Complex Litigated Liability Claims and Coverage Analyst
Resume:
MATTHEW SIEGEL
** ******* ****, ***** ******, New York 10605
**************@*****.***
Dear Prospective Employer,
I am a seasoned liability claims professional and Juris Doctor with many years of in-depth experience handling, and mentoring others in handling, high-exposure (litigated and non-litigated), primary and excess commercial and personal general liability "bodily injury," "property damage," "personal injury" and automobile liability claims, with an emphasis on complex liability insurance coverage interpretation and analysis, in New York and multi-state venues. The global settlement values of these claims have ranged up to the eight-figures, structured and otherwise, and have entailed wrongful death, brain injuries, deformities, burns, total and partial permanent blindness, avulsions, amputations, quadriplegia, paraplegia, toxic exposures and other potentially high-exposure soft-tissue/vascular injuries, as well as “third-party” property damage losses. Accordingly, please find my resume attached for your review and consideration.
Although my area of specialty is the adjustment of serious, litigated construction accident losses under Sections 240, 241-a, 241(6) and 200 of New York's Labor Law and the interrelated liability insurance coverage and risk transfer issues that they pose, I have comprehensive experience and expertise handling the full panoply of complex, litigated liability claim and insurance coverage areas including, but not limited to, premises/habitational, landlord and tenant, premises security, “slip-and-fall,” elevator accident, products liability, automobile, trucking, 3rd-party workers compensation (“1-B”), construction defect, “long-tail”/toxic tort/environmental, directors and officers, employment practices, liquor liability and inland marine liability losses. (Writing samples can be provided.)
My credo has always been to achieve the most accurate, strategic and cost-effective theory of defense and liability/risk transfer allocation (contractual and/or common law) on behalf of my insured-interests, and the consequent reduction in indemnity and associated legal defense costs in the millions of dollars, through trenchant problem-solving, tenacity, thoughtful negotiation, levity and diplomacy. I pride myself in generating original, innovative and legally sustainable solutions to difficult or unusual situations. I work well independently, but also enjoy working as a part of a team.
In addition to working as a Complex Litigated Liability Insurance Claims and Coverage Analyst, as well as being in the course of developing a New York-specific/multi-state-expandable liability insurance coverage software application, which in “real-time” timely, cost-effectively and accurately resolves complex interrelated liability insurance coverage issues, I have also been doing freelance legal writing for the New York Law Journal, addressing recent New York Court of Appeals and multi-state coverage and tort decisions: “What’s So Special About ‘K2 dealing with the groundswell of confusion engendered by the infamous New York Court of Appeals’ lawyers’ professional liability case, K2 Investment Group-v-American Guarantee and Liability Insurance Company, 21 N.Y.3d 384; the “Right Rule, Wrong Result: The Trouble With ‘K2-II’,” regarding the Court’s rehearing of American Guarantee’s appeal in K2 Investment, based on its improperly allowing American Guarantee to rely on policy exclusions requiring proof of its attorney-insured's possible financial duplicity in "serving two masters," impermissibly giving American the imprimatur to relitigate the covered factual and legal bases for the negligence determination underlying K2s' legal malpractice judgment against its insured, thus embroiling American in a conflict of interest; and, “The Downfall of a ‘Fall-Down’ Statute: The ‘Deconstruction’ of Labor Law §240(1) Under ‘O'Brien v. Port Authority’,” which maintains that, for whatever purpose expert opinion might be utilized in other contexts under New York Labor Law § 240(1), contrary to the Court’s recent decision in O’Brien-v-Port Authority of NY & NJ, 29 N.Y.3d 27, that to determine an owner’s or contractor’s liability for a violation of Labor Law § 240(1) by resorting to expert or other proof based on whether a defective safety device actually provided to plaintiff was of the type customarily used and whether any safer “height-related” device could -- or should -- have been provided to shield plaintiff from an otherwise foreseeable risk of falling based on how such device was constructed, placed and/or operated, would allow defendants to impermissibly rely on a negligence standard of care and escape absolute liability under the statute. Currently, I am in the course of writing three additional articles: one which analyzes and questions the Viking Pump decision, 27 N.Y.3d 244, recently handed down by the New York Court of Appeals regarding the impact of general liability policy “non-cumulation,” “prior-insurance” and “continuing-coverage” clauses on New York’s “injury-in-fact” trigger of coverage in continuous-exposure/gradual-harm toxic tort and environmental claims; another article which maintains that, contrary to the Court’s recent holding in Biaca-Neto-v-Boston Rd. II Hous. Dev. Fund, 176 A.D.3d 1 (1st Dept., 2019), aff’d as modified, 34 N.Y.3d 1166 (2/18/20), plaintiff’s affirmative use -- or even misuse -- of a scaffold that allegedly was unsuitable for the purpose of safely affording him direct entry into the interior of a building via an adjacent seventh-floor window “cut-out” some nine to ten feet above the scaffold platform where he was working, gave rise to a triable issue of fact regarding the adequacy of such device under Labor Law § 240(1) without implicating the “recalcitrant worker” defense, regardless: of the availability of adequate safety devices at plaintiff’s worksite; that he was instructed and knew he was expected to use such devices instead of climbing the scaffold in question, but, for no good reason chose not to do so; and, that had he done so the accident would not have occurred; and, lastly, a third article which questions a recent holding of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Owners Insurance Company-v-Dockstader, No. 19-4156 (10th Cir., June 29, 2021, __ F.3d __), that appears to be astigmatically gaining acceptance among sophisticated insurance defense attorneys and legal commentators to the effect that when a liability carrier reserves its right to disclaim coverage, that rather than properly assigning and paying for independent defense counsel selected by the insured to protect him or her against personal tort liability -- especially regarding uncovered grounds of recovery, such carrier was instead extra-contractually allowed to advance its own interests, while compromising those of its insured, by impermissibly adducing extrinsic proof controverting and resolving ambiguities in the potentially-covered allegations of such personal injury lawsuit in order to defeat its insured’s right to an unqualified defense and potential indemnification, rather then properly awaiting the final resolution of such underlying tort action in order to determine whether any legal or factual basis for recovery existed under its policy!
I am looking for a challenging position commensurate with my background, experience and expertise, and would welcome the opportunity to speak with you and find out more about your needs at length, as well as discuss the value I can offer in protecting your bottom line.
Sincerely yours,
Matthew Siegel
86 Beverly Road
White Plains, NY 10605-3306
**************@*****.***
https://mail.yahoo.com/b/folders/2/messages/ALN9MwUYKXLwYZy8jghBSAxBovw?folderType=SENT&showImages=true&offset=0&unblockNow=falsehttps://mail.yahoo.com/b/folders/2/messages/AGqUCFErnPMAYZwXdw4lGOcNxUo?folderType=SENT&showImages=true&offset=0&unblockNow=false
MATTHEW SIEGEL
86 Beverly Road, White Plains, New York 10605
**************@*****.***
My Mission Is To Achieve The Most Strategic And Cost-Effective Theory Of Defense And Liability/Risk Transfer Allocation In Resolving Complex, Litigated Liability Claims, And The Consequent Reduction In Indemnity And Associated Legal Defense Costs In The Millions Of Dollars, Through Trenchant Problem-Solving, Tenacity, Thoughtful Negotiation, Levity And Diplomacy. I Pride Myself In Generating Original, Innovative And Legally Sustainable Solutions To Difficult Or Unusual Situations.
EDUCATION: Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase
College of Law, Park Hills, Kentucky
Juris Doctorate
University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
Bachelor of Arts, Fine Arts – History and Aesthetics
EXPERIENCE: Telesis Liability Insurance Coverage Software
The New York Law Journal - Contributor,
White Plains, New York
8/2023-Present
Development of Liability Insurance Coverage Software
Program Assuring Cost-Effective Resolution of Complex
Liability Insurance Coverage Issues and Substantially-
Reduced Indemnity and Legal Defense Policy Pay-Outs
Freelance Legal Writing re New York Labor Law § 240(1) –
The New York Law Journal: “The Downfall of a ‘Fall-Down’
Statute: The ‘Deconstruction’ of Labor Law §240(1) Under
‘O'Brien v. Port Authority’” (2/14/25) https://www.law.com/
newyorklawjournal/2025/02/14/downfall-of-a-fall-down-
statute-the-deconstruction-of-labor-law-2401-under-obrien-
v-port-authority/
BITCO Insurance Company, Remote
4/2023-8/2023 – Senior Claims Examiner
Cost-effective and Strategic Adjustment of High-Exposure,
Litigated Trucking and Logging Accident Liability Claims –
Multi-State
Consultant re Complex Liability and Coverage Issue
Resolution
Policy Interpretation and Analysis of Unusual Fact Patterns
and Unresolved, Potentially Precedent-Setting Coverage
Issues
Recognized as Technical Expert re Interpretation and
Resolution of Complex and Unusual Liability Insurance
Coverage Issues
Presenting Facts in a Balanced Manner Assuring Effective
and Timely Presentation of Complex Litigation Strategy and
Recommendations to Senior Claims Management
Extensive Home Office Reporting
Development of Liability Insurance Coverage Software
Program Assuring Cost-Effective Resolution of Complex
Liability Insurance Coverage Issues and Substantially-
Reduced Indemnity and Legal Defense Policy Pay-Outs
Counsel Management and Attorney and Legal Expense
Auditing
Tristar Risk Management, Remote
5/2022-1/2023 – Claims Examiner III – Construction Defect and
Commercial General Liability Claims
Cost-Effective and Strategic Adjustment of High-Exposure,
Litigated Construction Defect, Construction Accident/New
York Labor Law, Premises, Automobile and Related
Complex Primary and Excess Commercial Liability Claims –
New York/ Multi-State
Consultant re Complex Liability and Coverage Issue
Resolution
Policy Interpretation and Analysis of Unusual Fact Patterns
and Unresolved, Potentially Precedent-Setting Coverage
Issues
Recognized as Technical Expert re Interpretation and
Resolution of Complex and Unusual Liability Insurance
Coverage Issues
Presenting Facts in a Balanced Manner Assuring Effective
and Timely Presentation of Complex Litigation Strategy and
Recommendations to Senior Claims Management
Extensive Home Office Reporting
Implementation of Best Claim Practices re Application of
California Continuous Exposure/Latent Injury
“Long-Tail” Claims
Implementation of Best Claim Practices re Application of
Additional-Insured Endorsement Tenders Under Burlington
Insurance, etc.
Development of Liability Insurance Coverage Software
Program Assuring Cost-Effective Resolution of Complex
Liability Insurance Coverage Issues and Substantially-
Reduced Indemnity and Legal Defense Policy Pay-Outs
Counsel Management and Attorney and Legal Expense
Auditing
Technical Expert/Instructor/Mentoring
Full-Time Consultancy – Carl Warren & Company, AIG
Construction Services, St. Paul, First Central, Sompo-
Japan, New York Liquidation Bureau, Software
Development, New York Law Journal
9/2001 – 4/2022 and 2/1998 – 7/2000 – Complex Litigated
Claims Management
Cost-Effective and Strategic Adjustment of High-Exposure,
Litigated Construction Accident/New York Labor Law,
Premises, Elevator Accident, Automobile, Environmental,
Asbestos/Toxic Tort, Products, Construction Defect,
Employment Liability, Property Damage and Related
Complex Primary and Excess Commercial Liability Claims –
New York/ Multi-State
Consultant re Complex Liability and Coverage Issue
Resolution
Policy Interpretation and Analysis of Unusual Fact Patterns
and Unresolved, Potentially Precedent-Setting Coverage
Issues
Recognized as Technical Expert re Interpretation and
Resolution of Complex and Unusual Liability Insurance
Coverage Issues
Presenting Facts in a Balanced Manner Assuring Effective
and Timely Presentation of Complex Litigation Strategy and
Recommendations to Senior Claims Management
Extensive Home Office and Reinsurance Reporting
Implementation of Best Claim Practices re Application of
Predicted “Injury-In-Fact” Trigger-of-Coverage in New York
Continuous Exposure/Latent Injury “Long-Tail” Claims
Implementation of Best Claim Practices re Application of
Additional-Insured Endorsement Tenders Under Burlington
Insurance
Handling/Managing Self-Insured Retention Issues
Development of Liability Insurance Coverage Software
Program Assuring Cost-Effective Resolution of Complex
Liability Insurance Coverage Issues and Substantially-
Reduced Indemnity and Legal Defense Policy Pay-Outs
Counsel Management and Attorney and Legal Expense
Auditing
Claims Auditing/Technical Expert/Instructor/Mentoring
Attending and Controlling Cases at Mediations and
Settlement Conferences
Freelance Legal Writing re General and Professional
Liability Coverage Issues - The New York Law Journal:
“What’s So Special About ‘K2’?” (12/31/13) and “Right Rule,
Wrong Result: The Trouble With ‘K2-II’” (7/2/14)
OneBeacon Insurance Group, New York, New York
8/2000 – 8/2001 - Senior Claims Analyst
Cost-Effective and Strategic Adjustment of High-Exposure,
Litigated Premises, Property Damage and Related
Complex Commercial General Liability Claims – New York
Home Office Reporting
Complex Liability and Coverage Issue Resolution
Policy Interpretation and Coverage Analysis
Effective and Timely Presentation of Complex Litigation
Strategy and Recommendations to Senior Claims
Management
Liberty Mutual Group, Elmsford, New York
7/1996 – 1/1998 - Senior Technical Claims Specialist
Cost-Effective and Strategic Adjustment of High-Exposure, Litigated Premises, Products, Construction Accident/New York Labor Law, Automobile and Related Complex Commercial Liability Claims – New York
Home Office Reporting
Complex Liability and Coverage Issue Resolution
Policy Interpretation and Coverage Analysis
Effective and Timely Presentation of Complex Litigation
Strategy and Recommendations to Senior Claims
Management
Attorney and Legal Expense Auditing
Maryland Casualty Group, Parsippany, New Jersey
6/1995 – 6/1996 - Liability Claim Specialist, Construction Unit
Adjustment of High-Exposure, Litigated Construction
Accident/New York Labor Law, Construction Defect and
Automobile Liability Claims - New York/New Jersey
Home Office Reporting
Consultant re Complex Liability and Coverage Issue
Resolution
Policy Interpretation and Coverage Analysis
Effective and Timely Presentation of Complex Litigation
Strategy and Recommendations to Senior Claims
Management
Attending and Controlling Cases at Mediations and
Settlement Conferences
Royal Insurance, Elmsford, New York
4/1993 – 5/1995 - Liability Specialist
Cost-Effective and Strategic Adjustment of Commercial and
Personal General Liability Claims, emphasis on Serious
Construction Accident/New York Labor Law Litigation – New
York
Consultant re Complex Liability and Coverage Issue
Resolution
Implementation of Best Claim Practices re Application of
New York Anti-Subrogation Rule
Policy Interpretation and Coverage Analysis
Effective and Timely Presentation of Complex Litigation
Strategy and Recommendations to Senior Claims
Management
SKILLS AND Authentication, Evaluation and Collection of Fine Chinese,
INTERESTS: Japanese, Tibetan, Islamic, Continental, English and American
Antiques and Art.
Architectural and Interior Design, Legal Writing and Swimming
Contact this candidate