Monica M. Slakey

Monica M. Slakey practices in the areas of civil litigation and appellate matters. Ms. Slakey has handled a variety of litigation and appellate matters, including complex, multi-party asbestos, pollution and toxic tort insurance coverage litigation. She has a broad range of appellate experience, with a particular focus on appeals from complex jury trials. She has also represented clients as amici counsel in the California Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal.

As Special Counsel with the firm’s Insurance Group, Ms. Slakey specializes in environmental and health hazard coverage disputes, but has experience in a variety of coverage and monitoring areas, including legal malpractice, construction defect, architects and engineers, business torts, employment practices and products liability coverage claims. She advises insurers and insureds regarding coverage, represents insurers in declaratory relief actions, and defends insurers against bad faith claims.

In addition to litigation and monitoring work, Monica has drafted position papers for insurer clients, articles for industry publications, and speeches and written materials for insurance industry conferences.

Ms. Slakey was previously a Senior Litigation Attorney for CNA Financial Corporation, and a Senior Associate with Hancock, Rothert & Bunshoft LLP (now Duane Morris).

In 2000–2001, Ms. Slakey was a visiting Fellow with the German Ministry of Finance through an executive-level fellowship awarded by the Robert Bosch Foundation. As part of her fellowship, Ms. Slakey worked with attorneys who represent the German government before the European Court of Justice and who handle all major legal matters for Germany in the context of the European Union.

Ms. Slakey graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988, and from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1993. While in law school, Ms. Slakey was a member of the Honors Moot Court Board and a three-time recipient of an Emery Scholarship.

Ms. Slakey is proficient in German and has a working knowledge of French and Russian.

Representative Matters

Significant Litigation

• Unocal Corp. v. Lexington Ins. Co. et al. (Eastern District of California insurance coverage litigation involving Alien Tort Claims Act) (2006–2007)
• USF&G et al. v. Soco West, Inc. (District Court of Montana environmental coverage litigation) (2004–2006)
• Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp. v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London, et al. (San Francisco asbestos coverage litigation involving products issues and 524(g) federal bankruptcy proceedings) (2001–2003)
• Raytheon Co. v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London (San Francisco environmental coverage litigation) (2002–2003)
• Four Star Oil & Gas Company, et al. v. Allianz Insurance Co., et al. (Los Angeles coverage litigation involving all Texaco’s environmental sites in United States and Canada)(1992–1995)
• FMC Corporation v. Plaisted and Companies, et al. (Santa Clara County, CA multi-phase environmental coverage litigation involving 60 sites, seven separate jury trials and seven separate appeals)(1993–1998)
• Shell Oil Company v. Aetna Casualty and Surety Co., et al. (San Francisco and Illinois coverage litigation involving polybutylene pipe property damage claims) (1993–1996)

Significant Appeals

• Syntex v. Lowsley-Williams and Cos. (1998) 67 Cal.App.4th 871 (environmental insurance coverage)
• FMC v. Plaisted and Companies (1998) 61 Cal.App.4th 1132 (environmental insurance coverage)
• La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Inc. v Industrial Indemnity Co. (1994) 9 Cal.4th 27 (employers’ liability insurance, amicus counsel)

Selected Publications

• Co-Author, “The ‘Expected or Intended’ Provision and California Insurance Code Section 533—The Rest of the Picture,” Mealey’s Litigation Reports: Insurance, August 27, 1996