John Williams focuses his practice on insurance coverage, mass torts, product liability and contracts, as well as appellate practice in many areas of law. His insurance law practice includes litigation of insurance coverage claims, providing coverage opinions and analysis of various coverages under commercial property, CGL, business property and surplus lines policies. John also appears regularly before state and federal appellate courts. Areas of appellate practice have included tort law, contract law, insurance and bad faith law, LIA, ERISA and medical preemption, immigration law, governmental immunity and others.
Representative Matters
· Led a case against one of the world's largest insurers and secured what is believed to be the largest punitive damage verdict ever rendered in Pennsylvania against an insurer; also successfully handled the appeal;
· Represented manufacturers, law firms, judges, local governments, insurance companies, insurance policy holders and individuals;
· Addressed such issues as insurance coverage and bad faith, civil rights, ERISA preemption, LIA preemption, product liability, federal jurisdiction, appellate jurisdiction, legal malpractice, insurance coverage, state and federal civil procedure, federal criminal procedure, competence and admissibility of expert testimony and many other topics before the appellate courts (as lead counsel in more than 50 appeals).
Articles/Speeches/Presentations
· " Pennsylvania 's Insurance Bad Faith Statute: What a Business Owner Should Know," presentation, January 2010.
· "Defense Strategies in Food Borne Illness Litigation," co-authored with Jack Hall, The Legal Intelligencer, February 2009.
· " Pennsylvania 's Insurance Bad Faith Statute: What a Business Owner Should Know," presentation, July 2008.
· "A Primer on Proposed Tort Reform Legislation in Pennsylvania " Dynamic Business, January/February 2008.
· "Why Appellate Counsel? The Benefits of the Seasoned Appellate Practitioner," presented at Eckert Seamans' annual CLE program, Perspectives into Legal Developments, August 2007.
· "The Ten Most Important Pennsylvania Insurance Decisions in the Last Year," continuing legal education program, August 2006.
· "In Bad Faith Case, Damages Stand Alone From Attorney Fees Award," Pennsylvania Law Weekly, June 2006.
· " Innovative Ways to Get More Out of a Company's Insurance Policy," continuing legal education program, August 2005.