Robbie is a trial lawyer with Donato, Brown, Pool & Moehlmann. His efforts for insurers over the past 22 years are focused on insurance coverage and defense matters. He is an experienced trial lawyer with a proven record at the courthouse.

Robbie’s litigation background assists and guides his consultation with underwriters, managing general agents, brokers and producers on insurance policy wordings and endorsements, manuscript changes and emerging insurance market issues. Robbie drafts and refines insurance policy forms, wordings and endorsements to proactively address coverage issues created by new case law precedent(s) or statutory schemes. He has also audited policy forms to look for potential coverage issues created by form revisions.

Practice Areas:

  • Coverage
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Insurance Defense
  • Subrogation

Admissions:

  • State Bar of Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Western District Texas
  • Pro hac vice admission to various state and federal courts

Education:

  • South Texas College of Law, Juris Doctorate. 1998
  • The University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Arts. 1994

Robbie also works with third party adjusters and administrators as well as field personnel regarding policy wordings, interpretations and new legal precedent in order to help provide guidance for day to day insurance coverage and adjustment issues.

Notable Cases:

  • Subrogation verdict of $455,720,299.00. Six-week trial. Co-Counsel with Randy Donato. Largest verdict ever rendered in Cook County, Illinois. Second largest non-class action verdict in the State of Illinois. The lawsuit arose from an incident at CITGO's refinery where an 8-inch elbow manufactured in 1981 by B&W caused a fire. Citgo Petroleum and Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's London v. The Babcock & Wilcox Company

  • Obtained summary judgment awarding $50,000,000.00 in a subrogation action in New Orleans, Louisiana. Extensive briefing and argument regarding New York and Louisiana law. Firm worked through multiple jurisdiction issues and had to first obtain the dismissal of a declaratory judgment action filed in New York. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's London v. AHAC

  • MGA failed to place assault and battery exclusion on nightclub policy over the course of four years. Drunken patron killed four and wounded six others in shooting incident. Filed a declaratory judgment action to reform the policies to include the assault and battery exclusion. Court granted summary judgment reforming the policies and denying coverage. Policy limits had been demanded.  Canopius US Insurance, Inc. v. Club ICU

  • Represented Underwriters in an arbitration proceeding under the AAA in New Orleans. Insured demanded coverage for the failure of their Westinghouse generator rotor alleging $15,500,000.00 in physical damages and business interruption. After a two-week arbitration, in a 3-0 decision, the panel determined the policy was not triggered. Awarded $0 in monetary damages and found no coverage. The firm also recovered a significant percentage of Underwriters’ fees and costs as a prevailing party.  EcoElectrica, L.P.  v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's London, et al.

  • Successfully overturned on appeal a summary judgment denying Reynolds and their insurers an indemnity claim for an $8,350,000.00 settlement they paid on an underlying paraplegic personal injury case. After reversal on appeal, won new trial with clients awarded indemnity for the $8.35 million plus interest. Reynolds Metals Company v Hydrochem Industrial Services, Inc.