Robert M. Runyon III

Robert Runyon, a partner in the firm since 2002, is a member of the National Insurance Coverage Group and leads NLdH's Catastrophic Property Loss Team. Mr. Runyon has represented insurance carriers in a wide range of complex, large loss property coverage disputes involving fire and explosion damage, collapse events, natural disasters, and boiler and machinery claims.

Mr. Runyon's representative engagements include:

• Representing an insurer in multi-jurisdictional coverage litigation arising out of commercial general liability policies and alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, involving concurrent class action and declaratory judgment suits.
• Representing a regional insurance carrier in connection with the largest commercial lines exposure in the company's history, with losses in excess of $75 million.
• Representing a specialty insurer in the aftermath of a catastrophic hail storm in Central Ohio, with alleged damages in excess of $4 million.
• Representing four insurance carriers in a Philadelphia class action litigation involving attack on payment of "actual cash value" under property insurance claims.

Mr. Runyon was seconded to the London insurance market for a six-month period in 2006-2007. During that time, he worked directly with senior claims personnel to provide counsel and guidance on complex claims and litigation regarding North American business.

Mr. Runyon routinely handles complex commercial property coverage issues involving business interruption and time element claims, appraisal, and boiler and machinery losses. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and has been admitted pro hac vice in various jurisdictions throughout the country.

Prior to entering private practice, he served as law clerk to the Honorable James D. Clyne, Presiding Civil Judge in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Ocean County (Ret.). Mr. Runyon has been a noted speaker at a number of industry trade and client events, and has authored articles on emerging property coverage issues, insurance fraud and bad faith litigation.

Professional Associations and Memberships:

• International Association of Arson Investigators, Member, 2006 - Present
• IASIU, Del Val Chapter, Member, 2006 - Present
• Pennsylvania Automobile Crimes Investigator's Association, Association Counsel, 2001 - 2004
• American Bar Association, Member, 2002 - Present
• Montgomery County Bar Association, Member, 2002 - Present

Representative Cases:

• Samantha Ward Harris v. Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, 2006 WL 158687 (J. Robreno) (E.D.PA 2006)

Speaking Engagements:

• "Winning the Fight Against Insurance Fraud: Contemporary Issues & Strategies", CPCU Society Webinar, December 8, 2011
• "Stormy Weather: An Overview of Coverage Issues in CAT Losses", NLdH 2011 Property Coverage & Subrogation Conference, Co-Presenter, October 5, 2011
• "Really Dealing with Adjusters", 2011 Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Conference, Co-Presenter, April 25, 2011
• "Misrepresentation & Policy Rescission-Void on Arrival", PLRB/LIRB 2011 Claims Conference, Co-Presenter, April 4 & 5, 2011
• "Top 10 Ways to Win a Circumstantial Arson Case" and "'ESI' for the CSI: Utilizing Electronic Forensics", The Circumstantial Arson Case: Investigative Techniques and Strategies, Co-Presenter, February 9, 2011
• "Appraising the Appraisal Process", Loss Executives Association's 80th Annual Meeting and Educational Conference, Co-Presenter, February 3, 2011
• "The Recession, Misrepresentations and Rescission", DRI Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute, Co-Presenter, April 15, 2010
• "Bad Faith Update", DRI Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute, April 16, 2010
• "Insurance Crimes 2009", Nelson Levine de Luca & Horst, April 9, 2009
• "Compliance and Claims Management", PLRB/LIRB Claims Conference, March 22, 2009 - March 25, 2009
• "Current Issues in E-Discovery", Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals (AICP) 21st Annual Conference, October 6, 2008
• "Compliance and Claims Management" , PLRB/LIRB Claims Conference, Co-Presenter, April 13, 2008 - April 17, 2008
• "The How-To of Electronic Discovery and Preservation of Evidence", NJSIA's 17th Annual Anti-Insurance Fraud Training Seminar, Co-Presenter, October 14, 2007 - October 16, 2007
• "Issues in Electronic Discovery and Preservation of Evidence", Insurance Fraud Management Conference, March 19, 2006 - March 22, 2006
• "Bad Faith, Good Faith", DelChester Claims Association and Southeastern Pennsylvania Claims Association Combined Chapter Meetings, October 12, 2005
• "Fire Investigations", IASIU 20th Annual Seminar & Expo on Insurance Fraud, September 6, 2005
• "Defending Your Deposition", Delaware Valley IASIU Seminar, May 19, 2005
• Gwynedd-Mercy College, Center for Lifelong Learning, Summer 2004, Adjunct Professor, Business Law
• "Bad Faith Damages", Pennsylvania Bar Institute Annual Auto Law Update, 2003
• "Avoiding the Bad Faith Setup", American Conference Institute's Bad Faith and Punitive Damages Conference, April 27, 2003 - April 28, 2003

Published Works:

Greener Pastures: Environmentally Friendly Building Codes Present Thorny Insurance Issues, Best's Review, Vol. 110, #8, December, 2009

Extra-Contractual Litigation Against Insurers, Law Journal Press/ALM, Released September, 2009

PA's Bad Faith Law Still in Flux - Recent Decisions Bring Both Confusion and Clarity, Pennsylvania Law Weekly, Sept. 24, 2007

Proving Fraud with a Paperless File: New Document Retention Affects the SIU, SIU Today, Summer 2006

Using Fire "Cause and Origin" Experts at Trial, For the Defense, Vol. 43, #3, 2001

How to Diagnose and Avoid the Bad Faith "Setup", Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance Fraud, Vol. 7, #5, 2000