Kathleen F. Adams

Kate is an experienced litigator with extensive experience handling all facets of complex insurance coverage issues. Her reputation for consistent, strong results has earned her accolades from clients who seek her counsel on the most complicated of issues throughout the nation.

Kate's insurance coverage practice includes the litigation of a broad range of coverage issues under commercial general liability, homeowners and property policies, professional liability and automobile liability, as well as claims for bad faith, unfair insurance practices and extra-contractual liability. She has extensive experience analyzing first- and third-party coverage issues and potential exposures related to COVID-19 claims, including claims for business interruption coverage. She also has significant experience litigating commercial liability, employment practices liability, and general liability cases. She is widely sought out for her counsel on best claim-handling practices. Kate has successfully argued dispositive motions in coverage cases in several jurisdictions.

She handles complex insurance matters, coverage analysis and commercial litigation in both trial and appellate matters. Her experience includes representing clients in cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, as well as the Connecticut appellate courts, and has successfully argued before the Connecticut Supreme Court and the Connecticut Appellate Court.

Kate is based in the firm’s Hartford office. She is the recipient of several awards and accolades for her legal work including being named a Rising Star for three consecutive years for work both in litigation and coverage.

Representative Experience

• Appellate | Successfully briefed and argued a complex, high-exposure case before the Connecticut Appellate Court and the Connecticut Supreme Court concerning the Workers' Compensation Act exclusivity provision; obtained rulings from both Courts affirming the trial court's ruling granting summary judgment in her client's favor based on the exclusivity provision and finding the intentional tort exception inapplicable as a matter of law.
• General Liability | Successfully represented a property owner in a lawsuit arising out of a shooting on the owner's premises wherein Plaintiff presented evidence indicating that the owner knew or should have known of prior gun-related activity on the premises; obtained a favorable resolution by leveraging liability defenses coupled with risk allocation arguments based on the defense and indemnity provisions contained in the lease.
• First-party Property Damage Claims | Counseled an insurer client regarding the handling of numerous individual claims, as well as lawsuits, concerning first-party insurance coverage for crumbling foundation matters and obtained favorable resolutions of the subject matters.
• Insurance Coverage | Advised insurer clients regarding the handling of first- and third-party matters arising out of hurricanes in the northeast and analyzed coverage, as well as extra-contractual issues, for claims relating to the subject storms.
• Insurance Coverage (UM/UIM) | Obtained dismissal for insurance company client against an uninsured motorist who was making a delivery in her vehicle and was struck by a third-party vehicle; our attorneys argued that the policy's clear and unambiguous language states that uninsured motorist coverage is not provided, and Plaintiff withdrew her action, relieving our client of any liability or obligation.
• Exposure Analysis and Policy Drafting | Counseled insurers regarding exposure associated with writing new lines of business and assisted insurers with drafting new policy forms, as well as endorsements.

Representative Matters

• Herrera v. Meadow Hill Inc., 217 Conn.App. 671 (2023)
• Kellogg v. Middlesex Mut. Assurance Co., 211 Conn. App. 335 (2022)
• BN Farm LLC v. Cincinnati Cas. Co., 560 F. Supp. 3d 455 (D. Mass. 2021), appeal dismissed, No. 21-1769, 2022 WL 4641979 (1st Cir. Apr. 27, 2022)
• Associates in Periodontics, PLC v. Cincinnati Ins. Co., 2021 WL 1976404 (D. Vt. May 18, 2021)
• Lucenti v. Laviero, 165 Conn. App. 429 (2016), aff’d, 327 Conn. 764 (2018)
• Atl. Cas. Ins. Co. v. Robinson, 2016 WL 3198204 (D. Conn. June 8, 2016)
• Mehta v. Ace Am. Ins. Co., 2015 WL 1456834 (D. Conn. Mar. 30, 2015)
• Middlesex Mut Assur. Co. v. Hamilton, et al., 2014 WL 2696773 (Conn. Super. Ct. May 14, 2014)
• Gartner, Inc. v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 2010 WL 918075 (D. Conn. Mar. 11, 2010) aff’d, 415 F. App’x 282 (2d Cir. 2011)
• S. v. Webb, 602 F.Supp.2d 374 (D. Conn. 2009)
• Deed v. Walgreen Co., 50 Conn. Supp. 339, 927 A.2d 1001 (2007)

Education

• University of Connecticut School of Law (J.D., 2005, with honors)
• Boston College (B.A., 2002, magna cum laude)

Licensed to Practice in

• Connecticut
• U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
• U.S. District Court, District of Vermont
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit

News

Publications

Community Activities

• Center for Children's Advocacy, Former volunteer
• Gifts of Love (Avon, Connecticut), Former Member of the Board of Directors
• National Forum for Environmental & Toxic Tort Issues (FETTI), Former Assistant Newsletter Editor

Memberships

• Connecticut Bar Association
• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
• National Forum for Environmental & Toxic Tort Issues (FETTI); Former Assistant Newsletter Editor