INSURANCE DEFENSE COUNSEL IN FIRST-PARTY DISPUTES AND CLASS ACTIONS FOR OVER 35 YEARS
Our friend and colleague, Stuart Jones, has retired from practicing law after nearly four decades at Bullivant Houser. Stuart dedicated his career to defending insurers in first-party property disputes and class action litigation involving both commercial and personal lines of insurance. He brought extensive experience resolving property insurance disputes involving large property loss cases around the country. Stuart provided coverage opinions and advised various commercial lines insurers on losses involving issues of collapse, flood, contamination, business interruption, faulty workmanship, earth movement, and allegations of bad faith.
Insurers turned to Stuart because of his experience in the trial and appellate courts in litigating large, complex cases, including in defense of COVID-19 related cases in national class actions. As a commercial litigator, Stuart also was part of a team handling disputes involving international trademark infringement and unfair competition claims.
We are grateful for Stuart’s many years of excellent client service and professionalism. Stuart’s colleagues, Lloyd Bernstein at moc.tnavillub@nietsnreb.dyoll and Sam Ruby, Practice Group Leader for our Insurance Law Group at moc.tnavillub@ybur.leumas, continue to provide legal services to clients in these practice areas. We look forward to assisting with your legal needs.
PRACTICE AREAS
ADMISSIONS
- Oregon, 1984
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of Oregon
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
EDUCATION
- Northwestern School of Law, Lewis & Clark College – J.D., 1984
- Lewis & Clark College – B.S., 1977
CLIENT WINS
- Prevailed on issues of first impression regarding a purported national class action regarding use of credit scoring and underwriting practices.
Represented an auto insurer in defense of statutory claims involving issues of first impression under the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. The claims against the insurer were ultimately dismissed following appeals to the United States Supreme Court. - Negotiated a recovery in a subrogation claim recovery in construction defect litigation following the collapse of a floor during the concrete pour at a semi-conductor facility under construction.
Obtained a significant subrogation recovery for an insurer providing business risk insurance involving an OCIP (owner-controlled insurance program). - Prevailed in multi-million claims against insurer-client in condominium construction dispute.
Obtained summary judgment upholding denials of coverage for loss of income and property damage claims from defects requiring replacement of the exterior glazing and the plumbing components throughout a newly built, 22-story condominium building.
View More
- Success in summary judgment rulings in a multi-million dollar first-party property insurance dispute involving settlement and construction defects of a public building in Ohio.
Part of the trial team that obtained the favorable dispositive rulings dismissing six of the plaintiff’s seven claims (including allegations of bad faith, fraud, reformation and promissory estoppel) by summary judgment, and a defense verdict after trial on the remaining claim in a multi-million dollar first-party property insurance dispute involving the construction of a new wing to the public library in Cleveland, Ohio. - Obtained summary judgment dismissing intentional interference with economic relations claim.
Obtained summary judgment dismissing intentional interference with economic relations claim against a claims representative of an auto insurer in a dispute filed in Oregon state court, then joined the insurer’s defense team that subsequently tried and obtained a defense verdict dismissing the plaintiff’s claim and awarding a money judgment counterclaim against the plaintiff. - Successful defense and mediation of a multi-million-dollar dispute regarding a fund established to address property damage claims after a pipeline explosion.
Defended claims against a client related to a fund established following the Olympic Pipeline/Whatcom Creek oil pipeline explosion. Successfully negotiated a favorable result in mediation.
- International Association of Defense Counsel (Member)
- Oregon State Bar (Member, Business Law and Litigation sections)
- Multnomah Bar Association (Member)
- Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Charles S. Crookham, presiding judge, Oregon Circuit Court, Multnomah County
- Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Robert D. Burns, Oregon District Court, Clackamas County
- Legislative aide, Honorable Robert B. Duncan, United States House of Representatives
- Speaker, “Understanding One Another—Litigating in Spain and the U.S.A.,” Defense Research Institute (DRI) The Changing Landscape of International Litigation Seminar (2011)
- Speaker, “Litigation in Spain and the U.S.A.,” International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) Annual Meeting (2010)
- AV® Preeminent™, Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Oregon Super Lawyers (2006-2022 — Insurance Coverage)
- The Best Lawyers in America© (2013-2023 — Commercial Litigation; 2013-2023 — Insurance Law)
GROWING ROSES IN THE ROSE CITY
Stuart and his wife live in Portland in a house with ongoing remodeling projects and a big rose garden in the front. They enjoy gardening together, but his wife gets the credit as the master gardener while he handles the shoveling duties. They also both love to travel internationally.