Maurice Pesso
Maurice.Pesso@kennedyslaw.com
+1 908 647 8390
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Profile
Education
- Boston University School of Law, JD, 2000
- Binghamton University, BA, 1997
Maurice is a partner in the New York office. He has represented domestic and international insurers in connection with insurance coverage and liability issues arising under major professional liability lines, including directors and officers (public and private company), banker and financial professional liability, errors and omissions and fiduciary liability. Maurice has worked with insurers in resolving hundreds of these matters through mediation, domestic and international arbitration, and in coverage litigation before State and Federal Courts across the country.
His work includes advising insurers on coverage and liability/damages issues in securities class actions, shareholders derivative actions, private equity disputes, regulatory investigations/proceedings, transactional litigation, and bankruptcy and insolvency matters. Insurance company clients have sought Maurice for advice and guidance on many of their most significant matters, including some of the most high-profile D&O/FI matters of the past two decades. Maurice also counsels insurance company clients with respect to claims and underwriting issues, and works with insurance company clients on developing new insurance products and drafting policy forms and specialized endorsements.
Maurice is a frequent speaker and author on issues of interest to professional liability insurers, specifically with respect to exposures faced by directors and officers and how those exposure can impact professional liability insurers. Maurice is a member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS).
Maurice contributed to the writing of Kennedys' 'Global forecast 2024: Evolving insurance risks' report, published in January 2024.
"He brings a high level of sophistication and is a steady hand in very complex situations."
Qualifications and admissions
- New Jersey
- New York
- US District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York
Market recognition
- Ranked lawyer and notable practitioner for 'Insurance: Dispute Resolution (New York)'
“Maurice Pesso has a broad skill set in insurance coverage matters, with notable experience in claims arising with regard to professional liability.” “Maurice is an expert and well respected in his space. He brings a high level of sophistication and is a steady hand in very complex situations.”
Chambers USA 2023 - Recommended lawyer for ‘Insurance: Advice to Insurers in United States’ The Legal 500 US (2021)
Work highlights
- Regularly represents insurers' interests in connection with resolution of complex securities claims through litigation and alternative dispute resolution procedures, including the negotiation of complex settlements and insurance coverage workouts.
- Successfully negotiated numerous policy settlements in connection with claims noticed under professional liability insurance policies.
- Obtained summary judgment for an insurance company that denied coverage for a portion of a multi-million dollar regulatory settlement that was labeled as disgorgement.
- Defended insurance companies in coverage actions brought by financial institutions seeking coverage for their settlements of the Enron and WorldCom securities class actions.
- Integral part of the lead counsel team that represented the lead plaintiff in the first ever securities class action brought by shareholders of a Turkish company trading on the New York Stock Exchange, resulting in a settlement of over $19 million.
- Frequently represents insurers in the mediation of large, complex claims and the negotiation of sophisticated settlements, including coverage workouts.
Presentations and publications
Presentations
- “Mega derivatives & Side-A DIC,” In-House Client Training (February 2024)
- “D&O and AI Insurance,” In-House Client Training (September 2023)
- “Everything you wanted to know about Side-A but were too afraid to ask,” In-House Client Training (April 2023)
- “Hot Topics for Insurance Coverage,” In-House Client Training (November 2022)
- “Private company D&O insurance,” In-House Client Training (October 2022)
- “Recent trends in D&O: mega-derivative settlements and Side A exposures,” presented at Kennedys Hot Topics Conference (October 2022)
- “New York Insurance Law Section 3420 (D)(2),” In-House Client Training (May 2022)
- “CRS and ESG in the Boardroom: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,” In-House Client Training (April 2022)
- “Mediation & Damages,” In-House Client Training (August 2021)
- “Regional claims and litigation trends in financial lines - an outside view,” In-House Client Training (April 2021)
- “Hot Topics 2021,” In-House Client Training (February 2021)
- “Hot Topics in Insurance Coverage,” In-House Client Training (October 2019, January 2021)
- “Social Accountability in the Boardroom,” presented at Kennedys Hot Topics Conference (October 2019)
Publications
- Co-author, “Macquarie says Second Circuit makes a mockery of Section 10(b),” published for Kennedys (February 2024)
- Co-author, “New breed of SPAC-related litigation? Breach of fiduciary duty lawsuits following de-SPAC transactions,” published for Kennedys (April 2021)
- Co-author, “Cyber underwriting report released by Bermuda Monetary Authority: And it may remind you of another regulator’s recent report,” published for Kennedys (February 2021)
- Co-author, "Arizona Supreme Court to define consent to settlement standard," published for Kennedys (September 2019)
- Co-author, "This Year's Summer Insurance Blockbuster: Office Depot v. AIG Specialty Insurance Company (Starring the Contractual Liability, Prior Acts and Regulatory Exclusions)," published for PLUS Journal (September 2019)
- Author, "What Types of Insurance for Startups? Consider Your Risks and Liabilities," published in JD Supra Corporate Law Report (March 2019)
Insurance and reinsurance