Joan M. Cotkin

Joan Cotkin is an insurance attorney and litigator with more than 30 years of experience.  She has helped her corporate and public sector clients recover hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance coverage by successfully litigating landmark cases, including appeals in state and circuit courts.  Ms. Cotkin provides specialized advice on insurance matters ranging from directors and officers coverage, property and liability insurance to intellectual property coverage, excess insurance coverage, and professional liability defense, and bad faith litigation matters. She also serves as Chair of Nossaman's Insurance Practice Group.

Ms. Cotkin also has extensive experience dealing with complex business litigation, general civil litigation, commercial litigation, and employment litigation.

The Los Angeles Daily Journal named Ms. Cotkin one of "California's Top Women Litigators" and she has been one of California's "Super Lawyers" in the area of Insurance Coverage law for the past eight consecutive years.

Representative Work

Insurance Coverage:

• City of Pomona.  Recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend and settle pollution liability claims.
• LA Gear.  Recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance proceeds to defend and settle trademark and patent infringement, unfair competition, and securities violation claims.
• Hyundai Motor America.  Recovered millions of dollars of insurance proceeds to defend and settle trademark infringement claims.
• Robbins Research International, Inc.  Recovered millions of dollars of insurance proceeds to defend and settle copyright infringement and employment claims.
• State of California.  Assisted in recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance proceeds to defend and settle pollution liability claims arising from the Stringfellow Acid Pits litigation.

Trials to Verdict:

• Bergen Brunswig v. Continental.  Recovered almost $4 million in an insurance bad faith case, canceling a three-year policy mid-term (including punitive damages).
• Kanishiro v. Mercury Ins.  Recovered almost $5 million in an insurance bad faith case for failure to defend wrongful death case.
• Kurowski v. Bernstein et al.  Obtained $5 million for wrongful cancellation of $3 million life policy.
• Testmasters v. Blueprint.  Obtained a nominal defense verdict and defeated injunction effort for clients sued for $18 million in unfair competition claim.
• Transport Ins v. TIG and Seaton.  Litigated $22 million reinsurance claim for cedent insurer (on appeal as to contested jury instruction dealing with statute of limitations for reinsurance claims, a matter of first impression).