Rodney M. Zerbe
Rodney practices in New York City, serving as of Counsel to Hellmuth & Johnson. Rod has 35 years of experience in litigating a broad range of complex commercial civil litigation matters, including complex commercial insurance coverage disputes; defense of professional malpractice claims against insurance brokers and agents and reinsurance intermediaries; securities fraud, RICO, shareholder derivative and breach of fiduciary duty claims; intellectual property claims, including trademark, copyright, trade secret, and unfair trade practices and restrictive covenant claims; breach of contract and representation and warranty claims; disputes involving closely-held corporations; sovereign debt recovery litigation; and commercial arbitrations, mediations, motion practice, trials and appeals in New York state and federal courts.
Rod is a magna cum laude graduate of Bucknell University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations and fine arts, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Rod received his J.D. degree from Northwestern University School of Law, in Chicago.
*Rodney is licensed to practice in the State of New York only. His office is located at One Liberty Plaza, 165 Broadway, Suite 2333, New York, NY 10006.
Assistant
- Jeredon L. Kuehn
- [email protected]
- Phone: 952-746-2127
Experience
- Counseling software corporation on claim under directors and officers liability insurance for defense of SEC Investigation.
- Litigation of insurance coverage disputes involving responsibility and allocation of asbestos liability claims in New York state court.
- Litigation of insurance coverage dispute involving responsibility and allocation of claims for environmental remediation costs in New York state court.
- Litigation of business interruption insurance claim for pollution abatement and remediation costs following hurricane under pollution insurance policy maintained by New Orleans hotel.
- Defense of Fortune 500 insurance broker on errors and omissions claims involving placement of business interruption insurance coverage for national fast food chain for food borne illness occurrences (summary judgment granted in favor of broker).
- Defense of London reinsurance intermediary on errors and omissions claims in trial court, Appellate Division and New York Court of Appeals involving placement of facultative reinsurance.
- Defense (including trial in SDNY) of US cellphone company for recovery on all risks insurance policy for loss of freight (verdict in favor of cellphone company).
- Defense (including trial in SDNY) of US reinsurance intermediary on errors and omissions claims relating to alleged late notice of claims to reinsurer (settlement with no liability for intermediary following trial).
- Defended international aerospace company on claims seeking recovery of lost profits for proposed aircraft re-engining program (summary judgment dismissing claims granted in federal court, affirmed by Second Circuit (argued appeal), fully prevailed in subsequent ICDR arbitration on related claims (first chaired arbitration defense).
- Represented public company in recovery on directors and officers liability insurance for defense costs and indemification of settlement of SEC enforcement action against company and its former officers and directors concerning stock option backdating activity.
- Litigation of claims for control and majority/minority rights of shareholders in Delaware and New York closely-held maritime corporations.
- Assisted in defense of international accounting firm on RICO claims concerning audit of Bank of Credit & Commerce International (claims dismissed).
- Assisted in defense of public company at jury trial and on appeal of Rule 10b-5 securities fraud class action in Massachusetts federal court (judgment grated for defendant by First Circuit Court of Appeals).
- First chaired trial of petition under Hague Convention on International Child Abduction representing petitioner/mother seeking return of daughter (petition for return of child granted by EDNY following trial).
In The News
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Rodney M. Zerbehttps://hjlawfirm.com/author/rzerbe/
Affiliations
- Committee member of the Litigation Committee of the Bar Association of the City of New York.
- Committee member of the New York State Courts, Federal Courts and Insurance Law Committees of the New York County Lawyers’ Association.
- Member of the Federal Bar Council in New York.
Past Seminars
- Legal & Business Issues Affecting Contractors 2020
- 2019 Community Association Fall Seminar
- CLE: Millennials and Gen Xers Are in Your Jury – Are You Ready?
- 2019 Community Association Spring Seminar
- 2019 Community Association Spring Seminar
- Legal and Business Issues Affecting Contractors 2019
- Community Association Seminar Fall 2018
- Divorce Litigation from Start to Finish
- New Overtime Rules Seminar 2016
- Second Saturday Divorce Seminar
- Community Association Seminar Fall 2016
- Revocable Living Trusts from Start to Finish
- Entertainment Law
- Revocable Trusts from A to Z
- Business Decisions You Can Bank On
- Cyberliability Insurance Session
- Intellectual Property – Armor for Entrepreneurs
- Small Business Series: Wage and Hour Issues
- Mastering Fiduciary Accounting Income
- Small Business Series: Succession Planning
- Drafting IRA Trusts
- Proactive vs. Reactive: Charitable Giving Seminar
- 2017 Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference
- Small Business Series: Intellectual Property
- Community Association Seminar Spring 2017
- Trusts From A to Z
- 2017 Probate & Trust Law Conference
- What Can You Do With Property Nobody Wants?
- How Not to Get Sued
- Estate Planning: The Ultimate Guide
- How To Get It Done: A Homeowners Guide
- Accommodation Requests Under the Fair Housing Act
- Small Business Series: Business Banking
- Legal and Business Issues Affecting Contractors 2017
- Commercial RE Seminar: Environmental Due Diligence
- ABA Property Insurance Law Spring CLE Conference
- Community Association Seminar Spring 2018
- Preventative Maintenance & Const. Defect Claims
- Single Member LLCs
- Revocable Living Trusts 101
- Trust Taxation: The Ultimate Guide
- Legal and Business Issues Affecting Contractors 2018
- Intellectual Property: Start to Finish
- 2017 Greater Mankato MHA Conference and Trade Show
- Community Association Seminar Fall 2017
- Drafting IRA Trusts
- Small Business Series: Non-Competes & More
- Rochester Community Association Seminar 2017
- What’s Your End Game? Succession Planning
- Handling the Sale of a Business
- “Guilty Until Proven Innocent” Flooring Seminar