Cameron M. Dernick

Cameron has experience in all phases of litigation, including drafting pleadings, briefing and arguing pre-trial motions, managing discovery, working with expert witnesses, deposing and defending fact and expert witnesses, preparing key fact and expert witnesses for trial and appeals. Cameron has served on numerous winning trial teams obtaining favorable outcomes for insurance carrier and adjuster clients.

Cameron’s broad range of experience in residential and commercial property claims includes all types of catastrophes, from windstorms, hailstorms, fires, tornados, hurricanes, floods and everything else in between. Similarly, Cameron’s experience in casualty claims includes all types of accidents, occurrences, and categories of loss, including automobile and trucking accidents, oilfield and refinery accidents, premises liability, products liability, construction defects and dram shop liability.

Representative Experience 

First-Party Insurance Litigation and Coverage Analysis

• Obtained summary judgment for an insurance carrier against breach of contract claims exceeding $1M in alleged damage to a large warehouse building in Pasadena, Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey. See Majestic Oil, Inc. v. Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London, CV H-19-3149, 2021 WL 4502841 (S.D. Tex. Sept. 30, 2021)
• Obtained summary judgment and subsequent appellate victory for an insurance carrier and independent adjuster against breach of contract and “bad faith” claims for $2M, following a 2014 hailstorm in Abilene, Texas. See Prime Time Family Entm’t Ctr., Inc. v. AXIS Ins. Co., 11-18-00241-CV, 2020 WL 6108263 (Tex. App.—Eastland Oct. 16, 2020)
• Obtained summary judgment for an insurance carrier against breach of contract and “bad faith” claims for $1.2M in alleged wind damage to a large commercial building in Beaumont, Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey. See Starco Impex, Inc. v. Landmark Am. Ins. Co., 1:19-CV-39, 2020 WL 3440575 (E.D. Tex. June 23, 2020)

• Obtained appraisal award and rulings holding that insurer’s  approach to claim had accurately accounted for hurricane losses,  despite plaintiff’s seeking over $50 million in additional payments  via the appraisal. See Aransas Princess Condo. Assoc., Inc., v. Landmark Amer. Ins. Co., 2021 WL 8082774 (S.D. Tex. 2021)

• Represented insurance carrier and independent adjuster clients against “bad faith” claims related to Hurricane Harvey damage to multiple condominium and commercial buildings in Port Aransas, Texas, where the combined damages alleged were in excess of $100M.
• Represented one of the largest loss adjusting firms in North America against “bad faith” insurance claims resulting from a hailstorm in Colorado that involved multiple condominium complexes and insurance companies, where the alleged damages were in excess of $15M.
• Represented insurance company against large residential hailstorm claim in Oklahoma involving alleged damages in excess of $1.5M, as well as reverse bad faith and fraud claims brought on behalf of the insurer.
• Ongoing defense of insurers, policy holders, third party administrators, loss adjusting firms, and adjusters in high-exposure insurance coverage, bad-faith, and contract litigation, involving both residential and commercial losses.

Third-Party Insurance Litigation

• Represented large highway construction contractor in claims brought by 200+ plaintiffs in connection with the construction of new tollway lanes (LBJ TEXpress lanes) in Dallas, Texas, were the combined property damage for all plaintiffs allegedly exceeded $55M.
• Represented bar against dram shop liability and wrongful death claims brought in connection with the death of a patron resulting from a bar fight, where damages allegedly exceeded $1M.
• Represented largest food distribution company in North America in multiple claims resulting from various trucking accidents, where alleged damages often exceed $1M.
• Represented a construction company against personal injury claims resulting from a forklift accident where personal injury damages were alleged to exceed $500K.
• Represented a restaurant chain against personal injury claims arising from a slip-and-fall accident on the restaurant premises where personal injury damages were alleged to exceed $100K.
• Represented a homeowners association for a large condominium complex against property damage claims exceeding $50k brought by a homeowner alleging negligent maintenance of the complex.
• Represented a construction company against property damage and breach of contract claims arising out of alleged construction defects.