Douglas J Steinke

Partner | New York, United States
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Profile

Education

  • St. John’s University School of Law, JD, 2005
  • Columbia University, MS, 1999
  • The Johns Hopkins University, BA, 1998

Doug is a partner in the New York office who has successfully represented insurers in numerous actions in state and federal courts across the United States as well as in a variety of arbitrations. Doug also counsels carriers in cross-border matters and claim disputes outside the United States. Doug has extensive experience handling and resolving insurance coverage disputes involving environmental, toxic tort, asbestos, construction, bad faith, products, professional liability, fraud, commercial property/first-party property, business interruption, cyber, and technology claims, among others. Doug frequently counsels insurers on insurance coverage issues in connection with numerous first-party property and commercial losses following hurricanes, wildfires and other catastrophes across numerous industries.

Doug has experience counseling (re)insurers regarding large losses, risk analysis, policy drafting, and other business matters. Doug has also counseled and represented (re)insurers in disputes regarding quota share and excess of loss treaties, facultative certificates and retrocession agreements.

A seasoned litigator, Doug has briefed and argued motions and appeals in multiple jurisdictions and has handled a wide-array of notable insurance coverage disputes involving high-dollar amounts in litigation, arbitration and otherwise. He has experience with many different lines of coverage, including commercial general liability, commercial property/first-party property, umbrella, excess and surplus lines, ocean and inland marine, political violence and political risk, professional liability (errors and omissions), pollution liability (environmental liability) and cyber risk. Clients regularly entrust Doug to handle complex insurance issues. Doug also has experience counseling insurers regarding inquiries from regulatory authorities.

Qualifications and admissions

  • New York
  • US District Court, Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Districts of New York
  • US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
  • US Supreme Court

Market recognition

  • Law 360 Insurance Authority Property Editorial Advisory Board (2022)

Work highlights

  • Successfully represented insurers in multiple arbitrations involving large-loss first-party property claims arising out of Hurricane Michael, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, among others
  • Obtained partial summary judgment on behalf of insurer-client in a matter involving an alleged flood loss at a college student housing facility which resulted in a favorable settlement for the client
  • Obtained favorable settlement on behalf of an insurer following appraisal in connection with an alleged loss at a commercial winery operation
  • Obtained favorable ruling against a third-party landlord in an alleged flood loss which resulted in a favorable settlement for the client
  • Briefed summary judgment motion and obtained favorable settlement in an action in which a California hospital system sought coverage under a cyber liability insurance policy for losses sustained as a result of a data breach
  • Briefed summary judgment motion in declaratory judgment action involving thousands of underlying asbestos bodily injury claims that resulted in a favorable settlement on behalf of client
  • Obtained dismissal of breach of contract and bad faith claims asserted against insurance company client in case involving Superstorm Sandy property damage claim
  • Won dismissal of a lawsuit seeking insurance coverage for reputational damages allegedly sustained by certain supermodels
  • Reached favorable settlement on behalf of client in $10M construction accident dispute
  • Prevailed on summary judgment motion made on behalf of insurer resulting from policyholder’s failure to comply with policy conditions
  • Successfully represented an insurer at the Phase I trial in a $300 million insurance coverage action involving an industrial talc manufacturer
  • Briefed, argued, and defeated policyholder’s motion seeking a temporary injunction to restrain insurance company client from reducing its contribution of defense costs
  • Briefed, argued and won appeal in which the appellate court held that insurance company client was not estopped from disclaiming coverage despite defending its policyholder for nearly four years
  • Obtained dismissal of a lawsuit seeking coverage for a business interruption claim in which the policyholder sought reformation of the policy and other relief
  • Briefed, argued and won motion for summary judgment on the ground that policy exclusions barred coverage for a loss tendered under a commercial property policy

Presentations and publications

  • “Monitoring a Growing Storm: The Implications of Climate Change Litigation on Insurers,” with Erica R. Sanders, published in The American Bar Association publication The Brief (Winter 2023)
  • “Cyber Attacks” presented for The Institutes® CPCU Society All-Industry Day (October 2019)
  • “Recent Coverage Issues Related to Cyber Risks” presented for NJSBA Annual Meeting and Convention (May 2019)

Services

Sectors