Engineer Insurance

Maria Anastasia

Email: abo5rm@r.postjobfree.com

Address: **** ******* ******

City: Edison

State: NJ

Zip: 08820

Country: USA

Phone: 848-***-****

Skill Level: Experienced

Salary Range:

Primary Skills/Experience:

Attorney, Adjuster, Legal Consultant

Educational Background:

J.D.

B.S. Chemical Engineering

Job History / Details:

MARIA K. ANASTASIA

New Jersey/New York City

848-***-**** abo5rm@r.postjobfree.com

SUMMARY

Attorney and complex property & casualty (P&C) insurance claim adjuster. Strong writing, research, analytical and negotiation skills. Won cases and saved money on the strength of writing and investigation. Routinely resolve the toughest, most complicated cases. Chemistry and chemical engineering experience and degree.

SELECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Negotiated settlement of a mislabeled chemicals case at mediation for savings of >$2.5M by proving plaintiff s accounting information to be inaccurate.

Negotiated settlement of a defective industrial piping/explosion case at mediation for savings of $3M by showing several expenses were improperly claimed as damages.

Saved >$9M by supervising and working with outside counsel to prepare and win summary judgment motions dismissing lead/heavy metals environmental insurance coverage cases.

Drafted dozens of complex, high-value ($250K to $500M+) case evaluations and exposure analyses for property and casualty liability cases and set reserves.

Saved over $500K by dramatically changing the litigation strategy and replacing outside counsel in a complex environmental insurance contribution/subrogation action.

Prevented a high eight-figure R.S.Mo. Section 537.065 agreement/judgment from being entered in a complex agricultural coverage case by effecting a strategic settlement.

Researched, drafted, argued and won summary judgment motion victory for 51 plaintiffs in the Biniek v. ExxonMobil MTBE groundwater contamination case resulting in a favorable settlement and a noteworthy published opinion on the statute of repose in New Jersey.

Saved water heater manufacturer $1.5M by researching, drafting and winning a summary judgment motion dismissing product liability claims against it in a carbon monoxide case.

SPECIAL SKILLS

Strong investigative, research, writing, editing, speaking and presentation skills.

Complex products liability, environmental, mass tort and personal and bodily injury experience.

Complex case evaluation, consulting, trial monitoring, courtroom observation and reporting.

Witness preparation and personal experience being a Rule 30(b)(6) corporate witness.

Expertise in statutory analysis and statutory deconstruction resulting in winning motions.

Mediation/ADR of complex, high-value matters in a variety of practice areas.

Experience litigating on both the plaintiff and defense side in multiple jurisdictions.

LEGAL & INSURANCE EXPERIENCE

Chartis Claims, Inc., Jersey City, New Jersey (Global insurer insuring 70 million clients worldwide)

Senior Complex Director, Environmental Casualty Claims (2009-Present), Complex Director (2009), Senior Analyst/Adjuster (2006-2008)

Manage and resolve complex, multi-million dollar environmental, toxic tort and product liability claims, including MTBE, PCE, oil, chemical, agricultural, construction defect and mining claims.

Vigorously and successfully defend and resolve environmental and product liability insurance coverage litigation brought against Chartis all over the country.

Saved more than $400K in defense costs by negotiating those costs out of a complex coverage case involving defective sewer line construction/sewer gas intrusion in homes.

Took over a coverage case involving interpretation of the time-element pollution exclusion and prevented bad law from potentially being published at the appellate level by settling the case after a trial court issued an imprudently decided order/opinion.

Worked with outside counsel to vigorously protect Chartis from invasive discovery requests in high-profile environmental coverage cases by opposing motions and requests.

Provided trial monitoring, analysis and reporting in a high-profile herbicide product liability/crop damage case where the jury rendered an eight-figure verdict.

Analyze primary and excess commercial general liability (CGL) insurance policies, pleadings/claim materials; perform research and investigation and draft coverage position letters for the oil, chemical, energy, agricultural, mining, construction and other industries.

Review/edit pleadings, dispositive and other motions, briefs, and prepare discovery in coverage cases. Manage outside coverage and defense counsel, experts, vendors and support staff.

Serve as a Rule 30(b)(6) corporate witness in insurance coverage cases.

Wolff & Samson PC, West Orange, New Jersey and New York, New York (Large law firm)

Associate Attorney, Litigation Department (2002-2006)

Researched and drafted all motions, briefs and discovery, and second-chaired trial of complex products liability case involving defective industrial fuel burning equipment, resulting in a seven-figure settlement victory during trial for the client.

Researched and drafted the brief resulting in dismissal of a breach of contract/inevitable disclosure of trade secrets case against a laboratory technology inventor who left his employer to start his own company, enabling him to continue that venture, unrestrained.

Researched, drafted and won summary judgment motions in numerous breach of contract cases, promptly and cost-effectively resolving these matters.

Argued and won a preliminary injunction hearing for school district sued by a competing provider of SAT prep courses seeking to enjoin the district from providing such courses.

Assisted the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General in successfully prosecuting a high-profile securities fraud case by drafting multiple motions, briefs and other legal documents, and performing investigation and preparing investigative reports.

Litigated complex insurance defense, products liability, environmental, surety/fidelity and commercial cases in New Jersey and New York.

Researched and drafted pleadings and dispositive motions, briefs and appellate briefs in complex matters resulting in published opinions (See Reported Cases Section below).

Performed investigations and witness interviews in fraud, collection, surety/fidelity cases and closely held corporate disputes, resulting in significant breakthroughs and prompt, cost-effective resolution.

Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer PA, Woodbridge, New Jersey (Large law firm)

Associate Attorney, Toxic Tort Department (2000-2002)

Litigated complex multi-million dollar pharmaceutical products liability (Rezulin, PPA, Baycol) and toxic tort cases including mold, MTBE, BTEX, environmental and UST cases.

Deposed major oil company managers, government officials, business owners and officers.

Defended dozens of depositions and prepared witnesses to testify in product liability cases.

Researched and drafted pleadings, discovery, motions, briefs and appellate briefs.

Wysoker, Glassner, Weingartner, Gonzalez & Lockspeiser, PA, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Mid-size law firm) Associate Attorney (1999-2000)

Litigated plaintiffs workplace, personal injury and insurance coverage cases and tried workers compensation cases.

Achieved favorable decisions or settlements during trial in cases initially thought to be unwinnable. Prepared witnesses to testify.

ENGINEERING & TECHNICAL WRITING EXPERIENCE

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey (Global pharmaceutical giant)

Chemical Engineer and Environmental Engineer (1990-1996)

Drafted environmental permit applications, NDAs and other regulatory documents.

Ensured factory and pilot plant environmental compliance, investigated environmental incidents and participated in more than 50 HAZOP studies/analyses.

Managed environmental consultants and reviewed their work and reports on cleanup and emissions monitoring projects required for facility operation and compliance.

Drafted pharmaceutical pilot plant operational instructions (batch sheets) and protocols.

Conducted pharmaceutical research and development in the laboratory and pilot plant for two blockbuster drugs. Managed production staff in the pilot plant and factory.

BAR ADMISSIONS & PROFESSIONAL LICENSES

New Jersey and District of New Jersey (1999) New York (2000)

Southern & Eastern Districts, New York (2004) United States Supreme Court (2003)

Licensed as a property & casualty (P&C) adjuster in more than 25 states

REPORTED CASES

Biniek, et al. v. Exxon Mobil Corp., et al., 358 N.J. Super. 587, 818 A.2d 330 (Law Div. 2002) (Ruggiero-Williams, J.S.C.) (regarding New Jersey s Statute of Repose and product liability; the case is cited in numerous prestigious places and appears as an annotation in N.J.S.A. 2A:14-1.1, New Jersey Rules of Court, A.L.R., N.J. Practice Series, Owens Hornbook on Product Liability, and Am. Jur.).

Bailes et al. v. Twp. of East Brunswick, et al., 380 N.J. Super. 336, 882 A.2d 395 (App. Div. 2005).

MAG Entertainment LLC v. Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 375 N.J. Super. 534, 868 A.2d 1067 (App. Div. 2005).

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

New Jersey State Bar Association

EDUCATION

J.D. magna cum laude (1999) Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York, New York

Academic: Top 5% G.P.A. 3.68 Honors: Cardozo Law Review, Order of the Coif, Best Writing Award-Civil Advocacy, Who s Who Among American Law Students

B.S. Chemical Engineering (1990) B.A. Political Science (1990) Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & QUALIFICATIONS

Continuing education in current legal topics, trial skills, ADR, mediation and negotiation.

Keen courtroom observation and trial consulting/prediction skills.

Experienced evaluator of medical, engineering and scientific experts and other witnesses.

Seasoned case evaluator/adviser on product liability, environmental and coverage cases.

Experienced troubleshooter and fixer.

Graduate studies in chemistry and skilled in analytical chemistry and review and interpretation of analytical chemistry test results and other scientific and technical data and studies.

Hobbies include hiking, high-altitude hiking, archery, the outdoors, writing, martial arts, studying human behavior, learning new things and skills and taking on new challenges.

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