Kate L Hyde
Kate.Hyde@kennedyslaw.com
+1 908 647 8390
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Profile
Education
- Seton Hall University School of Law, JD (cum laude), 2008
- Stern College, Sy Syms School of Business, BA (magna cum laude), 2005
Kate is a partner in the Basking Ridge office with established expertise in evaluating, litigating and resolving insurance coverage matters. Kate represents insurers and reinsurers in a broad array of industries, including construction, commercial property, environmental, automobile, professional liability, employers’ liability, and mass tort.
As an experienced litigator, Kate represents insurers in state and federal courts nationwide in matters involving high-profile and complex claims, including those concerning contribution and allocation among insurers. She also has significant experience in the realm of alternative dispute resolution, handling cases involving both first-party and liability coverage.
Kate is a graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law, where she was a member of the moot court board. During law school, she interned with the Legal Services of New Jersey organization, representing indigent clients in landlord/tenant and family law disputes.
Outside of the office, Kate is an active member of the Board of Trustees of the Boys and Girls Club of Clifton.
Qualifications and admissions
- New Jersey
- New York
- US District of Court, New Jersey
- US District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York
- US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
Work highlights
- In the trial court and again on appeal, prevailed on behalf of an insurer in a dispute concerning application of a policy exclusion as a matter of first impression both in New Jersey and nationally
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of an automobile insurer, defeating an uninsured motorist claim stemming from a major motor vehicle accident and implicating multiple insurance policies.
- Facilitated a successful settlement in a case involving an additional insured claim with potential bad faith exposure resulting from multiple wrongful death and bodily injury claims.
- Negotiated and enforced a favorable settlement in a commercial property case involving misrepresentations by an insured and policy rescission.
- Successfully defended an automobile insurer in the trial court and at the appellate level against contribution claims by a public entity stemming from an automobile accident involving a public employee.
- Second chaired a multi-phase trial involving multiple insurers disputing availability of coverage for a large-scale environmental contamination claim.
Presentations and publications
- Co-author, “Allocating responsibility for mass tort bodily injury among implicated insurance policies,” published for the American Bar Association (April 2024)
- “Business auto coverage form,” In-House Client Training (October 2023)
- “Workers’ compensation and employers’ liability coverage,” In-House Client Training (October 2023)
- “Insurance coverage issues for cyber-related losses,” In-House Client Training (March 2023)
- Co-author, “New Jersey’s new pre-suit policy disclosure requirement,” published for Kennedys (October 2022)
- Co-author, “Key amendments to New York's Comprehensive Insurance Disclosure Action,” published for Kennedys (February 2022)
- Co-author, “Understanding New York's Comprehensive Insurance Disclosure Act,” published for Kennedys (January 2022)
- Author, “US Supreme Court expands the scope of personal jurisdiction,” published for Kennedys (March 2021)
- “Anticipating & Handling Discovery Demands in Coverage Litigation,” In-House Client Training (October 2019)
- Co-author, "Large scale lawsuits present new challenge for insurers," published for Insurance Day (October 2019)
- Contributor, US Construction Defect Insurance Coverage Law Compendium (September 2019)
- Co-author, "New Jersey Supreme Court invalidates stranger-originated life insurance policies," published for Kennedys (September 2019)
- Co-author, "Insuring the Rideshare Industry," published for Kennedys (September 2019)
- Co-author, “Business Interruption Claims in The Wake of The Devastating California Wildfires,” published for Kennedys (January 2019)
- Co-author, “Choice of Law and New Jersey’s Unique Allocation Methodology; the Honeywell Decision,” published for Kennedys (January 2019)
- Co-author, “Limitations on the Use of the Reasonable Expectations Doctrine and the Contra Proferentem Rule by Sophisticated Policyholders,” published for Kennedys (January 2019)
Report decisions
- FlagHouse, Inc. v. ProSource Dev., Inc., 528 F. App’x 186 (3d Cir. 2013)
Construction and engineering
Insurance and reinsurance
Transport and logistics