Costantino P. Suriano

Mr. Suriano has more than forty one years of experience in domestic and international insurance coverage and litigation representing U.S., London, and Bermuda Market primary, excess insurers, and reinsurers. His experience includes first- and third-party coverage and claims defense, multi-layered complex property and time element issues, business interruption loss, COVID-19 coverage disputes, riot and freeze claims and litigations.

These include COVID class actions, riot/vandalism, weather-related and terrorism catastrophes, flood/wind/named storm/deductible/hurricane and sublimit controversies, home owners’ policy litigation defense, corrosion analysis, fire losses, cyber risk, allocation, exhaustion and occurrence analysis, all-risk and builder’s risk policies, policy and reinsurance wording and forms analysis, building and crane collapses, transportation accidents, boiler and machinery, utility and power generation loss, railroad, contamination, building code upgrade disputes, arson and fraud, defense of insurers against public transportation agency first-party lawsuits, reinsurance arbitration, captive reinsurer disputes, financial hedging disputes, federal multi-district disaster litigation, chemical plant loss, oil company claims, refinery loss and related energy loss, on shore and off shore energy loss, coal and gold mining loss, satellite loss, defense of officers and directors, errors/omission defense, whistle blower defense, defamation defense, EEOC discrimination defense, products liability defense, commercial marine coverage disputes, warehouse liability, marine cargo, bills of lading disputes, Labor Law 240 defense, construction accidents, construction project sequence analysis, advice to insurers regarding regulatory trends, defense of travel agents, tour operators, resort and camp operators and travel professionals, defense of serious personal injury, litigation of commercial and real estate disputes, bankruptcy, secured transactions, lending and corporate securities litigation, group retention risk, employee-related issues, land use, financial guaranty, retrospective premium, entertainment and contingency, disputes with artists, media, anti-trust brokerage commission class actions, advertising liability, product recall, and casino/gambling hotel loss.

Mr. Suriano argues motions and appeals in various federal and state courts. He has litigated as U.S. counsel in international commercial, insurance and reinsurance disputes, involving U.K., Italian, Bermudian, French and Spanish law, represented U.S. clients in foreign insurance and commercial disputes, and assisted foreign clients seeking discovery in the U.S. regarding foreign litigations. Mr. Suriano has represented foreign clients in commercial disputes, wine trademark defense and distributor litigation, administrative and appellate matters involving anti-dumping and countervailing duty matters before the U.S. Department of Commerce, the International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Court of International Trade and Federal Courts of Appeals. He has represented European commercial entities in negotiating various business agreements and in the formation of branches and subsidiaries in the U.S., and applying to U.K. and Bermuda courts for intervention staying U.S. lawsuits. He has extensive mediation experience in complex multi-party cases as well as experience in arbitrations and appraisal proceedings.

Mr. Suriano litigates cases in federal and state courts throughout the United States, including New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. He has tried both jury and non-jury cases, including the 9/11 second phase jury trial in the World Trade Center/Silverstein case.

Mr. Suriano authored articles, made presentations as part of industry panels, and lectured on multi-layer approaches to ambiguity questions, weather related catastrophes, ensuing loss, punitive damages, business interruption, occurrence issues, solar storm, cyber and CGL insurance trends, and claims leadership.

Before joining the firm, Mr. Suriano was an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County, New York.

Mr. Suriano was an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Pace University’s Lubin Business School. He is fluent in Italian and Spanish.

Honors

• Recipient, Fifth Annual Stephen P. Cronin, Jr. Memorial Award, The Loss Executives Association To An Individual Who Donates Their Time, Skill And Exceptional Service To The Property Claim Profession
• Consultant, Board of Directors, Loss Executives Association (LEA)
• Recognized in New York Super Lawyers, New York Metro, Insurance Coverage, 2006-2023

Memberships

• Member of the Firm’s Executive Committee
• Member of the Board of Advisors to the Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, Insurance & Actuarial Studies at St. John’s University
• New York County Lawyers’ Association
• Bergen County New Jersey Bar Association
• Former Member of Village of Ridgewood, NJ, Planning Board

Newsroom

Speaking Engagements

• Presenter, “Ted Talk: Claims/Practical Side of CATS,” 2023 Insurance Regulation Conference – Insurance Industry Resilience, Post-Pandemic, St. John’s University Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, New York, NY, May 24, 2023
• Welcome address, Loss Executives Association Annual Meeting, Fort Lauderdale, FL, January 25-27, 2023
• Presenter, “Hurricane Ian Claim Considerations,” Loss Executives Association, J.S. Held, Mound Cotton Wollan & Greengrass, Webinar, November 3, 2022
• Presenter, “Dimensions of Risk Leadership: Principles of Claims Process,” St. John’s University The Peter J. Tobin College of Business Department of Risk Management, Insurance & Actuarial Science, Webinar, April 12, 2022
• Welcome Address, Loss Executive Association, Celebrating 91 Years of Educating the Insurance Industry Conference, February 2, 2022
• Presenter, “Leadership Through Claims,” St. John’s University Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, Gamma Iota Sigma, Alpha Iota Chapter, New York, NY, October 22, 2021
• Presenter, “Leadership Through Claims,” St. John’s University Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, Webinar, March 2, 2021
• Presenter, Loss Executive Association seminar, St. John’s University Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, 2020
• Presenter, “Cyber Law,” St. John’s University School of Risk Management and Loss Executives Association, New York, NY, November 7, 2019
• Panelist, “Earth, Wind and Fire – The Future of Catastrophic Risk,” St. John’s University School of Risk Management Regulatory Risk in Uncertain Times Conference, New York, NY, October 23, 2019
• Presenter, “Space-Related Insurance Risks,” St. John’s University School of Risk Management Northeast Invitational, New York, NY, February 23, 2019
• Panelist, “Leading Through Change: Mergers and Acquisitions,” Loss Executives Association Annual Meeting & Educational Conference, Fort Lauderdale, FL, January 31, 2019
• Panelist, “Ambiguity,” Loss Executives Association Annual Meeting & Educational Conference, St. Petersburg, FL, January 25, 2018
• Presenter, “Basic Claim Process,” St. John’s University School of Risk Management and Loss Executives Association, London, England, May 24, 2017
• Presenter, “Policy Tools and Regulator Requirements for Handling Claims,” New York State Association of Independent Adjusters, Inc., New York, NY, May 11, 2017
• Presenter, “Catastrophe Risk: Are We Ready?” St. John’s University, The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science Conference, New York, NY, October 20, 2016
• Presenter, “Semi-Conductor Facility Losses,” Loss Executives Association Annual Meeting & Educational Conference, Tampa, FL, January 27, 2016
• Presenter, “Lawyer’s View of Claim Handing Process,” St. John’s University School of Risk Management and Loss Executives Association, London, England, May 22, 2015
• Presenter, “Latest Coverage Trends and Implications Inherent in the Shale Oil Boom and the Associate Drilling,” Advisen’s U.S. Energy Boom Insurance Issues Webinar, March 6, 2014
• Presenter, “The Role of Actuarial Concepts in Claims Handling,” Loss Executives Association Annual Meeting & Educational Conference, Tampa, FL, January 20, 2014
• Presenter, “Coverage Pitfalls,” Loss Executive Association, Young Insurance Professionals Seminar, New York, NY, February 27, 2013
• Presenter, “Coverage Implications of Solar Storms,” Loss Executives Association Conference, June 2012 Spring Meeting, Toronto, Canada
• Panelist, “World Trade Center – 9/11/01 – The Adjustment/Litigation/Settlement Story,” New York State Association of Independent Adjusters, Inc. Spring Education Seminar, New York, NY, June 2, 2011
• Presenter, “Case Law Update – Top Property Loss Topics of 2010,” Loss Executives Association’s 80th Annual Meeting & Winter Educational Conference, Tampa, FL, February 3, 2011
• Workshop Chair, “Cranes Falling From the Sky,” Loss Executives Association’s 78th Annual Meeting & Mid-Winter Educational Program, Tampa, FL, February 5, 2009
• Presenter, “Energy Losses – Myths and Mysteries,” Loss Executives Association, Spring Meeting, June 2007
• Presenter, Excess Surplus Lines Claims Association Annual Conference, October 2006
• Presenter at Loss Executives Association, PLRB and other venues on CAT Issues, Business Interruption, Civil Authority, Ingress/Egress, Punitive Damages, Occurrence Issues, Letters of Credit, Reinsurance Trends