Margret Parke is a Partner with the Insurance practice group in the Los Angeles office of GRSM. Margret focuses her practice on complex insurance litigation, including litigation of insurance coverage and bad faith matters. She has significant past experience in representing insureds in third party litigation, with an emphasis on construction defect litigation.
Examples of Margret’s experience include the following:
Insurance Coverage
Margret has represented insurers in first and third party insurance coverage and bad faith litigation for over 25 years, involving a broad spectrum of issues including rescission, defense and pursuit of additional insurers for claims of contribution, and negotiating allocation issues in multi-party construction defect actions. Margret provides coverage advise to her insurer clients in formal coverage opinions, and represents those clients in direct litigation. Her experience includes securing summary judgment for an insurer and its third party administrator in a third party insurance coverage and bad faith action arising out of a “claims made” policy. (Goings & Goings, Inc. v. U.S. Risk, Inc. (C.A. Cal. 2005) 2005 Cal.App.Unpub. Lexis 11395.) In a first party insurance coverage and bad faith action involving earthquake property damages, the Court of Appeals affirmed an order granting Ms. Parke’s motion for summary adjudication for the insurer on the cause of action for breach of contract and then on the bad faith and intentional infliction of emotional distress damages. The. (Rigby v. 20th Century Ins. Co. (C.A. Cal 2004) 2004 Cal.App. Unpub. LEXIS 8093.) In an action alleging breach of insurance contract and bad faith for refusal to indemnify underlying breach of data security claims against the insured, Margret negotiated a favorable settlement for her insurer client, avoiding protracted and costly litigation.
Insurance Defense
Margret has represented subcontractors in various trades in multi-party construction defect litigation, including defense of Crawford claims for express indemnity. Margret has also represented insurance agents on claims for professional negligence, fraud and misrepresentation. In multiple actions alleging serious claims of fraud and misrepresentation, she successfully negotiated settlements for her client, then under investigation by Department of Insurance.
Admissions
- California
- Colorado
- U.S. District Court, Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of California
Education
- J.D., Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
- B.A., with honors, Colorado State University
- Special Study at University of Munich