The law of insurance coverage and bad faith is constantly evolving, and Baker Sterchi is a trusted advisor and advocate for clients operating in all lines of the insurance and reinsurance business, including property and casualty, life, accident and health, management and professional liability, financial lines, surety and financial guaranty. Our firm has a vibrant insurance practice, providing quality representation to national and international insurers in matters of coverage opinions, garnishments, declaratory judgment actions, and bad faith and extra-contractual claims. Our attorneys have decades of experience and a commitment to outstanding client service that exceeds expectations.
Baker Sterchi’s insurance attorneys draw upon an active and successful litigation practice with substantial trial experience at both the state and federal levels that is not limited to insurance matters, but extends to a wide range of general civil trial practice. We know more than coverage law – we are well-versed in the underlying substantive law. We are a trial firm, and our coverage analysis is informed by real-world experience trying cases.
Baker Sterchi is headquartered in one of the most unfavorable jurisdictions for insurers facing coverage litigation and bad faith and extra-contractual claims, and has considerable experience recognizing the bad faith setup and helping insurers avoid it. We have a record of demonstrated success trying coverage and bad faith cases, and have helped to shape the law through appellate victories and relationships with legislators to advance legislative reforms.
We have been trusted to manage national litigation for our clients, and have the capabilities and drive to serve our clients’ needs both locally and nationally, at competitive rates. Certain members of our insurance practice group have joined us from some of the largest and most successful law firms, where they handled high-stakes, high-profile, complex litigation for Fortune 100 companies, and now bring that experience and insight to obtain first-class results for clients in a more cost-effective and efficient environment.
Our attorneys frequently speak and publish on matters of concern to insurers and claims administrators, and are active in leadership roles in trade and professional associations dedicated to the insurance industry. We deliver a thorough understanding of insurance coverage issues and a sensitivity to our clients’ business realities.
For more information about our insurance coverage and bad faith practice contact Richard Woolf at 314.345.5000.
News & Events
05.23.22 | Bradley Sliment joins Baker Sterchi as an associate in St. Louis, where his practice focuses on personal injury, premises liability and product liability defense.
03.09.22 | Tess Johnson joins Baker Sterchi as an attorney in the firm's Kansas City office. Johnson has experience representing individuals and companies in the insurance, healthcare, and retail sectors, among others.
02.17.22 | Laura Thompson joins Baker Sterchi as an associate attorney in the firm's St. Louis office, where her practice focuses on first- and third-party insurance defense.
02.03.22 | Tom Kammerer joins Baker Sterchi as an associate attorney in the firm's St. Louis office, where his practice covers a variety of civil litigation.
01.13.22 | Baker Sterchi has appointed new co-chairs to several of its practice groups.
01.04.22 | Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice elected five new Members, effective January 1.
10.27.21 | Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice is pleased to welcome three new associates in Kansas City and St. Louis.
10.12.20 | Kelly "Koki" Sabatés joins Baker Sterchi's St. Louis office as an associate attorney practicing in the areas of insurance coverage, medical malpractice, personal injury defense, premises liability, and product liability. She previously served as a summer law clerk with the firm.
05.11.20 | Baker Sterchi Member Richard Woolf will present at the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB) webinar, "Minor Auto Accidents: Major Damage" on May 14, 2020. This webinar will address the inner workings of a minor motor vehicle accident claim that turned into a claim for significant damages and the claim/litigation handling of the incident.
04.17.20 | Baker Sterchi Member Greg Odom will be speaking on Covid-19 business impacts on Wednesday, April 22 at 9:30 AM CST. The webinar "Covid-19, the Law, and Your Business: A Legal Analysis of the Executive Orders Issued in Response to Covid-19"...
04.08.20 | On Tuesday, April 14th at 12:00 PM CST, Baker Sterchi Member Angela Higgins will serve as a panelist on a webinar focused on business disruptions occurring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
12.23.19 | Baker Sterchi Member Angela Higgins has been named President of the Kansas Bar Association's Insurance Law Section. Founded in 1882, the Kansas Bar Association is a voluntary association of 7,200 member lawyers, judges, law students, and paralegals. Insurance Law Section members are...
10.29.19 | Jennifer Maloney has joined the St. Louis office of the law firm of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC as a Member. Maloney's practice is focused on civil litigation defense, primarily in the areas of premises liability, product liability, personal injury and transportation.
07.18.19 | Baker Sterchi Member Angela Higgins has been named the Marketing Chair of ALFA International's Insurance Practice Group, where she will help set defined long-term business development goals for the group and facilitate action on those goals.
07.11.19 | Baker Sterchi is pleased to welcome Jessica Cozart to the firm's St. Louis office. Cozart joins the firm as Of Counsel, practicing in the areas of property and casualty litigation, insurance coverage and insurance defense involving claims of personal injury, premise and products liability, construction defects, food & beverage liability and entertainment & leisure liability.
Blog Posts
05.16.22 | Missouri Court of Appeals, reversing a lower court's equitable garnishment judgment, allows defendant insurance companies to deny indemnity against the jury's punitive damages award.
05.16.22 | Missouri Court of Appeals, reversing a lower court's equitable garnishment judgment, allows defendant insurance companies to deny indemnity against the jury's punitive damages award.
04.04.22 | In the ongoing debate regarding insurance coverage issues arising from the COVID-19 era, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently determined that, under Missouri law, a challenge by an insured regarding premium adjustments is really a challenge to insurance rates, necessitating the claim to be made to the director of the Missouri Department of Insurance rather than through the courts.
03.07.22 | The Supreme Court recently reaffirmed that only "immediate employers" of injured employees are immune from suit under the Workers' Compensation Act's exclusive remedy provisions, despite any contractual duties to carry workers' compensation insurance.
03.01.22 | The Eighth Circuit recently ruled that an Arkansas District Court's denial of Plaintiff's request for bad faith related discovery was not prejudicial because the jury awarded contractual damages less than the insurer's pre-trial offer.
02.07.22 | Madison County State's Attorney, Thomas Haine, is successful at stalling Illinois Judicial Circuit redistricting as political parties navigate for position in the forthcoming Judicial election.
02.01.22 | Data released by the Greater Kansas City Jury Verdict Service about jury trials in 2021 show that defendants continue to win a majority of cases, though verdict amounts for prevailing plaintiffs have increased. Defendants prevailed on almost 60% of the claims decided by KC-area juries last year, but the number of claims decided by juries has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
06.10.21 | The Western District of Missouri's recent ruling in Zwillo provides yet another basis for insurers to deny coverage due to alleged losses incurred purportedly from the COVID-19 pandemic — certain pollution and containment exclusions.
01.06.21 | A recent ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan has provided more guidance in predicting how COVID-19 related losses and litigation will be handled.
12.30.20 | The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation initially ruled centralization was not appropriate for businesses seeking business interruption insurance coverage because of varying policy language. At that time, more than 450 cases were pending in Federal Courts—now there are over 700.
10.20.20 | In Orsatti v. Allstate, the Western District of Texas remanded a COVID-19 business interruption coverage case back to state court, finding the lawsuit properly stated a cause of action against the individual claims adjuster. The adjuster, who was alleged to have failed to fully investigate the insured's business interruption claim before issuing a denial, was a citizen of the same state as the insured thereby depriving the federal court of subject matter jurisdiction.
09.14.20 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri denies Defendant insurer's Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs' breach of contract claims based the insurer's denial of coverage for COVID-19 related business income losses.
09.02.20 | On August 12, 2020, in a much-anticipated ruling, The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation rejected two petitions to centralize hundreds of cases filed by the policyholders of businesses suffering losses from the Pandemic; however, the panel did indicate that centralization may certainly be appropriate for cases against single insurer policies.
07.27.20 | The Supreme Courts of Missouri and Illinois have addressed Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court of California to further define the instances in which specific personal jurisdiction can be constitutionally exercised over out-of-state defendants.
07.27.20 | The Supreme Courts of Missouri and Illinois have addressed Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court of California to further define the instances in which specific personal jurisdiction can be constitutionally exercised over out-of-state defendants.
07.09.20 | Missouri Court of Appeals compels arbitration, where the parties agreed to submit threshold issues of arbitrability to a third-party neutral rather than the court.
04.20.20 | A recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision upholding COVID-19 stay-home order could provide a preview of the battle lines between business policyholders and insurers regarding what constitutes "property damage" for business interruption insurance policies.
12.04.19 | Missouri courts may exercise personal jurisdiction over a foreign corporation when the corporation has made at least one contact with Missouri and Plaintiff's tort cause of action arises out of that contact.
08.07.19 | The epic legal saga of a Clay County used car dealer's deceptive "Drive for Life" promotion continues, with a buyer bringing the fight to the dealer's insurer in the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District.
07.16.19 | SECOND UPDATE: Missouri Governor Mike Parson signs Senate Bill 7, which amends venue and joinder laws, to prevent out of state plaintiffs from litigating their cases in an inappropriate venue.
05.20.19 | UPDATE: House Passes Senate Bill 7, in which the Missouri legislature seeks to amend venue and joinder laws, to prevent out of state plaintiffs from litigating their cases in an inappropriate venue.
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