A lawyer who understands business imperatives.
Chambers USA 2019

Peter Gillon represents corporate policyholders in their disputes and transactions with insurance companies, using his 35 years of experience to help his clients access their insurance to resolve complex D&O litigation, large property and casualty losses, and other significant threats.

Peter co-leads Pillsbury's industry-leading Insurance Recovery and Advisory Practice Group, comprising over 50 policyholder advocates in eight offices. The group has achieved top national and individual rankings by Chambers, and repeated recognition by Law360 as an Insurance Practice Group of the Year. Peter has been recognized by his peers as one of the “Ten Most Admired Attorneys” in the area of insurance coverage.

As reported in Chambers, clients comment that Peter offers a "wealth of knowledge and encyclopedic understanding of insurance. ... He is a very creative coverage lawyer who brings a fresh perspective to problems.

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Peter’s creative problem-solving approach is exemplified in his work in the area of D&O insurance. In August 2019, a Delaware court adopted the theory presented by Peter in Solera Holdings v. XL Insurance that Solera’s D&O insurance policies afford coverage for an appraisal action brought by dissenting shareholders challenging the price paid to acquire Solera in a go-private transaction. This precedent-setting decision explained that coverage for “securities violations” included claims that the company failed to meet its obligation to obtain “fair value” for its shares. Peter is called on regularly by public and private companies and their boards to help resolve complex securities class actions, derivative lawsuits, appraisal actions, M&A-related litigation and enforcement actions, using all available tools (including litigation) to access D&O and other insurance assets.

With experience representing the companies most impacted by such events as the 9/11 terror attacks, the Deepwater Horizon disaster and Superstorm Sandy, Peter is widely regarded as a trusted business advisor for companies in their most important and challenging matters.

Representative Experience

  • Prevailed in Solera Holdings v. XL Insurance; Argued appeal in Delaware Supreme Court (video of 9/16/20 argument available here)
  • Represented Uber Technologies in cyberinsurance coverage dispute arising from 2017 hacking of 57 million accounts.
  • Represent scores of companies and their directors in disputed D&O claims, including Amtrust Financial, Duke Energy, Fitbit, HC2 Holdings, Opko Health, Panera Breads, Sinclair Broadcasting, Trinidad Benham, VEREIT, and Zynga.

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  • Serve as party-appointed arbitrator in dispute under D&O policies purchased by Immunomedics.
  • Won a jury award of $72 million against AIG and other insurers for loss of income and expenses incurred by Delek/Lion Oil due to the rupture and closure of a crude oil pipeline supplying the Lion Oil refinery.
  • Representation of Duke Energy in coverage claims arising from the 2014 Dan River coal ash spill.
  • Obtained insurance coverage for Mitsui, for hundreds of millions in liabilities incurred as minority-owner of the Macondo well, whose blowout resulted in the Deepwater Horizon incident.
  • Areas of Concentration
    • Insurance coverage disputes involving all major lines, including executive liability (D&O, fiduciary, fidelity and crime, EPLI), first-party (including property and business interruption losses), cyber, product recall and pollution liability.
    • Insurance policy placement, including D&O, cyber, property, pollution legal liability, environmental liability transfer, IPO’s, rep and warranty, IP insurance
    • Advice on risk management and insurance issues in corporate and real estate transactions and bankruptcy, including insurance due diligence
  • Other Representative Matters
    • Representation of CalPERS on property policies for $150 Million in losses at Wilshire Vermont Station mixed-use development in Los Angeles due to damages caused by construction defects. 
    • Representation of Hanover Group on claims under Fiduciary Policies for “Whipsaw” claims for alleged violations of ERISA.
    • Representation of Laureate Education in disputed claim under crime policy for employee theft at Laureate-owned Bilgi University in Istanbul, Turkey.
    • Advised Invest Industrial on purchase of Jacuzzi Inc. after Tijuana factory destroyed by fire during due diligence period.
    • Advised Yeti, Inc. on placement of coverage for IPO.
    • Representation of major property owners and various businesses, from phone companies to casinos, in first party insurance coverage disputes arising from Superstorm Sandy.
    • Representation of United Air Lines on business interruption claims arising from the 2011 Japan earthquake/tsunami.
    • Representation of Gibson Guitars in coverage litigation in various courts arising from the 2010 Nashville floods.
    • Representation of CNL Hotels & Resorts in D&O coverage litigation regarding the critical issue of coverage for Section 11 damages.
    • Representation of an energy company in coverage claim for mass tort action for manufacture and sale of MTBE.
    • Representation of an energy company in a first-of-its-kind workout and restructuring of $2 billion of Directors and Officers and Fiduciary insurance.
    • Representation of a company in litigation against Hartford Insurance Company regarding fidelity bond claims for $500 million in loss suffered in the Student Finance Corp. fraud case.
    • Representation of major New Orleans hotel and property owner in property damage and business interruption claims arising from Hurricanes Katrina/Rita.
    • Representation of an airline on its business interruption claim relating to Hurricane Ike.
    • Representation of an insurance company in securing Directors and Officers and Fidelity coverage for over $200 million in loss suffered in the National Program Services illegal surety bond scandal.
    • Representation of developer in litigation of first bad faith coverage claim under an environmental cost-cap policy.
    • Representation of United Airlines for property damage and business interruption losses related to September 11, 2001.
    • Representation of United Airlines in complex global insurance recovery effort involving litigation and settlement of environmentally related liability at airport and non-airport sites across the country, and structuring policy buyback in chapter 11 proceeding under §363 of the Bankruptcy Code.
    • Obtaining coverage for an aircraft maintenance company's significant liabilities resulting from the 1996 crash of ValuJet Flight #592 into the Florida Everglades.
    • Obtaining significant settlements on behalf of two major airlines for environmental liabilities at over 100 airports and Superfund sites around the country.

Professional Highlights

  • Co-leader of the Insurance Recovery & Advisory practice, named by Law360 as a Practice Group of the Year in 2010, 2015, 2016, 2020 and 2022.

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  • Honors & Awards
    • Chambers USA, Insurance: Policyholder (2016 – 2023)
    • Recognized by Best Lawyers (published by BL Rankings LLC), Insurance Law (2019 – 2024)
    • Who’s Who Legal, Insurance & Reinsurance (2017)
    • The Legal 500 U.S., Insurance: Advice to Policyholders (2017 – 2019)
    • 10 Most Admired Insurance Attorneys, Insurance Law360 (2010)
  • Associations
    • Vice Chair and Fellow, American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel
  • Speaking Engagements
    • “Food for Thought: Managing Risk in the Changing World of Agriculture,” RIMS 2017, Speaker and Moderator, April 23-26, Philadelphia, Penn.

Education

  • J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1983
    Associate Editor, The Tax Lawyer

    B.A., Duke University, 1979
    magna cum laude

Admissions

  • District of Columbia

    Florida

Languages

  • Spanish