Jason Chorley

Full Profile

Jason Chorley represents insurers and reinsurers in first- and third-party complex insurance coverage disputes and litigation. His practice is focused on disputes pertaining to general liability, commercial property, fidelity, D&O, and employment liability, many of which also include extracontractual claims for bad faith. These disputes involve bodily injury and property damage, advertising injuries, construction defects, environmental claims, and general tort litigation. Jason also acts as lead California counsel for a client dealing with California’s reviver statute for childhood abuse claims against religious entities, municipalities, and school districts. Jason litigates a range of issues and has an expertise in damage analysis and assessments of liability exposure, particularly in long-tail claims and multiple claimant actions, which has often lead to favorable settlements.

Admissions

• California
• US District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of California

Education

• J.D., with distinction, Golden Gate University School of Law, Certificate of Specialization: Business Law, 2008
• B.A., San Jose State University, 2003

Experience

• Obtained partial summary judgment for insurer client based on an auto exclusion that precluded coverage for the underlying personal injury case found to have arisen from an employee-driven vehicle.
• Obtaining summary judgment on behalf of our client, a major property casualty insurer, in a declaratory relief action with alleged damages in excess of USD 1 million, on the grounds that the insurance policies did not even potentially cover property damage resulting from chemical drift caused by the aerial application of chemicals, and specifically excluded from coverage such harm, and the claims were also barred by application of the policies’ pollution exclusion.
• Representation of a group of reinsurers in the favorable arbitration of a railroad loss exceeding USD 100 million.
• Obtaining summary judgment ruling that the property-casualty insurer’s policies’ personal injury and bodily injury coverage terms did not create a potential for coverage for underlying allegations of conspiracy and fraud arising out of an alleged scheme to underpay uninsured/under-insured motorist benefits.
• Litigating and favorably settling several duty-to-defend cases arising from trademark and patent infringement claims.
• Litigating and favorably settling a bad faith life insurance matter with consequential damage claims exceeding a million dollars.
• Providing analysis of past and future damage exposure to claims arising from a superfund clean-up and related litigation.
• Favorably settling product defect claims resulting in personal injuries on behalf of automobile manufacturer prior to litigation.

Presentations

• Co-presenter, “Overview of E-Discovery in California,” January 2013

Publications

• “Duty To Defend Follows Facts, Not Theory Of Recovery,” Law360, May 2014
• Co-author, “How To Handle Life Insurance Interpleaders,” Law360, October 2012
• Co-author, “Overview of Changes in California Insurance Law for 2011,” San Francisco Daily Journal, January 2011
• Co-author, "Rundown of New Laws in the Insurance Industry," Daily Journal, March 2010