Colleen P. Sorensen represents insurers in complex coverage litigation in federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels. Her practice spans a broad range of commercial lines, with particular depth in commercial general liability, professional liability, life science products liability, and environmental coverage. She has handled matters involving prescription opioid litigation, hip implant, and IVC Filter claims, NMDA contamination, asbestos and environmental exposures, and coverage disputes under Bermuda form policies.
In addition to litigation, she regularly advises insurers on coverage questions outside the litigation context, including coverage opinions analyzing occurrence-based and claims-made CGL, professional liability, product liability, pollution legal liability, public entity liability, and Bermuda forms. She also counsels clients on time-limited demands for policy limits and bad faith claims.
Appeals are a significant part of her practice. Admitted to the Sixth, Seventh, and Eleventh Circuits, she has briefed and argued matters at the appellate level across multiple jurisdictions.
Representative Matters |
Starr Indem. & Liab. Ins. Co. v. Am. Com. Barge Line, LLC, — N.E.3d —, 2026 WL 1141405 (Ind. Ct. App. Apr. 28, 2026). Obtained reversal of a trial court decision that denied insurer-clients’ motion for summary judgment on the policyholder’s claim for coverage for pollution at a shipyard based on the watercraft limitation applicable to the general liability section of several bumbershoot policies. Evanston Ins. Co. v. Restoration Holdings, LLC, 2025CH02310 (Cir. Ct., Cook Cnty. Ill.) Currently represents Evanston Insurance Company in an action seeking a declaration that Evanston has no duty to defend or indemnify Restoration Holdings and its contractor under the media liability coverage part of a professional liability policy. Hartford Underwriters Ins. Co. v. Am. Tax Lien, LLC,1:25-cv-14808 (N.D. Ill.). Currently represents Hartford in a declaratory judgment action regarding coverage for lawsuits alleging Fifth Amendment takings claims in connection with Illinois’s tax-deed process. Confidential Arbitration (2024). Currently represents an insurer in an arbitration regarding coverage for opioid lawsuits under a D&O policy. Twin City Fire Ins. Co. v. ProSelect Ins. Co., 2:24-cv-13136 (E.D. Mich.). Currently represents Twin City in a subrogation action against ProSelect for amounts due under a medical professional liability policy. Avrio Health L.P. v. AIG Specialty Ins. Co. (In re Purdue Pharma LP.), Bankr. Case No. 19-23649-SHL, Adv. Case No. 21-07005-SHL (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.). Currently represents Navigators Insurance Company in a coverage action brought by Purdue Pharma, L.P., and certain of its affiliates, seeking coverage for thousands of opioid lawsuits against it. D.A. Davidson & Co. v. Slaybaugh on behalf and for the benefit of The Whitefish Masonic Lodge 64 and Grand Lodge of AF & AM of Montana, 2024 MT 264. Obtained a ruling from the Montana Supreme Court, affirming the trial court's decision to dismiss an individual's attempt to assert claims on behalf of a dissolved lodge of a fraternal organization for lack of standing. Brown v. Olde Fashioned LLC, CA-CV-23-0763 (Ariz. Ct. App. Sept. 24, 2024). Obtained a ruling from the Arizona Court of Appeals, affirming the trial court's dismissal of a dram shop claim as barred by the statute of limitations despite plaintiffs' attempt to rely on the discovery rule to stay statute of limitations during pendency of related criminal case. KVK-Tech, Inc. v. Navigators Specialty Ins. Co., No. 1:21-CV-286-KD-N, 2021 WL 6092463 (S.D. Ala. Dec. 23, 2021), affd, No. 22-10245, 2023 WL 6154384 (11th Cir. Sept. 21, 2023). Obtained judgment on the pleadings in favor of Navigators Specialty Insurance Company based on KVK-Tech Inc.’s untimely tender of hundreds of underlying lawsuits against it, arising out of its manufacture and distribution of generic opioids, and successfully defended the judgment on appeal. Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London, No. SOM-L-761-23 (N.J. Sup. Ct. 2023). Represented Navigators Insurance Company in a declaratory judgment action brought by the alleged successor of its insured, seeking coverage for underlying opioid lawsuits. Confidential Pre-Suit Mediation (2023). Represented an insurer in a dispute regarding allocation of IVC Filter claims under a series of life science products-completed operations policies. Westfield Ins. Co. v. Dynacom Mgmt., Inc., No. 2015-CH-10596 (Cir. Ct., Cook Cnty., Chancery), of 'd 2022 IL App (1st) 191804-U, leave to appeal denied, No. 128701 (Ill. Sept. 28, 2022). Obtained judgment after a bench trial that entitled her client to additional insured coverage under plaintiff's policy and successfully defended the judgment on appeal. Confidential Pre-Suit Mediation (2021). Represented an insurer in a dispute regarding coverage for MTBE claims under Bermuda form policies. Mission Coal Wind Down Co. v. Nat'l Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa., 2:20-cv-00302 (S.D. W. Va. 2020). Represented an insurer in a dispute regarding coverage for claims arising out of a mining accident under a policy issued to the underlying defendant’s alleged predecessor and the insured’s subsequent bad faith claim. Navigators Specialty Ins. Co. v. Depomed, Inc., 4:19-cv-00255-HSG, (N.D. Cal. 2019). Represented an insurer in a dispute over coverage for opioid claims under a series of claims-made life science product liability policies. CNA Fin. Corp. v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyds, London, 2017-CH-09627 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cnty., Ill.). Represented an insurer in a dispute with its fidelity insurer regarding coverage for its underwriter’s embezzlement of policy premium. Wausau Underwriters Ins. Co. v. The Cincinnati Ins. Co., 1:17-cv-05952 (N.D. III.). Represented an insurer in a dispute regarding coverage under an excess liability policy for a catastrophic personal injury claim. |