David J. Altschuler
David specializes in insurance coverage counseling and
litigation, complex litigation, professional liability defense, and
construction litigation. His insurance coverage practice has
included representation of insurers in claims under design
professionals' professional liability policies and OCIPs,
commercial general liability policies, commercial trucking
policies, employment practices liability policies, aviation
insurance policies, long term disability policies, commercial
property insurance, and miscellaneous professional liability
policies involving claims against insurance brokers, accountants,
and structured settlement companies. He has represented an
industry-leading professional liability insurer in many claims
against architects, engineers, and construction managers involving
some of the largest construction projects in the country and
internationally, including power plant projects, rail lines
projects, water treatment facilities, highway construction
projects, university expansion and renovation projects, stadium
projects, museums, and privately-funded construction
projects. He has filed and defended declaratory judgment
actions and defended clients against claims of bad faith and unfair
claims handling practices. He has experience counseling
clients in the development of new insurance products and drafting
policy forms, exclusions and endorsements. He has also
monitored and coordinated the defense and resolution of numerous
claims.
David recently litigated 11 rescission actions against
Baltimore-area landlords involving tens of millions of dollars in
coverage for lead paint exposure. He is also defending a
class action in Florida seeking damages from an insurer under the
Medicare Secondary Payer Act.
David's litigation practice has included the defense of
professionals, including architects, real estate agents, real
estate appraisers, security contractors, property managers, and
insurance brokers, representation of directors and officers of
not-for-profit corporations, defense of premises liability
lawsuits, defense of class action lawsuits seeking statutory
damages pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the
Telephone Communication Protection Act, and the defense of
construction defect lawsuits. He has defended claims and
lawsuits against airlines seeking recovery for injuries sustained
onboard flights, handled commercial disputes between airline
industry entities, and assisted with the defense of product
liability claims against manufacturers of avionics. He has
also successfully represented manufacturers in insurance recovery
actions.
While in law school, David was a summer clerk for the Honorable
Theodore McMillian of the United States Court of Appeals for the
Eighth Circuit. He was a researcher and literary editor's
assistant for the Wilson Quarterly, a publication of the Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.
In addition, David was an intern for Mark Olshaker, an Emmy-award
winning documentary film writer and producer and the author of the
New York Times bestseller Mindhunter, which was adapted
into an Netflix television show.
In 2014, David was appointed to serve on the Chicago Bar
Association's Judicial Evaluation Committee, where he helped
provide the public with the information necessary to make an
informed decision at the polls.