world trade center and insurance loss and attorneys and procedure

The purpose of this page is to list the parties and the attorneys of the consolidated actions for recovery of insurance proceeds for the destruction of the World Trade Center properties by the lessee, Silverstein. This represents about 1/10 of the amount for which the individual properties and businesses were insured. You can see through this page why law is such a "dear" profession for many.

The Basic Case, Brought as a DEC action in Oct. 2001
222 FSupp2d 395 (SD NY 2002)

United States District Court,
S.D. New York.SR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS INSURANCE CO. LTD., Plaintiff-Counterclaim Defendant,
v.
WORLD TRADE CENTER PROPERTIES LLC, et al., Defendants-Counterclaimants.
World Trade Center Properties LLC, et al., Counterclaimants,
v.
Allianz Insurance Company, et al., Additional Counterclaim Defendants.
No. 01 CIV. 9291(JSM).
Sept. 25, 2002.

The attorney lineup for this case looked as follows:

1. Barry R. Ostrager, Mary Kay Vyskocil, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, New York, NY, Seth Andrew Ribner, Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, Los Angeles, CA, for SR International Business Insurance Co., Ltd.
2. Herbert M. Wachtell, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, New York, NY, for World Trade Center Properties, LLC, Silverstein Properties, Inc., Silverstein WTC Management Co., LLC, 1 World Trade Center, LLC, 2 World Trade Center, LLC and 4 World Trade Center, LLC.
3. Megan Lee, Milton H. Pachter, Newark, NJ, for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
4. David William Haller, Covington & Burlin, New York, NY, Mitchell F. Dolin, Washington, DC, Michael X. Imbroscio, Washington, DC, for UBS Warburg Real Estate Investments, Inc.
5. Peter K. Rosen, David C. Bolstad, Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw, Los Angeles, CA, Dennis P. Orr, Ryan P. Farley, Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw, New York City, for Westfield WTC, LLC, Westfield Corporation, Inc. and Westfield America, Inc.
6. H. Peter Haveles, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, New York, NY, for Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota, NA.
7. James A. Moss, Herrick, Feinstein, LLP, New York, NY, for Industrial Risk Insurers.
8. H. Peter Haveles, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, New York, NY, Edward Michael Joyce, Deanna M. Wilcox, Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe, LLP, New York, NY, for GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation and Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota, NA.
9. Dale C. Christensen, Jr., Seward & Kissel, LLP, New York, NY, for Allianz Insurance Company.
10. William J. Bowman, Patrick F. Hofer, Hogan & Hartson, LLP, Washington, DC, Paula P. Skalaban, Edward B. Parks, Hogan & Hartson, LLP, Washington, DC, for Hartford Fire Insurance Company and Twin City Fire Insurance Co.
11. Paul B. Galvani, Ropes & Gray, New York, NY, Edward J. Normand, Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP, Armonk, NY, for Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's of London.
12. Michael H. Barr, Sandra Denise Hauser, Edward J. Reich, Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, New York, NY, for Royal Indemnity Company.

This DEC action saw the cases dismissed against three insurers (Hartford, Royal Indemnity, St. Paul). That action meant that the three were on the hook for the full amount of their insurance coverage (around $112 million) but were not required to face a jury on the issue of whether they should have to pay double (i.e., to determine whether there were two occurrences on 9/11 in NYC). When the case came to 2nd Circuit, things looked as follows:

World Trade Center Properties v. Hartford, et al., 3245 F3d 154 (2nd Cir, Sept. 26, 2003).

You tell me if you think the case has taken on an air of complexity.

United States Court of Appeals,
Second Circuit.WORLD TRADE CENTER PROPERTIES, L.L.C., Silverstein Properties, Inc., Silverstein WTC Management Co., L.L.C., 1 World Trade Center, L.L.C., 2 World Trade Center, L.L.C., 4 World Trade Center, L.L.C., 5 World Trade Center, L.L.C., Westfield WTC, L.L.C., Westfield Corporation, Inc., Westfield America, Inc., and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Defendants-Counter-Claimants -Counter-Defendants-Appellants-Cross-Appellees,
UBS Warburg Real Estate Investments Inc., Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota, N.A., As Trustee for the registered holders of GMAC Commercial Mortgage Securities, Inc. Mortgage-Backed Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2001-WTC, and GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation, Defendants-Counter-Claimants-Counter-Defendants-Cross-Appellees,
v.
HARTFORD FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY and Royal Indemnity Company, Counter-Defendants-Appellees,
St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Counter-Defendant-Appellee-Cross-Appellant,
SR International Business Insurance Co., LTD., Plaintiff-Counter-Defendant-Intervenor,
Allianz Insurance Company, Copenhagen Reinsurance Co., Employers Insurance of Wausau, Federal Insurance Company, Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) PLC., Gulf Insurance Company, Houston Casualty Co., Industrial Risk Insurers, Lexington Insurance Co., Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's of London, QBE International Insurance Limited, Swiss Reinsurance Co. UK Ltd., TIG Insurance Co., Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance Co., Travelers Indemnity Company, Twin City Fire Insurance Co., Württembergische Versicherung AG and Zurich American Insurance Co., Counter-Defendants.
SR International Business Insurance Co., Ltd., Plaintiff-Counter-Defendant,
World Trade Center Properties, L.L.C., Silverstein Properties, Inc., Silverstein WTC Management Co. L.L.C., 1 World Trade Center, L.L.C., 2 World Trade Center, L.L.C., 4 World Trade Center, L.L.C., 5 World Trade Center, L.L.C., Westfield WTC, L.L.C., Westfield Corporation, Inc., Westfield America, Inc., and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Defendants-Counter-Claimants-Appellants,
UBS Warburg Real Estate Investments Inc., Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota, N.A., As Trustee for the registered holders of GMAC Commercial Mortgage Securities, Inc. Mortgage-Backed Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2001-WTC, and GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation, Defendants-Counter-Claimants,
v.
The Travelers Indemnity Company, Counter-Defendant-Appellee,
Allianz Insurance Company, Copenhagen Reinsurance Co., Employers Insurance of Wausau, Federal Insurance Company, Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) PLC, Gulf Insurance Company, Hartford Fire Insurance Company, Houston Casualty Co., Industrial Risk Insurers, Lexington Insurance Co., Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's of London, QBE International Insurance Limited, Royal Indemnity Company, St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company, Swiss Reinsurance Co. UK Ltd., TIG Insurance Co., Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance Co., Twin City Fire Insurance Co., Württembergische Versicherung AG, and Zurich American Insurance Co., Counter-Defendants.
Docket Nos. 02-9279, 02-9280, 02-9281, 02-9349, 02-9350, 02-9351, 02-9431, 02-9440.
Argued July 22, 2003.
Decided Sept. 26, 2003.

Now, I will conclude by listing the attorneys of record.

1. Herbert M. Wachtell, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (Proskauer Rose LLP (John H. Gross and Seth B. Schafler), and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (Eric M. Roth, Marc Wolinsky, Barbara Robbins, Ben M. Germana, Elaine P. Golin, Jed I. Bergman, Edward J.W. Blatnik, Ian Boczko, and Kenneth K. Lee), on the brief), New York, NY, for Defendants-Counter-Claimants-Counter-Defendants-Appellants-Cross-Appellees World Trade Center Properties, L.L.C., Silverstein Properties, Inc., Silverstein WTC Management Co., L.L.C., 1 World Trade Center, L.L.C., 2 World Trade Center, L.L.C., 4 World Trade Center, L.L.C, and 5 World Trade Center, L.L.C.
2. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Timothy G. Reynolds and Arthur F. Fama, Jr.) and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Milton H. Pachter, Megan Lee, and Timothy G. Stickelman), New York, NY, for Defendants-Counter-Claimants-Counter-Defendants-Appellants-Cross-Appellees Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
3. Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw (Philip Allen Lacovara, Ryan P. Farley, Peter K. Rosen, and David C. Bolstad), New York, N.Y. & Los Angeles, CA, for Defendants-Counter-Claimants-Counter-Defendants-Appellants-Cross-Appellees Westfield WTC, L.L.C., Westfield Corporation, Inc., and Westfield America, Inc.
4. Harvey Kurzweil, Dewey Ballantine LLP (Alan R. Miller, Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi LLP, Boston, MA, Saul P. Morgenstern, Robert J. Morrow, Paul T. Olszowka, and Nora M. Puckett, Dewey Ballantine LLP, on the brief), New York, NY, for Counter-Defendant-Appellee Travelers Indemnity Company.
5. William J. Bowman, Hogan & Hartson LLP (John G. Roberts, Jr., Patrick F. Hofer, Paula P. Skalaban, and Joshua D. Weinberg, on the brief), Washington, DC, for Counter-Defendant-Appellee Hartford Fire Insurance Company.
6. Michael H. Barr, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal (Sandra D. Hauser, Michael S. Gugig, Steven L. Brodsky, Stephen C. McDougall, on the brief), New York, NY, for Counter-Defendant-Appellee Royal Indemnity Company.
7. Charles Fried (Shaw Pittman LLP, Lon A. Berk, Walter J. Andrews, Michael S. Levine, Mary K. Martin, McLean, VA, on the brief), Cambridge, MA, for Counter-Defendant-Appellee-Cross-Appellant St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co.
8. Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP (Nancy Sher Cohen, Stephen N. Goldberg, and John C. Ulin, on the brief), New York, NY, for Defendants-Counter-Claimants-Counter-Defendants-Cross-Appellees GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation and Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota, N.A.
9. Covington & Burling (Mitchell F. Dolin, Neil K. Roman, Richard A. Beckmann, on the brief), Washington, DC, for Defendants-Counter-Claimants-Counter-Defendants-Cross-Appellees UBS Warburg Real Estate Investments Inc.
10. Barry R. Ostrager, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett (Mary Kay Vyskocil, Michael J. Garvey, Tyler B. Robinson, and Michael C. Ledley, on the brief), New York, NY, for Plaintiff-Counter-Defendant-Intervenor SR International Business Insurance Co., Ltd. 11. Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP (David Boies, Edward Normand), Armonk, NY; Ropes & Gray (Kenneth W. Erickson, Robert A. Skinner, John C. Demers; Paul B. Galvani), Boston, MA and New York, NY; Cozen O'Connor (Stephen A. Cozen, Jay M. Levin), Philadelphia, PA; Mound, Cotton, Wollan & Greengrass (Stuart Cotton), New York, NY; *158 Robinson & Cole LLP (Gregory J. Ligelis), Stamford, CT; Budd, Larner, Gross, Rosenbaum, Greenberg & Sade P.C. (Christopher S. Finazzo), Short Hills, NJ; Mendes & Mount LLP (Leo W. Fraser III), New York, NY, for Amici Curiae Certain Counterclaim Defendants in Support of Affirmance and in Support of Travelers Indemnity Company.
12. Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General of the State of New York (Caitlin J. Halligan, Solicitor General, Michelle Aronowitz, Deputy Solicitor General, Deon J. Nossel, Assistant Solicitor General, of counsel), New York, NY, for Amicus Curiae The Attorney General of the State of New York in Support of Appellants.

I just thought you would like to know that by the beginning of January 2005, approximately $2 billion in insurance proceeds have been paid up, with some more to come, and that legal fees amounted to around $125 million. Any comment?

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