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Seth A. Tucker

Partner

Washington +1 202 662 5101

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    Seth Tucker practices in the fields of litigation and insurance coverage. He litigates in state and federal courts around the country, advises clients in connection with purchasing new insurance policies, and assists clients in pursuing coverage claims outside of litigation. He has also served as an arbitrator. He has represented a diverse client base, including domestic and foreign corporations, religious institutions, educational institutions, non-profits, and individuals, and has litigated or advised clients concerning a wide array of insurance products, including general liability policies, umbrella and excess policies, directors and officers policies, cyber policies, errors and omissions policies, pollution policies, first-party property/business interruption policies, and employee fidelity policies, among others. He is a frequent writer and speaker on insurance topics.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • Represents a technology company seeking defense and indemnity insurance coverage for mass-arbitration claims; recoveries to date number in the tens of millions of dollars.
    • Represents a technology company seeking insurance coverage for losses stemming from a social-engineering fraud.
    • Represents multiple universities and schools concerning insurance coverage for alleged sexual abuse, including by former employees.
    • Represents a manufacturer concerning coverage for tens of thousands of asbestos claims; established liability and damages at trial against non-settling insurer.
    • Represented a non-profit in obtaining coverage for liability arising from a cybertheft.
    • Represented a manufacturer against its insurer and broker concerning property-damage and business-interruption losses following catastrophic tornado damage.
    • Represented a manufacturer in obtaining coverage for an employee theft.
    • Represented a service provider pursuing insurance coverage for data breaches.
    • Obtained full coverage for the class-action lawsuit against The Johns Hopkins Health System arising from the misconduct of Nikita Levy, M.D.
    • Argued the Pilkington case before the Ohio Supreme Court and U.S. District Court, establishing a manufacturer's right to seek insurance coverage under policies issued to a predecessor-in-interest.

    • Represented a hospital concerning coverage for more than 150 claims alleging abuse by a former staff physician and secured substantial defense and indemnification funding; prevailed on key issue in federal district court and federal circuit court (argued).
    • Successfully represented a life sciences company seeking errors and omissions coverage for a claim stemming from a clinical drug trial.
    • Secured significant recoveries for a manufacturer, an entertainment company, and a hotel operator, all of which sought coverage for large first-party property losses and related business interruption. Causes of losses included Hurricanes Katrina and Irma, machinery breakdown, and a massive fire.
    • Secured defense and indemnity coverage for a broadcaster that faced mass tort claims stemming from a fatal nightclub fire.
    • Represented the successor to a mining company in coverage litigation concerning environmental liabilities and negotiated settlements with more than a dozen insurers.
    • Represented a manufacturer in state and federal lawsuits concerning coverage for environmental and asbestos liabilities and negotiated settlements with the insurers, including a coverage-in-place agreement.
    • Represented an energy company concerning a specialty pollution insurance policy.
    • Advises a Catholic diocese in negotiations with its insurers concerning abuse claims.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • Harvard Law School, J.D., 1988
        • cum laude
        • Harvard Law Review
    • Ecole Normale Supérieure, 1985
        • Harvard E.N.S. Fellowship
    • Harvard University, A.B., 1984
        • magna cum laude
        • Phi Beta Kappa
    Bar Admissions
    • District of Columbia
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
    Judicial Clerkship
    • Hon. Amalya L. Kearse, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 1988 - 1989
    Languages
    • French
    Pro Bono
    • Helped secure new trials for two inmates on Alabama's death row, one on appeal and one on habeas corpus.
    • Helped win political asylum for a family from Eastern Europe.
    • Helped vacate the denial of benefits to a U.S. veteran who participated in the Bikini Atoll atomic-bomb tests shortly after World War II.
    • Has litigated matters in the areas of immigration, prison conditions, LGBTQ rights, and the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech.
    Accolades
    • Chambers USA, Insurance: Policyholder (2016-2021) 
    • Best Lawyers in America, Insurance Law (2017-2022)
    • Washington DC Super Lawyer (2013-2022; 2024)
    • Euromoney's Expert Guide to the World's Leading Lawyers, Insurance and Reinsurance (2016-2021)  
    • Legal 500 US, Insurance: Advice to Policyholders (2015)
    • Charles F.C. Ruff Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year (2001)
    Memberships and Affiliations
    • Fellow, American College of Coverage Counsel
    • The Insurance Coverage Law Bulletin, Member of the Board of Editors (2004-2016)
    • The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, Member of the Board (2005-2021)
    • Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Member of the Board of Trustees

    Areas of Expertise

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