John C. Sullivan

Jack Sullivan is a Principal in the firm's Insurance Law Department. He has handled insurance coverage questions and coverage litigation for more than 30 years. Mr. Sullivan has addressed complex insurance coverage problems, including pollution claims, toxic exposure claims, bad faith claims, personal and advertising injury liability claims, and errors and omissions and professional liability claims. 

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• Obtained dismissal of claims for insurance coverage for losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  
• Obtained award of summary judgment on behalf of defendant insurance company in the Western District of Pennsylvania that coverage and bad faith claims were barred by the statute of limitations.  Ruling was affirmed by Third Circuit.
• Obtained award of summary judgment on behalf of plaintiff insurance company in the Western District of Pennsylvania suing insurer which had refused to provide defense and indemnity to additional insured. Ruling was affirmed by Third Circuit.
• Obtained award of summary judgment in a case of first impression in the Kentucky state court that pro rata allocation applies to asbestos claims.
• Obtained award of summary judgment on behalf of defendant insurance company in the District of New Jersey in suit seeking coverage for commercial disparagement claims asserted in two antitrust cases in which the insured sought reimbursement of a $49 million settlement and more than $18 million in defense costs. Ruling was affirmed by the Third Circuit.
• Obtained award of summary judgment on behalf of plaintiff insurance company in the Western District of Pennsylvania that asbestos-related personal injury claims asserted against policyholder arose from one occurrence and that a non-cumulation provision precludes stacking coverage. Ruling was affirmed by the Third Circuit.
• Obtained award of summary judgment on behalf of defendant insurance company in the District of Maine in suit seeking coverage for bodily injury and property damage claims based on alleged exposure to hexavalent chromium in tanning sludge that was applied as fertilizer to farms in Missouri.
• Obtained award of summary judgment on behalf of defendant insurance company in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that abuse or molestation exclusion precludes coverage for claims against insured, a personal care home, arising out of the abuse of an elderly patient. Ruling was affirmed by the Third Circuit.
• Obtained award of summary judgment on behalf of defendant insurance company in the District of New Jersey in suit brought under the citizen suit provision of RCRA, 42 U.S.C. § 6972, based, in part, on res judicata and the entire controversy doctrine. Ruling was affirmed by the Third Circuit.
• Obtained award of summary judgment on behalf of plaintiff insurance company in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that employee exclusion barred coverage for sexual harassment claims against insured even where was off duty and not actually working at the time of harassment.

• "US Environmental Law and its Impact on the Insurance Industry," The Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue (October 16, 2014)
• "No Coverage for Sexual Harassment Under General Liability Policies," Litigation Quarterly (August 28, 2000)
• "Suing for Bad Faith: How Long Can You Wait?,” Legal Intelligencer Insurance Supplement (September 27, 1999)
• “Coverage Bytes: Downloading on the Insurance Industry,” 14th Annual Conference of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association (August 1999)