A Greenwich law firm, the J. Michael Lewis Law Offices, and its principal J. Michael Lewis, are being sued for $1.8 million in legal malpractice damages by Württembergische Versicherung AG, a German commercial and personal insurance services provider.
According to a Connecticut Law Tribune report, Württembergische Versicherung retained Lewis to provide a coverage determination in the 2013 case of Miller v. Kenny and Safeco Insurance Company of Illinois, a personal injury car accident case filed in the Washington Court of Appeals. Safeco indicated the case could have resolved for $10 million, but the lawsuit alleges that was rejected based on Lewis”™ advice.
In its lawsuit, Württembergische Versicherung claimed that Lewis provided the company with incorrect information involving the case, and that his “subsequent negligence and malpractice resulted in Safeco-Illinois increasing its settlement during the Miller claim litigation to approximately five times its initial settlement offer.” Württembergische Versicherung and another insurer settled the case for $15.3 million, with Wurtt paying $3.83 million.
In its lawsuit, Württembergische Versicherung claimed that its “share of that rejected offer would have been $2 million, adding that Lewis’ actions “violated Washington”™s Insurance Fair Conduct Act and Consumer Protection Act as a matter of law, Safeco-Illinois demanded approximately five times its initial settlement demand to insurers on the basis it was entitled to recover litigation costs, interest and treble damages.”
Lewis could not be reached for comment.
