Elizabeth A Sutton
Profile
Education
- Villanova University School of Law, JD, 2007
- Widener University, BA (summa cum laude), 2004
Beth is a partner in the Philadelphia office and focuses primarily on insurance coverage analysis and complex commercial litigation matters. Her experience includes advising and representing insurance companies in insurance coverage disputes related to environmental and latent injury, toxic tort, professional liability, errors and omissions, directors and officers, automobile liability coverage, construction defect, personal and advertising injury and bad faith claims. Beth also has experience handling first party claims, in particular flood insurance claims and claims related to COVID-19.
Prior to joining Kennedys in 2013, Beth worked at a Philadelphia based firm where she began her insurance coverage practice. Beth represents insurance companies in federal and state courts throughout the country and provides counseling to insurers regarding claim handling practices and risk analysis. She also devotes a portion of her practice to general liability defense.
Beth earned her law degree from Villanova University School of Law, where she was a member of the Moot Court Board, and studied international business and policy at Temple University Rome.
Beth is an active member of the firm’s Women’s Initiative.
Related articles
Qualifications and admissions
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- US District Court, New Jersey
- US District Court, Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania
Market recognition
- Recognized as a “Rising Star” by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers (2018 – 2021)
Work highlights
- Obtained judgment in favor of excess insurer finding that primary insurer was required to reimburse excess insurer’s full amount of defense costs for its failure to defend a mutual insured.
- Successfully defended insurer in action arising from denial of coverage under a professional liability policy and seeking $1M policy limits.
- Obtained several judgments in favor of general liability insurers in connection with underlying construction defect actions under Pennsylvania law.
- Successfully defended insurer in action arising from denial of coverage of child molestation claims, affirming application of inferred intent doctrine under Pennsylvania law.
Presentations and publications
- Co-author, “Pennsylvania Supreme Court finds no coverage for COVID-19 business interruption losses,” published for Kennedys (September 2024)
- Co-author, “New Jersey Appellate Court enforces ‘capacity’ exclusion in D&O policy as matter of first impression,” published for Kennedys (August 2024)
- Co-author, “In NY, insurers cannot recoup defense costs absent express policy provision – do other jurisdictions agree?” published for Kennedys (February 2021)
- “COVID-19 Coverage Issues,” presented at Perrin Insurance Coverage & Allocation Issues Conference (January 2021)
- Co-author, “Nanette Lepore loses due to intellectual property exclusion,” published for Kennedys (March 2020)