William P. Sowers

Biography

Cases

Commercial Litigation

• Advised on business interruption losses and other COVID-19 insurance recovery claims ranging from $50 million to $600 million.
• Drafted the summary judgment briefing in a $20 million reinsurance dispute.
• Won a motion for judgment on the pleadings, and two motions for reconsideration, in a $5 million insurance dispute over coverage for a tractor-trailer accident.
• Advised a client on recovery under errors & omission coverage for settlement of a $4 million underlying bodily injury claim.
• Drafted the summary judgment briefing in a multimillion-dollar insurance coverage dispute over a waterpark injury.
• Successfully consolidated COVID-19 insurance coverage appeals over opposing counsel's objections.

Appellate

• Drafted appellate briefs in COVID-19 business interruption cases before the Third, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals, as well as in state appellate courts.
• Drafted an appellate brief in the Eleventh Circuit for a restaurateur whose employer liability insurance denied coverage.
• Advised a client in two oral arguments related to reinsurance recovery before a federal court of appeals.
• Advised a school district client on oral argument before the Fourth Circuit in a dispute about the civil procedure requirements for bringing an anonymous claim.
• Drafted the appellate brief in a multimillion-dollar reinsurance matter before the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division.

Pro Bono

• Drafted an amicus brief in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals for a nonprofit in support of policyholders who were wrongfully denied insurance coverage.
• Drafted an amicus brief in the Fourth Circuit for psychologists and psychiatrists arguing that the competency evaluation performed in a death penalty case was not medically sufficient.
• Obtained a settlement of 1% of an insurer's initial demand on a subrogation claim for a military service member.

Other Representative Experience

• Led the drafting of post-trial briefings for a ski resort operator following a two-million dollar jury verdict in a negligent supervision case.
• Represented an international machinery manufacturer in a products liability case, drafting a motion to dismiss for personal jurisdiction.
• Represented a technology company in an action to recover hundreds of thousands of dollars that a former executive embezzled.

Publications & Speaking Engagements

Articles

• Co-Author, "Running out the Clock: The Period of Limitation in COVID-19 Insurance Lawsuits May Soon Come to an End," Insurance Coverage Law Center, (February 15, 2022).
• "Men, Take Paternity Leave to Embrace Fatherhood," Richmond Times-Dispatch, (November 5, 2021).
• Co-Author, "A New Test or Merely a New Name for Some Regulatory Takings?," Yale Journal on Regulation, (August 22, 2021).
• How Do You Solve a Problem Like Law-Disruptive Technology?, 82 Law & Contemporary Problems 193–214 (2019).

Other Experience

Personal Interests