Insurance Coverage and Indemnity Law

A substantial part of Vandeveer Garzia’s practice relates to indemnity and insurance coverage issues in a wide variety of cases and policies, ranging from homeowner, automobile and commercial general liability policies (primary, excess and special excess) to specialized policies for risk retention groups, and involving personal injury, construction litigation, environmental claims and intellectual property cases.

The Insurance and Indemnity Law Group handles a broad range of issues involving insurance policy coverage, contractual indemnity clauses, and the operation of the two together.

The group handles declaratory judgment actions on behalf of insurers, both asserting and defending coverage issues. 

In addition, members of the group provide coverage opinions where there is a question or dispute about coverage that has not reached the stage of litigation.  These coverage opinions involve cases arising under Michigan law, and also laws of other states.

Another service the group provides is a review of a business’s insurance policies and contractual indemnity language in light of the business’s potential liability exposure.

Vandeveer Garzia is designated coverage counsel for a national self-insurance group.  For this type of client, the group handles declaratory judgment actions in Michigan, consults on such actions in other states, and also participates in the drafting and revision of the policies and endorsements.