Joseph D’Ambrosio is a partner in the firm. Joe has handled sophisticated disputes involving commercial transactions; insurance and reinsurance coverage; employment litigation; civil rights; NY Labor Law; unfair trade practices; and products liability. He has litigated extensively in the state and federal courts in New York and New Jersey, has successfully tried cases to verdict, and has argued appeals at all levels.

Joe has also handled many cases involving legal issues of first impression.  For example, he has won a landmark decision before New York’s highest court on Internet defamation. He also defeated a claim brought against a school district for the alleged forced drugging of a student. Joe also filed a highly publicized lawsuit on behalf of a reinsurer against a ceding company alleging the improper cession of tens of millions in financing charges in connection with a large underlying structured asbestos settlement.

In the context of insurance coverage, his recent successes include a landmark victory before the New York Court of Appeals on the scope of additional insured coverage, as well as victories before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (anti-subrogation), New Jersey’s Appellate Division (priority of coverage and subrogation rights), and New York’s Appellate Division, First Department (fronting policies).   On the reinsurance side, Joe has represented reinsurers and retrocessionaires in litigations and arbitrations involving “follow the fortunes”/”follow the settlements” doctrines, exhaustion/allocation, breach of retention warranties, loss portfolio transfers, improper claims handling, commutations, late notice and fraud.

Joe also has extensive experience with New York’s Labor Law, both from a defense and coverage perspective.  He has been retained to defend policyholders in high exposure cases, including obtaining a defense verdict in the liability phase of a trial in which the plaintiff ultimately recovered $33M.  He also represents insurers in connection with the maze of coverage issues that arise out of these cases, including the priority and scope of additional insured coverage, and anti-subrogation.