Conway Stoughton is proud to announce our attorneys have been selected as Connecticut Super Lawyers and Rising Stars for 2017! Attorneys Christopher Williams, Sarah Rocco and Mark Riley have all been selected as Rising Stars. Matt Conway has been selected as a Super Lawyer. Each Connecticut Super Lawyers nominee is evaluated by independent research by Super Lawyers and is based on the following 12 indicators* of peer recognition and professional achievement:

· Verdicts/Settlements
· Transactions
· Representative Clients
· Experience
· Honors/Awards
· Special licenses/certifications
· Position within the law firm
· Bar and/or professional activity
· Pro Bono and community service
· Scholarly lectures/writings
· Education/employment background
· Other outstanding achievements

Details on the Connecticut Super Lawyer selection process can be found at https://www.superlawyers.com/connecticut/selection_details.html.

*indicators are not treated equally; some have a high maximum point value than others

Conway Stoughton LLC is excited to announce that its first-party insurance coverage practice group, led by Attorney Heather Adams, recently received a judgment in favor of a global insurer against an insured’s claims that the insurer failed to honor its contractual obligations to provide coverage for physical damage to a 40,000 square foot warehouse allegedly caused by two separate inclement weather events.  Although the insurer initially covered the insured’s property damage claim, the insured’s supplemental investigation and construction work allegedly revealed additional covered damage outside the scope of the initial adjustment namely, the need to remediate previously undetected asbestos and lead as well as the need to reconstruct a warehouse wall due to engineering issues caused by the construction work within coverage. The insured’s lawsuit followed.
 
At trial, Attorney Adams, joined by Attorney Chris Williams, argued that the insured’s claim had been adjusted pursuant to the operative insurance policy’s terms and that, even if the insured had colorable grounds upon which to supplement or expand the scope of coverage, it had failed to meet its policy obligations to advance such claims. The Court ultimately agreed with the insurer’s defense and, in rendering judgment in the insurer’s favor, held the insured to its obligations under the policy. Conway Stoughton LLC is particularly proud of this outcome as the current judicial environment heavily favors finding coverage for insureds no matter the policy terms – a tide Attorney Adams was able to stem through her advocacy.

The litigation team at Conway Stoughton LLC has scored another victory in defending an insured from an aggrieved plaintiff. In their most recent success, Attorneys Renee Dwyer and Chris Williams argued the applicability of the “teasing, tormenting, or abusing” exception to the dog bite statute.

In Connecticut the owners and keepers of animals are strictly liable for any damage caused by those animals per Connecticut General Statute § 22-357. Despite this rigorous standard, Attorneys Dwyer and Williams were able to argue that the plaintiff, in breaking up a fight between two dogs, was acting in such a way that “would naturally antagonize the dog and cause it to attack.” Although this is an exception to the strict liability imposed by statute, it has never been applied in this factual context. Our litigation attorneys were able to successfully defeat the plaintiff’s liability claims. Despite the defense making a reasonable offer during mediation in response to a $300,000 demand, the offer was not accepted by the plaintiff. The jury ultimately ruled for the defense. The plaintiff’s motion to set aside the jury verdict was denied and the case is being appealed.

Who owns the Litchfield County courthouse? Up until recently, the answer to this question was unclear.  However, local lore was right; according to the New York Times, the Courthouse reverts to the heirs of a Revolutionary War-era family that allowed the County to use it more than two centuries ago! This just goes to show how important a title search can be in determining the legal interests in real property. For more information you can read the New York Times article on the Courthouse’s fate here.