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Practice Areas
Education
- William Mitchell College of Law, J.D., 2003
- Tufts University, B.S., 2000
Bar and Court Admissions
- State Court: Minnesota
- U.S. District Court: District Court for the District of Minnesota
Matthew J. Gollinger
Matt is a partner at Zelle Hofmann where he has built his practice assisting insurers and reinsurers resolve complex disputes throughout the U. S. He represents clients in all aspects of litigation in federal and state courts as well as alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Matt’s practice has taken him from Minnesota to New York, Missouri, Arkansas, Nebraska, California, Texas, North Dakota, Illinois, and among other U.S. states. He also lived in Munich, Germany in 2011 while he worked as a Munich Re secondee.
Matt’s principal practice area is first-party property insurance coverage litigation. He has assisted clients enforce common law and contractual rights concerning appraisal, duplicative insurance, policy interpretation, priority of recovery, salvage, coverage under “ensuing loss” provisions, valuation, the right to repair or replace, triggers of coverage, bad faith, as well as the application of a wide variety of coverage exclusions for certain property and named perils.
Matt’s practice has also focused on reinsurance disputes concerning matters including rescission, fraud and misrepresentation, reinstatements, ex gratia payments, claims control, rights of association/cooperation, punitive/exemplary damages, and global property/casualty programs. He has represented cedents, reinsurers, and retrocessionaires in primary and excess capacities, facultative and treaty arrangements, including reinsurance “facilities” and fronted coverage agreements.
In addition, Matt has represented clients in complex commercial litigation on matters including trade secret misappropriation, multi-party construction disputes, and negligent management of oil and gas assets held in trust and leased out for fracking.
Representative Matters
KAAPA Ethanol L.L.C. vs. Affiliated FM Insurance Company (Insurance coverage action involving coverage for property damage and time element losses sustained due to nine improperly constructed ethanol tank foundations and subsequent settling damage to the tanks)
Allianz Insurance Company v. World Trade Center Properties LLC (Insurance coverage action, including two month jury trial, and related appraisal involving destruction of World Trade Center complex on 9/11 and claims in excess of $7 billion for property damage and time element losses)
Multiple confidential reinsurance indemnity disputes—involving amounts ranging from several million dollars up to several hundred million dollars—including successfully obtaining rescission of consecutive semi-automatic treaty arrangements concerning ceded primary exposures on energy-related property/casualty risks located throughout the world.
Articles & Presentations
Loss Executives Association Complex Commercial Claim Workshop, presented a mock trial to senior insurance claim executives in London regarding complex commercial insurance claims, November 13, 2012
"Attorney Contact with Experts: Protection of Expert Credibility and Attorney Work Product," Spring 2005 ABA Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Section Conference, San Antonio, Texas, April 14, 2005, co-author
Professional Affiliations
- Hennepin County Bar Association: Civil Litigation Section, Insurance and Tort Law Section
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- American Bar Association: Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section; Litigation Section
