Peter Kanaris's Email & Phone

PETER E. KANARIS | SHAREHOLDER Mr. Kanaris is a founding member and co-managing director of Fisher Kanaris, P.C. His practice principally involves first-party and third-party insurance, bad faith and reinsurance coverage litigation. He also handles antitrust, commercial, construction (including professional liability defense), environmental litigation and insurance subrogation. Mr. Kanaris has extensive experience in complex, multi-party litigation, having tried cases in numerous state and federal jurisdictions. He has provided loss counseling and coordinated litigation strategies for several insurance carriers in connection with catastrophic events, such as: Hurricane Katrina; the 2004 Florida Hurricanes; the 9/11 event; 2003 Northeast Blackout; 1994 Northridge Earthquake and 1992 Hurricane Andrew. He has also represented and advised clients with respect to litigation pursued in England, Germany and France. Representative cases include: In a 9/11 event claim, the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment in favor of Hartford Insurance Company and other carriers, establishing important precedent concerning the $90 million extra expense claim of ANC Rental Corporation (Alamo Rent-a-Car and National Car Rental); In an arson and fraud case tried in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, successfully obtained judgment in favor of Hartford Casualty Insurance and against the policyholder, Jonathon Pepper Company; In a Hurricane Katrina claim in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, won partial summary judgment in favor of Continental Casualty Company and against the St. Bernard Parish School Board regarding a $48 million coverage issue; Trial counsel representing eleven first-party property carriers and First-Party Liaison counsel coordinating the efforts of more than thirty law firms as a member of the Joint Defense Counsel Steering Committee, in PPG Industries $500 million environmental coverage lawsuit, which resulted in favorable summary judgment rulings -- recently affirmed by the New Jersey Court of Appeals; Seventh Circuit United States Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment in favor of Travelers Insurance Company, defining liability for the conduct of retail agents and wholesale brokerage firms in a $20 million dispute; Trial counsel in the successful defense of ACE American Insurance Company in the $115 million Delaware Trust Building lawsuit and appraisal hearing; Third Circuit United States Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment in clients favor, setting important precedent on contract interpretation of physical damage in the New York/New Jersey Port Authority $1 billion lawsuit to remove asbestos from all of its buildings; Trial counsel in the One Meridian Plaza Building lawsuit, one of the largest property and lost business income claims ever brought against Travelers/Aetna Casualty & Surety Insurance Company; In a bad faith and business interruption suit, successfully prosecuted summary judgment on the bad faith count recognizing the fairly debateable doctrine in Ceramo Company v. Hartford Fire Insurance Company before the United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri; and Lead Counsel in an arbitration successfully representing Zurich Insurance Company in a contract dispute against the boiler and machinery insurance carrier relative to the $21 million New York Palace Hotel loss. Starting in 2005, he has been selected by his peers as a Leading Lawyer and Super Lawyer in the field of insurance coverage law. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer on legal topics covering a wide range of subjects and has made numerous presentations in the last fifteen years at educational conferences and training sessions for insurance companies, trade associations and legal organizations. EDUCATION J.D., Washington University in St. Louis, 1985 B.A., Duke University, 1982 ADMISSIONS Illinois State Bar United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit New York State Bar United States District Court for the Western District of Washington Pro hac vice throughout the United States