Linda D. Kornfeld

Kornfeld is one of the nation's top insurance recovery lawyers, representing corporate policyholders in complex insurance coverage litigation for more than 25 years. Her clients come from diverse industries including telecommunications, higher education, real estate, manufacturing and nonprofits.

High-stakes cases include representing and obtaining a favorable settlement for Pennsylvania State University in its insurance recovery efforts regarding the Sandusky sexual misconduct claims. She also recently secured a summary judgment for the former executives of Silverton Bank, resolving coverage issues in a $71 million lawsuit brought by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

In recent years, Kornfeld has become a leader in the relatively new cyber insurance arena, taking on cyber insurers in two of California's largest data breach events. She regularly speaks at conferences and writes about issues related to coverage under cyber insurance policies.

"Cyber exposures have become more and more prevalent in every aspect of business and government. As those exposures have evolved, the insurance market for cyber-specific coverage has evolved as well," she said. "It's exciting to be at the forefront of a new industry and to be working with both sides - our clients, the policyholders, and also the industry - to develop language that will protect all parties to these cyber exposures."

Kornfeld represents Cottage Health, the largest group of hospital facilities in central California, in the first insurance coverage lawsuit filed nationwide to tackle coverage under a data breach-specific insurance policy. Columbia Casualty Company v. Cottage Health System, 2:16-cv-3759 (C.D. Cal., filed May 31, 2016).

Cottage is pursuing coverage from Columbia Casualty for class action litigation and regulatory proceeding expenditures resulting from a data breach that could result in over $50 million of exposure for Cottage.

Cottage and Columbia parent company CNA Financial Corp. filed competing lawsuits in state and federal courts, and each moved to dismiss the other party's lawsuit. Kornfeld convinced the state court to keep Cottage's case, and the federal court to dismiss CNA's lawsuit to allow the state court action to proceed. The parties are now in active discovery, and Kornfeld will try the case in November.

— Jennifer Chung Klam