Brian Spitler successfully obtained summary judgment in the Chancery Court for Davidson County, Tennessee in a professional malpractice suit against their insurance broker client. The Plaintiff, a large trucking company based in Nashville, reported the construction of a new building to the insurance broker during its annual insurance renewal, and the broker (via a wholesale insurance broker) listed the new building on a Statement of Values submitted to the insurer during the renewal process. A month after the new building was reported to the insurer, and a month before the policy renewed, the building was destroyed by a tornado, causing $6.7 million in damages. The insurer denied coverage under the then-in-effect policy, claiming the building was only reported for the new, renewed policy. The trucking company sued the insurer, our client broker, and the wholesale broker, claiming that the new building should have been covered under the policy, and if it was not, then the brokers negligently failed to procure coverage. All parties filed Motions for Summary Judgment. The brokers and Plaintiff argued that the building was covered under the blanket nature of the policy, and that the building had been sufficiently reported under the policy for coverage to be triggered. The court agreed, finding that the insurer was responsible for the loss and that the insurer could not seek indemnity or contribution from the brokers.

For informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in future cases.

Angela Kopet and Brian Spitler recently obtained a ruling from the Georgia Court of Appeals upholding the Whitfield County trial court’s judgment awarding Plaintiffs 21.6 million dollars.  The case arose when a tractor-trailer turned left out of a business onto a highway in front of a pickup truck traveling along that stretch of the highway.  The pickup truck was forced to swerve off the highway to avoid the truck and ended up striking the Plaintiff and/or some dumpsters that hit the Plaintiff.    Angela and Brian’s client, who was driving the pickup truck, was found .01% at fault and is responsible for $2,600 of the judgment.

For informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in future cases.

CSVL Chattanooga Partner Brian Spitler was invited to present during the 2020 Professional Practice Seminar on Tuesday March 10, 2020 from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM at the Cobb Galleria Center in Atlanta, GA.  The conference was sponsored by the Insurance Office of America and Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, Inc. with no cost to attend.  Brian's presentation focused and expanded on Contract Administration Services for design professionals.  Brian was joined by other industry professionals, speaking on topics including the meaning of Certificates of Insurance and cyber trends in insurance. For more information on this presentation and firm speaking engagements, please contact Michelle Mattox.

Carlock, Copeland & Stair, LLP held a Risk Management for Audit and Accounting Firms Seminar on August 11, 2017 in Brentwood, TN. The seminar was a success and  designed to help CPAs and accountants deal proactively and efficiently with audit and accounting industry related risk. Program information is listed below.  If you were unable to attend, but interested in this presentation or other presentations and webinars tailored to your business; please contact Michelle Mattox at mmattox@csvl.law. Shannon Sprinkle, Firm Managing Partner, Carlock, Copeland & Stair presented Cyber Liability Concerns for the Accounting Professional and Protecting Against Cyber Liability. Joe Kingma, Partner and Commercial Litigation Practice Group Leader, Carlock, Copeland & Stair presented Engagement Letters/Contracts. Joe Kingma moderated a panel presentation on Red Flag Clients with panelists Sarah Ference, CPA, Risk Control Director, CNA - Professional Services and J. Dale Crow, Corporate Counsel, Risk Strategies Company. All speakers participated in a segment on War Stories, Bad Cases and Good Outcomes. Brian Spitler, Partner, Carlock, Copeland & Stair  presented a segment on Subpoenas. Carlock, Copeland & Stair LLP is an approved provider with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.  State boards of accountancy have final authority on acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit.  More information available at www.nasbaregistry.org.

CSVL's Brian Spitler was invited to present during the 2020 Professional Practice Seminar on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM at the Cobb Galleria Center in Atlanta, GA.  The conference was sponsored by the Insurance Office of America and Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, Inc. with no cost to attend. Brian's presentation focused and expanded on Contract Administration Services for design professionals.  He was joined by other industry professionals, speaking on topics including the meaning of Certificates of Insurance and cyber trends in insurance. For more information on this presentation and firm speaking engagements, please contact Michelle Mattox.

Brian Spitler and Tawny Mack presented Impact of Accessibility Standards on the Design Profession at Insurance Office of America’s (IOA) 2019 Risk Seminar on February 28, 2019.  This presentation addressed compliance and affects of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design on architect and engineering practices. For information on the ADA, please click here.  For information on the IOA organization, please click here.