients in connection with complex, high-exposure matters. Chris’s litigation experience includes handling a broad range of matters involving claims presented under both first-party products, such as personal and commercial property and automobile policies, and under third-party insurance products, such as personal, commercial, and professional liability policies. Chris has both successfully defended insurers in matters involving claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, extracontractual or "bad faith" claims, and alleged violations of consumer protection and consumer fraud statutes, and he has also represented insurers who have filed lawsuits to obtain a declaration of their rights and obligations under their policies.

A representative sampling of Chris's litigation accomplishments include:
Obtained dismissal on behalf of liability insurer of a complaint seeking damages in excess of $172 million for alleged violations of state consumer fraud statute and multiple common law causes of action involving a supposed "gap" in policyholder's insurance coverage program; dismissal affirmed by Third Circuit on appeal
Negotiated favorable settlement on behalf of commercial auto insurer of a pre-suit wrongful death claim brought by the estate of the deceased driver of the insured's rental vehicle
Obtained summary judgment on behalf of commercial property insurer of a lawsuit arising out of Superstorm Sandy claim, based on the policyholder's failure to present competent evidence to support its claims against the insurer
Obtained summary judgment on behalf of an excess liability insurer in a matter involving underlying personal injury claims based on the insured's failure to provide timely notice of the underlying accident and related lawsuit
Obtained dismissal with prejudice on behalf of a commercial auto insurer of underinsured motorist claims arising from an auto accident involving the insured's limousine
Obtained summary judgment on behalf of an auto liability insurer in a declaratory judgment action brought by a general liability insurer arising out of a multi-million dollar tort liability lawsuit involving damage to a Garden State Parkway overpass
Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a general liability insurer in a declaratory judgment action brought by a putative additional insured arising from a multi-million dollar tort liability lawsuit involving the collapse of a commercial pier
Defeated an order to show cause filed by an insured to compel an auto insurer to participate in the appraisal process permitted by the insurer's policy, where the first-party dispute between the parties exceeded the scope of the appraisal process
Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a general liability insurer in a declaratory judgment action brought against an auto liability insurer arising from a high-value personal injury lawsuit
Obtained dismissal on behalf of an auto liability insurer of a lawsuit seeking uninsured and underinsured motorist benefits as a result of a motor vehicle accident
Obtained a favorable settlement on behalf of a property insurer of litigation involving a multi-million dollar water damage claim asserted by the owner of a high-end fashion boutique
Chris's practice also includes providing his clients with general insurance counseling, including drafting coverage opinions and memoranda analyzing insurers' rights and obligations under complex insurance contracts, assisting with internal investigations, and providing advice concerning regulatory issues, underwriting, and policy drafting.

Chris regularly presents on emergent insurance industry topics, and has authored and co-authored articles on issues affecting the insurance industry. He is also an editor and regular contributor to the firm's insurance blog, The Insurance & Reinsurance Report. While attending Georgetown University Law Center, Chris served as a member of the Georgetown Journal on Poverty & Law Policy. Prior to graduation, he was a law clerk at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.