attorneys

Elizabeth L. Dolter

Special Counsel
eld@severson.com | (415) 677-5551 Tel | (415) 956-0439 Fax
OFFICE
One Embarcadero Center
Suite 2600
San Francisco
CA 94111

415-398-3344 Tel
415-956-0439 Fax

Areas of Practice

  • Insurance
    • Insurance Coverage

Education

  • University of Illinois, B.A., 1983
  • Indiana University School of Law, J.D., 1986

Ms. Dolter is a Special Counsel in Severson & Werson’s Insurance Practice Group. She advises domestic, European and Bermuda-based insurance companies and numerous syndicates at Lloyd’s, London on coverage and claim handling issues. She has over 20 years experience in analyzing and litigating first and third party coverage issues for insurers. Third party coverage matters handled by Ms. Dolter include those arising out of professional liability, product liability, construction, environmental, aviation, employment and sexual misconduct disputes.

Ms. Dolter's primary areas of practice include:

Insurance coverage and bad faith litigation; monitoring and coverage counsel.

Mr. Dolter's specific experience includes:

Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Litigation: Declaratory relief, bad faith, equitable contribution and equitable subrogation actions arising out of a variety of substantive legal areas including environmental, construction, business torts, professional liability, personal injury, and human rights abuses.

Insurance Coverage Advice: Monitoring and coverage counsel to domestic, London, and Zurich-based insurance carriers with a specific emphasis on claims against design professionals, lawyers’ professional liability policies, excess liability policies and aviation policies. Coverage advice regarding first party claims including suspected insurance fraud and commercial property losses.

Non-insurance Litigation: Discovery, motion and appellate work in aviation cases. Government tort liability and Proposition 65 litigation.

Appeals and Complex Motion Practice: Appeals and extraordinary writ proceedings in state and federal appellate courts. In-depth trial-level motions and briefs in complex cases.

Biographical Information:

Employment History:
Joined Severson & Werson as Special Counsel in 2007
Prior employment with Kenney & Markowitz, LLP (Of Counsel); Gordon & Dolter (Partner); Cyril & Crowley (Associate); and McCormick, Barstow, Sheppard, Wayte & Carruth LLP (Associate)

Education: B.A., University of Illinois, 1983, J.D., Indiana University School of Law, 1986.

Admitted to Practice: California, 1987.

  • Represented insurers in several MDL product defect class actions.

  • Represented domestic professional liablity insurers in litigation of bad faith and failure to defend claims and obtained summary judgment.

  • Drafted winning summary judgment motion in declaratory relief action regarding coverage under aircraft general liability policy.

  • Summary judgment victory on whether an airline’s alleged failure to warn of the risks of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is an accident under Article 17 of the Warsaw Convention.

  • Summary judgment victory on an issue of first impression in California regarding the number of claims and available policy limits for multiple lawsuits arising out of in vitro fertilization.

  • Participated in drafting winning summary judgment motion on whether an insured’s alleged human rights abuses were an “accident.” The insured sought over $60 million in contract damages and extracontractual damages.

  • Defended two European insurers to a defense summary judgment in a coverage action of global significance involving the Alien Tort Claim Act, War Exclusion involving a Third World Energy Project. 

  • Environmental coverage litigation