Barnes & Thornburg Adds Insurance Recovery Group in Minneapolis

Three insurance recovery attorneys have joined Barnes & Thornburg LLP’s Minneapolis office as partners in the firm’s Policyholder Insurance Recovery and Counseling Group.

The attorneys joining the firm include Thomas C. Mielenhausen, Christopher H. Yetka and Christopher L. Lynch. Mielenhausen, Yetka and Lynch were previously partners at Lindquist & Vennum LLP, where Mielenhausen also chaired the Insurance Recovery Group.

For more than 25 years, Mielenhausen has helped business policyholders resolve insurance coverage disputes throughout the United States. His areas of expertise include: directors’ and officers’; errors and omissions; commercial general; environmental; products; contractors; employment; cyber-risk; advertising; media; intellectual property; technology liability; fidelity and crime loss; and business interruption and property loss.

In 2009, Mielenhausen spearheaded the effort on behalf of clients to pass the Minnesota Business Policyholder Act (Minn. Stat. §60A.0811), which entitles a commercial property/liability policyholder to 10 percent annual interest when it prevails in a coverage dispute.

Yetka focuses his practice on commercial litigation, particularly insurance recovery disputes where he enforces the rights of policyholders across the country in high-stakes coverage matters. He has successfully handled insurance bond and professional liability claims for financial institutions; MCS-90 endorsement claims under commercial auto policies for transportation companies; application of the pollution exclusion stemming from environmental cleanups; insurance disputes stemming from employment practices claims; and coverage claims for directors and officers.

Yetka has also addressed insurance issues faced by property owners, and policyholders with crime, cyber-risk and excess/umbrella insurance policies. He serves as vice chair of the ABA’s Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee and is a program committee member of the Minnesota Chapter of the Risk and Insurance Management Society Inc. He is also frequent author and speaker on insurance topics.

Lynch focuses his practice on insurance recovery, representing business policyholders whose claims have been denied or disputed by their insurance companies. Lynch has represented clients in a variety industry’s including life sciences, agribusiness, and chemical distribution and has handled insurance recovery matters in state and federal court actions, arbitrations, and mediations across the county.

Source: Barnes & Thornburg

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