 OverviewMike’s practice focuses on commercial insurance, risk management, litigation management and appeals. He routinely represents corporate and professional policyholders and assists claimants in insurance recovery involving commercial insurance, including director and officer, general liability, excess/umbrella, commercial automobile and trucking, commercial property, cyber-liability, technology errors and omissions, pollution and environmental coverages, professional liability (including coverages for health care providers and medical equipment manufacturers, architects/engineers), specialty health coverages (including Medicare fraud, FLSA, etc.) aviation, reinsurance, fidelity, etc. He is often hired to manage large scale and complex litigation, particularly claims involving multiple claimants and/or excess and super-excess coverages, including providing advice on assisting the carriers to properly evaluate the case, assisting in the development of defense issues, particularly involving technical legal defenses, appellate issues and related insurance coverage issues. He works closely with transactional and corporate counsel in the review and drafting of risk management provisions regarding insurance, indemnity, disclaimers, waivers and exculpatory clauses in a wide variety of commercial agreements, including commercial real estate contracts, construction contracts and leases, agreements with municipalities and other service contracts. He also provides advice regarding insurance options such as owner and/or contractor controlled insurance programs, project specific professional liability, contractor’s professional liability plus indemnity, etc. He also assesses insurance and liability exposure and alternative options such as representation and warranty coverage in connection with mergers and acquisitions. Mike is a leader in the insurance law field. He is a fellow and Board Member of the American College of Coverage and Extra-Contractual Counsel. He was recently awarded the 2017 Thomas Segalla Service Award for his creativity, persistence, volunteerism and leadership in the practice of law as a policyholder counsel. He was selected the “Go-To Lawyer” in Insurance Law by Texas Lawyer in 2012, and has been named a “Top Ranked” Leader in Their Field, Band 1 in Insurance Law by Chambers USA since 2004. He was one of the founding officers and is a past-Chair of the State Bar of Texas Insurance Section. He is a frequent speaker at insurance and business law seminars in Texas and nationally. Memberships
- American College of Contractual and Extra-Contractual Counsel (Elected 2013)(Elected to Board of Directors 2016)
- State Bar of Texas, Insurance Section (Past-Chair and Founding Officer)
- Dallas Bar Association, Tort & Insurance (Past-Chair) and Appellate (Past-Chair and Founding Officer)
- American Inns of Court, Mack Taylor Inn (Master)
OverviewMike’s practice focuses on commercial insurance, risk management, litigation management and appeals. He routinely represents corporate and professional policyholders and assists claimants in insurance recovery involving commercial insurance, including director and officer, general liability, excess/umbrella, commercial automobile and trucking, commercial property, cyber-liability, technology errors and omissions, pollution and environmental coverages, professional liability (including coverages for health care providers and medical equipment manufacturers, architects/engineers), specialty health coverages (including Medicare fraud, FLSA, etc.) aviation, reinsurance, fidelity, etc. He is often hired to manage large scale and complex litigation, particularly claims involving multiple claimants and/or excess and super-excess coverages, including providing advice on assisting the carriers to properly evaluate the case, assisting in the development of defense issues, particularly involving technical legal defenses, appellate issues and related insurance coverage issues. He works closely with transactional and corporate counsel in the review and drafting of risk management provisions regarding insurance, indemnity, disclaimers, waivers and exculpatory clauses in a wide variety of commercial agreements, including commercial real estate contracts, construction contracts and leases, agreements with municipalities and other service contracts. He also provides advice regarding insurance options such as owner and/or contractor controlled insurance programs, project specific professional liability, contractor’s professional liability plus indemnity, etc. He also assesses insurance and liability exposure and alternative options such as representation and warranty coverage in connection with mergers and acquisitions. Mike is a leader in the insurance law field. He is a fellow and Board Member of the American College of Coverage and Extra-Contractual Counsel. He was recently awarded the 2017 Thomas Segalla Service Award for his creativity, persistence, volunteerism and leadership in the practice of law as a policyholder counsel. He was selected the “Go-To Lawyer” in Insurance Law by Texas Lawyer in 2012, and has been named a “Top Ranked” Leader in Their Field, Band 1 in Insurance Law by Chambers USA since 2004. He was one of the founding officers and is a past-Chair of the State Bar of Texas Insurance Section. He is a frequent speaker at insurance and business law seminars in Texas and nationally. ExperienceProducts Liability Coverage Handled a dispute regarding the insurability of punitive damages in connection with multiple claims resulting from an automobile accident involving an oil and gas company [more]Handled a dispute regarding the insurability of punitive damages in connection with multiple claims resulting from an automobile accident involving an oil and gas company employee, including a wrongful death claim, including issues regarding the failure to adequately and timely reserve rights. Worked to make sure umbrella carrier had all necessary information to evaluate settlement opportunities presented in connection with the claims. Claims were successfully settled within policy limits. [less]Products Liability Coverage Represented a large regional car dealership in dealing with its primary, excess and super-excess general liability and umbrella insurers in connection with the defense and handling [more]Represented a large regional car dealership in dealing with its primary, excess and super-excess general liability and umbrella insurers in connection with the defense and handling of a claim involving multiple wrongful deaths with three bystanders. Huddleston convinced the primary carrier it had a conflict regarding its use of captive counsel to defend and worked with the umbrella carrier to assist in hiring a high level defense and appellate team. He also worked to make sure the carriers had all necessary information with which to reasonably evaluate the claim. Despite coverage and evaluation issues, the case was satisfactorily settled well within policy limits. [less]Professional Liability Coverage Represented a property management company after a couple suffered brain damage from alleged exposure to carbon monoxide while staying at a hotel. The [more]Represented a property management company after a couple suffered brain damage from alleged exposure to carbon monoxide while staying at a hotel. The primary carrier agreed to accept coverage, but the excess carrier refused, pointing to an absolute or total pollution exclusion included in the policy. The Munsch Hardt team led by Huddleston facilitated a Coblentz agreement that included the tender of limits by the primary, an assignment of rights against the umbrella carrier, and ultimately a full release (after the insurance litigation) for the property management company and hotel interests. [less]Products Liability Coverage Represented a trucking company in bus accident claims involving multiple fatalities and several others with serious personal injuries. The potential exposure substantially [more]Represented a trucking company in bus accident claims involving multiple fatalities and several others with serious personal injuries. The potential exposure substantially exceeded the company’s coverage. Huddleston fully analyzed all available coverage and then used it to avert the danger of the carriers cashing out on the wrongful death claims, and then acted, with the cooperation of the carriers, to get all claims, save one, settled within policy limits. The remaining claimant never filed suit. [less]Personal Injury Coverage Represented a foreign tire manufacturer in multiple cases in different jurisdictions regarding personal injuries alleged resulting from rollovers involving defective tires. The [more]Represented a foreign tire manufacturer in multiple cases in different jurisdictions regarding personal injuries alleged resulting from rollovers involving defective tires. The Munsch Hardt team, led by Huddleston, analyzed the coverage positions and claims handling of the primary and excess carriers, defended claims made by those carriers and made a reimbursement claim against one of the carriers. Ultimately, all personal injury claims were settled, and all claims against the carriers were successfully resolved. [less]Personal Injury Coverage Representing one of the largest industrial machinery and generator providers and the world in filing a declaratory action, seeking additional insurance coverage in an action [more]Representing one of the largest industrial machinery and generator providers and the world in filing a declaratory action, seeking additional insurance coverage in an action involving an electrocution claim at a drilling site. [less]Insurance Coverage Representing a large chemical manufacturer in connection with a business interruption and related claims.
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