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Douglas J. Simmons

Doug practices in the areas of commercial and general litigation, with a focus on insurance coverage issues. He has advised policyholder-clients regarding various types of insurance portfolios, including property / business interruption, general liability, errors and omissions, directors & officers, builder's risk, fidelity/crime, fiduciary liability, environmental impairment liability, business auto, and aviation. He has assisted clients in designing and implementing strategies to maximize existing insurance coverages and to improve coverages during renewal negotiations.

In the area of property/business interruption insurance programs, Doug has significant experience evaluating insurer-marketed forms and manuscript forms used in a variety of industries including energy, primary metals, equipment manufacturing, real estate holdings, chemical manufacturing, entertainment/hospitality, construction, medical services, and food service. He has assisted clients in the pursuit of insurance claims from initial assessment through resolution.

In the areas of product liabilities and environmental liabilities, Doug's experience includes the successful negotiation of buy-out agreements and coverage-in-place agreements involving over a billion dollars in insurance limits. He also has significant experience with the pursuit of claims against the estates of financially-troubled insurers, including U.S. insolvency proceedings and U.K. schemes of arrangement.

Doug has participated in dispute resolution proceedings (litigation, mediation and arbitration) across the United States on matters involving breach of sales contracts, product defects, toxic torts, natural disasters, man-made accidents, construction defects, insurance disputes, and environmental conditions.

Doug has lectured and published on various topics relating to commercial litigation and insurance issues.

  • Pennsylvania Bar Association (Civil Litigation Section)
  • Leadership Pittsburgh, Inc. participant
Additional Thought Leadership Pages
  • Massachusetts Recognizes Policyholder’s Golden Opportunity to Recover Attorney Fees in Declaratory Judgment Actions, Journal of Insurance Coverage, Autumn 2002
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