Christopher R Carroll

Partner Basking Ridge, United States

T: +1 908 848 1250

F: +1 908 647 8390

E: Christopher.Carroll@kennedyslaw.com

Admissions

New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
US Court of Appeals, First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits
US District Court, Northern District of Illinois
US District Court, New Jersey
US District Court, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of New York
US District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
US District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin

Education

St. John's University School of Law, JD, 1992
St. Joseph's College, BA (magna cum laude), 1988

Chris is a Partner in the New York and Basking Ridge offices and is a member of Kennedys’ Global Strategy Board. He has extensive experience in handling and resolving— through litigation and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms — insurance coverage disputes, including those involving environmental, toxic tort, asbestos, construction, advertising liability, products, cyber, technology, property, automobile, and employment issues.

Chris has represented clients in insurance coverage disputes in virtually every state in the United States, on both the state and federal level, as well as in Bermuda, Canada, Puerto Rico, and throughout Europe. He also is experienced in resolution of reinsurance disputes and the drafting of reinsurance contracts. Chris often provides counsel to corporate clients on general business matters, contract negotiation, environmental litigation and compliance, and all types of commercial disputes.

Chris is a frequent lecturer on a myriad of insurance and litigation topics, including mediation and negotiation, bad faith, construction defect, toxic tort, hazardous waste and advertising liability. He is on the the Advisory Board for The Center for the Study of Insurance Regulation at St. John’s University in New York, as well as the Editorial Advisory Board of Insurance Law & Litigation Week. Chris also is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel (ACCC), and a Fellow of the American Bar Association, an honor only given to one percent of the lawyers admitted to practice in the US. Chris also is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Joseph's College in New York.

Christopher Carroll is a distinguished practitioner who...is revered by clients for his experience and knowledge.

Chambers USA 2021

"Christopher combines a sophisticated knowledge of insurance issues with practicality and good judgment."

Chambers USA 2021

Market recognition

Ranked lawyer and notable practitioner for 'Insurance (New Jersey)' (Band 1)
"Christopher Carroll is a distinguished practitioner who regularly handles a range of insurance coverage disputes. He is revered by clients for his experience and knowledge." "Christopher combines a sophisticated knowledge of insurance issues with practicality and good judgment." "He will come back to me with clear answers."
Chambers USA 2021
Ranked lawyer and notable practitioner for 'Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Insurer (USA - Nationwide)'
"Christopher Carroll is adept at handling an array of insurance coverage disputes on behalf of insurance carriers. He is particularly well regarded for his expertise in cases involving cybersecurity and environmental issues, among other areas."
Chambers USA 2021
Ranked lawyer and notable practitioner for 'Insurance (New Jersey)' (Band 1)
Christopher Carroll represents insurers in high-profile and sensitive disputes. "His service is impeccable," comments a client, continuing: "He's very savvy in solving problems for the client and he's an immensely skilled negotiator."
Chambers USA 2020
“He's given presentations to teams here and wider people involved in the chain. He's good at explaining issues to our senior management.”
The Gracechurch London Market Insurance Law Report 2019
“He is very commercially minded and quite tactful in how he talks to the insurers and deals with clients in general.”
The Gracechurch London Market Insurance Law Report 2019
Named in Best Lawyers for Insurance Law (2019-2021)
New Jersey Super Lawyers (2013-2020)
Ranked Chambers US Leading Lawyer (Tier 2) for Insurance Litigation
Impressed clients of Christopher Carroll consider him to be "an incredible advocate," highlighting his "uncanny ability to identify, develop and articulate issues on the spot." His widely respected insurance coverage practice incorporates environmental, toxic tort and asbestos disputes, and he demonstrates expertise handling coverage matters of national significance.
Chambers US 2019
Ranked Chambers US Leading Lawyer for Insurance Litigation
The phenomenal Christopher Carroll represents insurers in a range of coverage disputes. He is described by market sources as "an excellent lawyer; absolutely top-notch."
Chambers US 2018
Named in Who’s Who Legal: Insurance & Reinsurance (2018)
Named in Best Lawyers New York (2018)
Client Choice Award (2016)
AV Peer Rating from Martindale-Hubbell

Work highlights

Representing insurers in connection with claims against USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee arising from allegations of sexual abuse by former doctor, Larry Nassar.
Representing insurers in connection with resolution of more than 4,000 individual claimants against MGM alleging wrongful death, bodily injury, and emotional distress following the October 1, 2017 shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Representing insurers in connection with insurance claims and litigation arising from class action and mass tort lawsuits asserted by former athletes alleging long-term brain injury against various sports leagues, including the National Football League, the National Hockey League, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Representing insurers of drug distributors and manufacturers in opioid litigation in federal and state courts throughout the country, in connection with hundreds of lawsuits brought by governmental entities, individuals and other institutions seeking damages in the tens of billions of dollars.
Representing certain Bermuda and London based excess insurers of joint venture participant sued for catastrophic property, environmental, and personal injury damages associated with the failure of the Fundão Tailings Dam in Brazil.
Representing insurer in large coverage dispute arising out of the release of confidential medical records of approximately 32,500 patients that were stored electronically on hospital servers.
Representing excess insurer in connection with multiple claims under a professional/cyber liability policy involving disputes over the insured’s design and implementation of large IT projects.
Representing insurer in Bermuda arbitration involving complex reinsurance dispute arising from pre-suit settlement of numerous medical malpractice claims due to performance of unapproved experimental spinal procedure on hundreds of patients.
Representing insurer in three-week Bermuda arbitration proceeding arising from underlying fraud in the construction of hundreds of homes on the West Coast of the United States.
Representing insurer in connection with insurance policies issued to an international retailer regarding a data breach exposing over 45 million customer names and financial data, including a determination as to the applicability of a “cyber” exclusion and the duties, if any, of the insurance company to fund the expenses associated with customer class actions and government investigations. This analysis involved consideration of policies issued in multiple countries and the international laws pertaining to those policies.
Representing excess carrier in insurance coverage arbitration arising from bodily injury, wrongful death, and property damage claims resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion.

Presentations and publications

Conference Co-Chair, The Opioid Litigation Conference by Perrin Conferences (June 2019, October 2020)
"Hot Topics in Insurance Coverage" (April 2020)
"Overview on general liability and umbrella policies" (April 2020)
"Current US Challenges (Including Update on Coronavirus)" (April 2020)
"Opioid crisis: beginning of the end or end of the beginning?" presented at Kennedys Bermuda Hot Topics (October 2019)
"An Introduction to the Bermuda (Occurance reported) Form" (October 2019)
Co-author, "A Legal Reality Check on Sports-Related Concussion," published for Kennedys (June 2019)
Co-author, "Opioid Litigation Keeps Moving Forward and Continues to Raise Coverage Issues," published for Kennedys (May 2019)
"Sports Related Head Trauma," presented at Kennedys Bermuda Hot Topics (October 2018)
"Insurance Coverage Update," presented at The Opioid Litigation Conference by Perrin Conferences (June 2018)
"Modern Day Crises: An Insurance Perspective on When Sex, Drugs, and Guns Go Wrong," presented at 2018 CLM Bermuda Chapter Education and Networking Event (May 2018)
“Mediation’s ‘1%’: What Distinguishes the Very Best Commercial Mediators?” webinar panel presentation for the American Bar Association, Section of Dispute Resolution (October 2017)
“Why ADR for Cyber Coverage Disputes Makes Sense for Both Sides,” presented at the CLM Cyber Summit (October 2017)