John E. Rodewald
Partner

E-mail: jrodewald@batescarey.com
Phone: (312) 762-3170

Practice Areas:

John E. Rodewald is a partner whose practice focuses on insurance coverage cases concerning allegedly defective products, property damage and environmental claims, and bodily injury claims involving asbestos-related diseases, silicosis, and toxic exposure. He has also handled complex coverage matters involving insureds in bankruptcy and bad faith litigation.  He has represented insurers in coverage litigation involving some of the largest corporations in the world, including Amoco Corp., American Cyanamid, Bridgestone/Firestone, Dow Chemical, ELF Atochem, General Dynamics, Glidden, Halliburton, Texaco, United Technologies, and a host of others. In addition to his insurance coverage experience, he has significant experience with cases involving complex commercial matters, contract disputes, the Uniform Commercial Code, and legal malpractice actions. He has successfully argued matters in both state and federal courts located throughout Illinois, as well as in Wisconsin, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and New Jersey, and he has participated in appeals before the Illinois Appellate Court, the Illinois, New Jersey, and Arizona Supreme Courts, and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Tenth and Sixth Circuits.

His significant decisions include:

• O’Rourke v. Oney, No. 1-96-2657 (Ill. App. 1st Dist. 1998) (affirming trial court’s dismissal of legal malpractice action)
   
• International EPDM Rubber Roofing Systems, Inc. v. Admiral Ins. Co., No. 96-3337 (6th Cir. 1997), reprinted in 11 Mealey’s Litig. Rep.:  Ins. 10 (June 3, 1997) (insurance coverage not available for hundreds of defective roofing claims asserted against the manufacturer of allegedly defective roofing system, and rejecting bad faith claims and claims against insurers asserted pursuant to an “assignment” and “covenant not to execute”)
   
• Bituminous Cas. Corp. v. St. Clair Lime Co., 69 F.3d 547, 1995 WL 632292 (10th Cir. 1995) (absolute pollution exclusion barred coverage for claims arising out of workplace exposure to toxic substances)

His publications include:

• "Novel Issues and Novel Strategies" presented to the Defense Research Institute’s Insurance Coverage for Environmental Claims Seminar (Boston, MA, Oct. 1993) and to the American Bar Association’s Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Meeting (Tucson, AZ, Mar. 1994)

He received a J.D. cum laude from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law in 1990; and a B.A. summa cum laude in Political Science and History from Loyola University of Chicago in 1987.

He is admitted to the Illinois Bar, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Tenth and Sixth Circuits. He is a member of the American Bar Association’s Insurance Coverage Committee subsection, and participates annually as an evaluating Judge at moot court competitions held for law students in the Chicago area.