American College of Coverage Counsel 2026 Annual Meeting

Camelot Room, 3rd Floor 
Welcome Reception, Sponsored by KCIC

Thursday, May 7, 2026, 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
7:00 - 9:00 am  Registration & Breakfast Buffet 
Registration - Streeterville Foyer, Lobby Level
Breakfast - MJ Restaurant, Lobby Level

9:00 am  Welcome Remarks - Avenue Ballroom, Lobby Level
- Stephen Pate, Cozen O'Connor; ACCC President
- Karen Dixon, Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP; Annual Meeting Co-Chair
- Michael Levine, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, Annual Meeting Co-Chair

9:15 am  Lessons Learned from COVID
- Lorie Masters, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
- Laura Foggan, Lavin Rindner Duffield LLC

In five tempestuous years, COVID insurance litigation swept the nation, rattled the nerves of the insurance industry, generated more insurance coverage opinions than asbestos and pollution claims (in a much shorter time) and now has largely disappeared. Are there lessons that can be learned from the COVID coverage wars that may apply in future mass catastrophes or was this truly a freakish sui generis event?

10:00 am  Extracontractual Exposure Through Unfair Claim Settlement Practices Act: Recent
Developments in Rulings, Trends, and Strategy
- James Bryan, Maynard Nexsen PC
- Suzan Charlton, Covington & Burling LLP
- Julia Molander, JAMolander Consulting LLC
- Professor Jeffrey Stemple, Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada Las Vegas

Many states have enacted their own versions of the model Unfair Claim Settlement Practices Act, and the statute serves as a springboard for countless bad faith lawsuits and multitudes of court opinions in federal and state courts in the first-party and third-party context. There are also state-based regulations and jury instructions interpreting and augmenting these statutes. Every policyholder and insurer bad faith counsel needs to stay current on the latest court interpretations of key provisions, such as “failing to promptly settle claims where liability has become reasonably clear” and “misrepresenting pertinent facts or insurance policy provisions relating to coverages at issue.” A panel of policyholder counsel, insurer counsel, expert witness and academic presenters would provide their respective assessments on rulings and trends from key cases throughout the country.

10:45 am   – Coffee Break, Sponsored by Judicate West

11:00 am  Coverage for Pixel Litigation and Other Emerging Privacy Claims  
- Darren Teshima, Covington & Burling LLP
- Adam Fleisher, Bates Carey 
- Erica Villanueva, Farella Braun + Martel LLP
- Jim Ruggeri, Ruggeri Parks Weinberg, LLP

In this increasingly growing digital landscape, companies are entrusted with vast amounts of sensitive personal information. While this information enhances convenience and functionality, plaintiffs’ law firms, have been looking to monetize alleged privacy risks associated with this data collection, spurring waves of putative class action lawsuits that are not only costly but that can also severely damage a company’s reputation. This unfolding legal landscape accentuates the need for robust insurance coverage, and in particular, insurance that will respond to privacy-related claims. This panel will provide an overview of recent privacy class action lawsuits and provide policyholder and insurer perspectives about coverage under CGL, cyber, and E&O policies.

11:45 am  The Erosion of the Mediation Privilege
- John Bonnie, Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial
- Neil Posner, Much Shelist, P.C.
- Marialuisa Gallozzi, Covington & Burling LLP

Mediation, as well as other forms of alternative dispute resolution, presents interesting challenges when it comes to privilege, work-product, and confidentiality. The mediation process in particular is intended and designed to be confidential, but the "sanctity" of the so-called "mediation privilege" is not as well-understood as it should be. This panel will explore the ethics rules and the state of the law on this topic.

12:45 pm  Lunch, Sponsored by Stout - ACCC Annual Business Meeting
Camelot Room, 3rd Floor

1:45 pm  Extended Work Break

2:00 pm  Is Permitted Pollution really “Pollution”?  The Illinois Supreme Court is About to Let Us 
Know.
- Brian Bassett, Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP
- Dena Economou, Karbal, Cohen, Economou, Silk & Dunne LLC 
- Angela Elbert, Neal Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
- John Vishneski, Reed Smith, LLP

Does having and complying with a regulatory permit to discharge wastes and other manufacturing by-products give an insured a "get out of jail free" card on the pollution exclusion?  Policyholders say “yes.”  It’s not pollution if the EPA says you can do it.  Insurers say “no.” Pollution is still pollution even if the EPA allows it. This issue is currently before the Illinois Supreme Court.  Its decision will have major implications for both insureds and insurers alike. 

2:45 pm  Insurance for Autonomous Vehicles: What Will Drive Those Risks?
- John Buchanan, Covington & Burling LLP
- Lara Cassidy, Hunton
- Professor Mark Geistfeld, New York University School of Law

Some say autonomous vehicles will eliminate human driver error and resulting accidents. But what if erring human drivers intersect with driverless cars and trucks? Or if faulty coding, or AI gone rogue, causes harm—who or what’s responsible, and how do we tell? What about the cyber and privacy risks from AVs that massively consume and emit data? Or property damage to AI-powered vehicles—robo-taxis, robo-delivery vans, or even robo-mowers (aka “BeLawncé” or “LeLawn James” in New York parks)—from hostile humans? Whose coverage, and what policies, will respond?

5:30 pm  General Reception – Sponsored by BDO
With “The Barrister's Big Band”
Camelot Room, 3rd Floor

6:45 pm  Dinner, Sponsored by Jeff Kichaven Commercial Mediation
Renaissance Ballroom, 5th Floor
- Recognition of 2026 Edward Currie Founders Award Recipient
- Recognition of 2026 Thomas F. Segalla Service Award Recipients
- Recognition of 2025-2026 New Fellows

Friday, May 8, 2026, 8:00 - 11:30 am 
7:00-8:00 am  Registration & Breakfast Buffet With Committee Meetings - Sponsored by Alvarez & Marsal Complex Claims Advisory, LLC
Registration - Streeterville Foyer, Lobby Level
Breakfast, MJ Restaurant, Lobby Level

9:00 am  Coverage Issues for TVPRA/Human Trafficking Claims
- James Carter, Blank Rome, LLP
- Nancy Adams, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo PC

The panel will address coverage issues arising out of human trafficking claims under the TVPRA. Topics include background on the TVPRA, common TVPRA fact patterns, policies/coverages potentially implicated by TVPRA claims, coverage issues and recent decisions, including sexual misconduct exclusions, contractual liability exclusions, intentional act exclusions, etc.

9:45 am  Self-Care, AI, and Next-Gen Coverage Problems
- Mary Borja, Wiley Rein LLP
- Jeff Bowen, Lindemann Miller Bowen LLC, Haynes and Boone, LLP
- Micah Skidmore, Haynes and Boone, LLP
- Professor Harold Weston, Georgia State University

Self-care, AI, and next-gen coverage problems.  Self-care is a Gen Z priority.  People are flocking to artificial intelligence applications, like chatbots and personalized wellness platforms, that support physical and mental well-being by tracking habits, providing tailored advice, offering therapeutic self-expression, and generating responses to crisis situations.  There are even “God apps.”  When unfortunate events result from engagement with wellness AI, who is liable and what policies respond?  This Panel will explore products liability; what is a professional service; whose act, error or omission might be at issue; vicarious liability; expected or intended; privacy issues, HIPAA compliance, and more under a variety of coverages.

10:30 am  Coffee Break, Sponsored by Judicate West

10:40 am   Navigating the Tripartite Minefield: Tactical and Ethical Issues Posed by the Duties to Defend
and Cooperate 
- Evan Knott, Honigman LLP
- Emily Garrison, Morgan Lewis LLP
- James (Jamie) J. Sanders, Clyde & Co.
, Tollefson Bradley Mitchell & Melendi LLP

Our panel will survey the competing interests and legal and ethical rights and obligations posed by the liability insurer’s duty to defend, the insured’s duty to cooperate, the preservation of legal privileges over defense-related communications, and the defense counsel’s duties of loyalty and confidentiality in the tri-partite relationship.  Topics will include recent developments and different jurisdictional approaches to the “common interest” doctrine, “at issue” waiver of privilege over defense communications, problems created by diverging legal and ethical rules to the defense of multi-jurisdictional tort litigation, and potential strategies for balancing these competing rights, duties, and interests.

11:20 am  Navigating Disclosures and Conflicts in Insurance Arbitrations and Mediations: Ethical and Practical Considerations to Ensure the Neutrality of Your Neutral and Enforceability of Your Award or Settlement
- Jean Lawler, Lawler ADR Services, LLC
- Peter Halprin, Haynes Boone
- Ellen Van Meir, Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan, LLP
- Tyler Gerking, Farella Braun + Martel LLP (Moderator)

Whether acting as counsel for a party or a neutral in an ADR proceeding, avoiding landmines that can disrupt proceedings and jeopardize the enforcement of settlements or awards is critical to the integrity of the proceeding. Disclosure issues with repeat appointments? What about Med-Arb? International situations? Horror stories of cases gone bad where the neutral was disqualified and a case disrupted? Ethical, practical and legal requirements regarding disclosures and conflicts abound. This panel will discuss situations involving insurance arbitrations and mediations, providing insights and suggestions for ensuring that your matter does not run into one of those landmines.

12:00 pm  Closing Remarks 
- Stephen Pate, Cozen O'Connor; ACCC President