Our Team

Richard M. Kuntz

Leading Lawyers: Insurance, Insurance Coverage & Reinsurance; Toxic Torts Defense Law

Richard has been involved in environmental counseling and litigation since the dawn of the modern environmental law era and was one of the original employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, both in its Chicago Region V office as well at the EPA Headquarters in Washington D.C.  He has appeared frequently before the U.S. EPA, both in informal negotiations over remedial projects or rule-making, and in administrative litigation before EPA Judicial Officers and its Board of Hearings and Appeals.  Richard has represented clients before state-level environmental agencies and bodies including the Illinois Pollution Control Board, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources.  He also served as a Special Assistant State's Attorney to prosecute a claim by a county government to recover the costs associated with the leaching of lead from a courthouse roof, and defending the county against the state EPA.  In recognition of Richard's work over the years, he was appointed to the Environment Board of the City of Evanston. In 2020, Richard became Of Counsel to the firm.

The current focus of Richard's insurance coverage practice includes environmental, construction defect/site injury, and trucking/MCS-90/B matters.  Richard has advised clients and litigated insurance coverage disputes involving injury and damage issues arising under general and employer's liability coverages and first-party property coverages, including multi-modal/multi-jurisdictional freight claims.

With respect to environmental coverage, Richard has handled claims and coverage litigation arising out of property damage, bodily injury and Personal Injury (the latter asserted in nuisance/trespass claims to avoid the pollution exclusion), under GL, umbrella, excess, EPL/EIL, commercial auto, garage, contractors, inland marine, cargo legal liability, professional liability, and reinsurance facultative certificates and treaties.  Whether the cases involve trigger and allocation issues for multiple sites under numerous CGL policies, or claims for coverage under various types of claims-made or first-party policies, Richard has litigated almost every issue raised by such claims, in many jurisdictions and in state and Federal Courts of Appeal.

His case results include:

 Other Interests:

  • Richard was honored by the Department of Philosophy of Eberly College of Arts and Sciences (West Virginia University) as an "outstanding alumnus" at the Departmental Alumni Awards Recognition Banquet.
  • Executive Committee, American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Environmental Law Committee (national position).
  • Richard is a tennis player ranked with the U.S.T.A., and a member of the Silver Rails Society of the National Association of Railroad Passengers.

RMK Leading Lawyer

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Contact:

300 South Wacker Dr., Suite 3250

Chicago, Illinois 60606

Phone: 312-466-8050

Email: Richard.Kuntz@ruberry-law.com

Practice Area:

  • Appellate
  • Bad Faith
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Insurance defense and litigation
  • Insurance coverage litigation
  • Insurance coverage analysis

Education:

  • The George Washington University Law School, J.D.,
  • West Virginia University, B.A. Magna Cum Laude,
  • Graduate School of Public Administration, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, Certificate, Environmental Management Institute.

Admissions:

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Circuits; multiple U.S. District Courts
  • State Bars of Illinois, Pennsylvania and Texas (Inactive)

Publications:

Richard has published over 60 articles on environmental law and insurance coverage, and was the environmental law columnist for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. A selection of his publications follows: