Sean Carnathan Presents Ch. 176D CLE at Boston Bar Association

OCM partner Sean Carnathan will present “Ch. 176D Claims in Commercial Litigation: When Does Liability Become ‘Reasonably Clear?’” at the Boston Bar Association. The November 18 CLE course focuses on an issue that claimants, insurance carriers, and attorneys often struggle with in complex litigation cases – when and how a carrier must “effectuate a prompt, fair and equitable settlement of claims in which liability has become reasonably clear” as required by Mass. Gen. L. ch. 176D.

In addition to Sean, the panel includes Daniel Patrick Tighe, a partner at Donnelly, Conroy & Gelhaar, LLP, and Sara Jane Shanahan, a partner at Sherin and Lodgen LLP. Sean, Dan and Sara have each been litigating and writing about Ch. 176D issues for 25 years. They will discuss, among other things, when a carrier must make a settlement offer, and litigating related disputes.

To view the presentation from the event, click here. To review additional resources on this topic, click here.

Cases Sean will reference at the presentation can be downloaded below:

• Anderson v. Nat’l Union Fire Ins. Co., 88 Mass. App. Ct. 1117 (2015)
• Calandro v. Sedgwick Claims Mgmt. Servs., 919 F.3d 26 (2019)
• Capitol Specialty Insurance Corporation v Higgins, 375 F. Supp. 3d 124 (MA, 2019)
• Chelsea Housing Authority v. McLaughlin, 482 Mass. 579 (2019)
• Demeo v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 38 Mass. App. Ct. 955 (1995)
• Fed. Ins. Co. v. HPSC, Inc., 480 F.3d 26 (2007)
• Gore v. Arbella Mut. Ins. Co., 77 Mass. App. Ct. 518 (2010)
• Hall v. Preferred Mut. Ins. Co., 32 Mass. L. Rep. 682 (2015)
• Hartford Casualty Ins. Co. v. New Hampshire Ins. Co., 417 Mass. 115 (1994)
• Liquor Liab. Joint Underwriting Ass’n of Mass. v. Great Am. Ins. Co., 16 Mass. L. Rep. 268 (2003)
• Quincy Mut. Fire Ins. Co. v. Atl. Specialty Ins. Co., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 125927 (MA 2019)
• Rhodes v. AIG Domestic Claims, Inc., Mass. Super LEXIS19 (2006)
• Rhodes v. AIG Domestic Claims, Inc., 461 Mass. 486 (2012)
• S. Worcester County Reg’l Voc. Sch. Dist. v. Utica Mut. Ins. Co., U.S Dist. LEXIS 83015 (2010)
• Tiede v. Seneca Specialty Ins. Co., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42185 (MA 2019)
• Van Dyke v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 388 Mass. 671 (1983)