Overview
Chris Finazzo has devoted most of his 40+ year legal career to representing insurers in a diverse array of cases as their counselor, litigator, trial attorney and party arbitrator. Along with other Finazzo Cossolini attorneys, Chris regularly provides our clients with claims handling advice and representation in litigated matters involving every aspect of the first party insurer-insured relationship. He has helped clients resolve catastrophe and non-catastrophe losses of a few million to hundreds of millions of dollars without litigation. Chris has handled claims involving extremely complex physical damage and business interruption losses and virtually every coverage and exclusion found in the typical all-risk policies issued to industrial and commercial insureds. He tried cases arising out of Hurricane Katrina and the September 11 attack, including World Trade Center coverage case and is about to finish a trial in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana involving Katrina damage to two hotels. His proficiency in the hard sciences, as well as his general education and experience in accounting, allows him to bring an understanding and creative approach to the complex engineering and construction cases he has handled in both first party coverage and subrogation settings. Chris has handled cases involving the catastrophic failures of pressure vessels, various items of mechanical and electrical industrial equipment and building components caused by manufacturing defects, architectural malpractice, engineering malpractice and defects in materials and construction means and methods.
Education
Rutgers University School of Law, J.D., 1979, with Honors
Rutgers College, B.A., 1976, summa cum laude
Bar Admissions
New Jersey
New York
U.S. District Courts, District of New Jersey and Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
U.S. Courts of Appeals, Second and Third Circuits
Honors and Awards
AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Selected for inclusion in the 2008 edition of New Jersey Super Lawyers and the 2009 corporate counsel edition of Super Lawyers
Other Areas of Expertise:
- Third party insurance coverage cases, including asbestos and environmental matters
- Subrogation
- General commercial litigation
- Personal injury defense, including products liability and medical malpractice
