Practices
Education & Admissions
- Yale College (B.A., cum laude)
- University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Supreme Court of the State of Delaware
- United States District Court for the District of Delaware
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Associations
- American Arbitration Association; Member, Panel of Commercial Arbitrators
- Delaware State Bar Association; Member, Corporation Law Section, Litigation Section; Formerly Co-chair, Committee on Judicial Appointments
- American College of Coverage Counsel
- Richard S. Rodney Inn of Court; Bencher
- America Bar Foundation, Fellow
- American Bar Association
- Board of Bar Examiners of the Delaware Supreme Court; Past Member
- Defense Counsel of Delaware; Past President
- American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula; Past Board Chair and Member
- Mass for the Homeless, Inc.; Past Board Chair and Member
Attorney Profile
As a litigator before the Court of Chancery, Bob has handled contests involving the control of corporations and partnerships, stockholder derivative actions, stock list cases and contract cases.
Bob has extensive experience litigating cases in Superior Court, and in particular the Complex Commercial Litigation Division (“CCLD”) of that Court. Bob is an original member of the CCLD Advisory Committee, which recommended the CCLD policies and procedures. His Superior Court experience includes commercial, insurance coverage and liability cases.
A member of the panel of commercial arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association, Bob has extensive experience as an arbitrator and mediator.
Bob has represented insurers in several high profile insurance coverage cases, including claims involving directors and officers coverage, opioid claims, and cases involving toxic waste, product liability and professional liability claims.
Bob began his career as a trial attorney with the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., where he handled civil and criminal cases for several consumer protection agencies.
Bob holds an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell (1987-2023), has been named to the Delaware Super Lawyers® list (2007-2023) and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (2007-2023).
Experience
- Georgian American Alloys, Inc. v. Axis Insurance Co. (3d Cir. 2022). The Court affirmed District Court’s holding that insurer need not show prejudice when notice was untimely under a claims-made policy. Issue not yet addressed by Delaware Supreme Court. The Court based its decision on Devon Park Assoc., L.P. v. Federal Insurance Co., a District of Delaware case. Bob represented the insurers in both cases.
- In a case of first impression in Delaware, the Superior Court, applying the Full Faith and Credit clause of the U. S. Constitution, denied motion to dismiss client’s registration of Arizona judgment under the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act, even though the Canadian judgment upon which the Arizona judgment was based could not have been domesticated under the Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgment Recognition Act. The Delaware Supreme Court affirmed.
- Lead trial counsel in successful Court of Chancery trial against largest class member that refused to pay its share of attorneys’ fees.
- Won summary judgment for insurer in coverage case, based upon attorney professional liability policy exclusion of any dispute over fees or costs.
- Won dismissal of defendant in helicopter fatality case based on lack of personal jurisdiction.
- Obtained dismissal on ground of no personal jurisdiction with respect to declaratory judgment action concerning buy-sell provision of limited liability company agreement.