Vincent Davitt focuses his practice on insurance, reinsurance and commercial litigation.
He has represented insurers and reinsurers for two decades in coverage and bad faith litigation at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal court, including first-party coverage disputes (health, accident, disability, life and property) and complex and non-complex third-party coverage disputes (general liability, construction, environmental, errors & omissions, business, and toxic tort claims). He has also represented clients in a broad range of commercial disputes in federal and state court and in arbitration. He has extensive trial and appellate experience, and from 2005-2008, Los Angeles magazine has named Mr. Davitt one of Southern California’s Superlawyers.
Mr. Davitt’s most significant representations include:
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Secured a $49.7 million recovery on a cross-complaint for a liability insurer client against a county agency. The agency had initiated the suit against the client for breach of contract, insurance bad faith, fraud, and unfair business practices, seeking over $100 million in contract damages, along with bad faith and punitive damages. |
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Obtained a $10 million arbitration award on behalf of a Fortune 500 client in a commercial dispute. |
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Obtained judgment for a disability insurer client in a lawsuit filed by an NHL hockey player seeking $1 million in coverage benefits and an additional $5 million in bad faith and punitive damages. Affirmed on appeal. |
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Represented a reinsurer client in a breach of contract lawsuit filed by a ceding insurer who sought over $5 million in reinsurance benefits for underlying asbestos claims. The federal district court granted summary judgment for the reinsurer client, which ultimately led to a very favorable settlement.
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Obtained a verdict for a liability insurer client in a coverage lawsuit filed by an insured, who alleged entitlement to over $1 million in “Cumis” counsel fees. Upheld on appeal. |
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Represented a liability insurer client in a coverage and bad faith lawsuit filed by an insured, an art gallery owner, who alleged over $1 million in covered losses. In the policy interpretation portion of the trial, the court entered judgment for the client, which led to the insured’s reimbursement to the client of over $80,000 in "Cumis" defense fees that had been funded. |
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Represented a Fortune 500 company client in its defense of product liability suits brought by consumers of refrigerators that were the subject of a recall due to a fire risk. In the first trial, Mr. Davitt obtained a defense verdict, and in the second trial he obtained a verdict for nominal damages, which ultimately led to the settlement of numerous other similar cases for very favorable terms. |
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Member, State Bar of California |
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Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association |
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Member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers |
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Member, Constitutional Rights Foundation, Board of Directors |
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Member, Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation, Southern California Regional Board of Directors |
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American Conference Institute, 11th National Advanced Forum on Bad Faith and Punitive Damages (San Francisco, California, 2005), Featured Speaker, “Discovery In Bad Faith Cases: The Insurer Defendant’s Perspective” |
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National Institute of Trial Advocacy, Advanced Trial Advocacy Program |
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Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, Trial Attorney Project, Deputy City Attorney |
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California Appellate Project, appellate attorney |
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