Justin S. Hepworth

Full Profile

Justin S. Hepworth regularly represents national insurance companies in first-party and third-party disputes involving coverage and claims of bad faith relating to commercial general liability, automobile, homeowner, professional liability, product liability, and cyberinsurance policies. He has successfully defended bad faith actions and prosecuted declaratory relief actions in state, federal, and appellate courts.

Justin has also defended pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and chemical companies in high-stakes product liability, mass tort, and personal injury litigation. He has broad experience litigating and managing all aspects of commercial litigation including trial work, motion practice addressing laws and issues arising in mass actions, preparing high-level company witnesses for and defending them at depositions, managing experts, fact and expert depositions, written discovery, document review and coding, and settlement conferences and private mediation.

Admissions

• Nevada
• California
• Colorado
• Utah
• US District Court for the District of Nevada
• US District Court for the Northern District of California
• US District Court for the District of Colorado
• US District Court for the District of New Mexico
• US District Court for the District of Utah
• US Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits

Education

• J.D., University of Oregon School of Law, 2006
• B.A., magna cum laude, University of Utah, 2001

Memberships

• International Association of Defense Counsel
• DRI (The Defense Research Institute)
• The CLM (Claims and Litigation Management Alliance)
• Robert Bosch Foundation Alumni Association

Experience

• Intervened to defend a national insurance carrier’s rights until a separate declaratory judgment against the insured was obtained based upon the failure to cooperate in the defense of the underlying action. (2021)
• Defended national insurance carrier in a bad faith jury trial and secured a directed verdict on the insured’s property loss and business interruption coverage claim arising out of an alleged theft. Successfully defended the directed verdict and award of attorneys’ fees in favor of the carrier before the Nevada Supreme Court of Appeals and Nevada Supreme Court. (2015, 2016)
• Defended major medical device manufacturer in high-profile product liability litigation concerning a Class III medical device. Member of a trial team for one of the first bellwether cases, which resolved shortly before trial. Prepared high-level national and international company executives for and defended them at deposition. (2019-2020)
• Defended major chemical company in high-profile product liability litigation concerning a commercial herbicide product. Trial team member for one of the first cases that went to trial and was a member of the national science and expert teams. (2019)

Publications

• Author, “Hat Trump einen Handelskrieg begonnen [Did Trump Start a Trade War]?” LEG Thüringen Newsletter, Global Markets, April 2018
• Author, “Neue Handelsmöglichkeiten in Lateinamerika [New Trade Opportunities in Latin America],” Author, LEG, Thüringen Newsletter Global Markets, March 2018