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Trial lawyer Vivek Chopra represents policyholder-clients in coverage litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts and domestic and foreign arbitrations, and has recovered over $1.5 billion for clients in these actions. Vivek also regularly counsels clients regarding policy language, renewal of insurance, and securing payment of claims without resorting to litigation.
In 2012, Vivek was named one of eleven National Litigation Insurance Stars in Top Plaintiffs by Benchmark Litigation, the definitive guide to America’s leading litigation firms and attorneys. Every year since 2013, he has been listed in Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers for his policyholder-side insurance coverage work.
Vivek routinely speaks on insurance coverage issues and trial practice at industry and bar conferences, including the Association of Corporate Counsel’s national conference and the American Bar Association Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee’s CLE meetings.
Vivek's recent coverage matters include the following:
- Lead counsel for WorldStrides, the nation’s largest student travel company, in the recovery of over $150 million in coverage for losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the largest COVID-19 recovery to date for Perkins Coie’s Insurance Recovery practice.
- Lead coverage counsel for Hitachi Zosen Corporation’s $100 million property damage claim for damage to the “Big Bertha” tunnel boring machine in Seattle, Washington. The matter is currently pending in King County Superior Court.
- Co-lead counsel for Residential Capital Liquidating Trust in a suit against ten professional liability insurers regarding over $300 million in defense and indemnity claims. The matter is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
- Lead coverage counsel for Western Digital recovering full policy limits for property damage to the company’s largest manufacturing plant after Thailand floods.
- Co-lead counsel for Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation's largest public utility, in securing insurance coverage for the clean-up costs associated with the largest coal ash spill in U.S. history. Vivek’s team recovered over $330 million from property and liability insurers through settlements and two complete victories in two month-long arbitrations against two Bermuda-based excess liability insurers. The first arbitration win, for over $170 million on a $150 million policy, is reportedly the largest trial win over a Bermuda insurer in the last decade.
- Lead counsel for a national bank in a series of coverage disputes with its bankers' professional liability insurers for defense and indemnity costs related to class action overdraft fee litigation. Vivek’s team successfully recovered over $10 million in coverage.
- Lead counsel for Level 3 Communications (now Century Link) in litigation in Louisiana federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit over hearing loss-related bodily injury claims; this litigation resulted in millions of dollars in defense coverage and several favorable settlements.
- Coverage counsel for a Fortune 50 pharmaceutical company in a four-month trial in New Jersey state court against more than 30 of its primary and excess liability insurers; the trial resulted in settlements worth several hundreds of millions of dollars and a liability verdict almost entirely in the client’s favor.
- Co-lead counsel for Carnival Cruise Lines in litigation in New York and Florida federal courts against six first-party property insurers and its broker over the destruction by hurricane of a major installation in Mexico; mediation resulted in payment of the claim.
- Trial counsel for Merrill Lynch in two month-long trials in the Massachusetts Superior Court, Business Litigation Session; defeated claims for punitive and consequential damages.
Prior to his work in private practice, Vivek served as an Assistant State's Attorney with the Montgomery County, Maryland State's Attorney's Office. In this position, he successfully investigated and prosecuted a wide range of crimes, including fraud and homicide; conducted numerous grand jury investigations, and represented the state as first chair in numerous jury and bench trials.
In 2006, Vivek was the co-lead prosecutor of the Montgomery County Sniper Prosecution Taskforce. He organized and managed the operations of a team of FBI, ATF, and local law enforcement agents, and conducted the month-long trial of Washington, D.C.-area sniper John Allen Muhammad.
Community Activities
On a pro bono basis, Vivek represents juveniles charged as adults in cases involving felonies. He has repeatedly succeeded in arguing for the suppression of confessions made by minors in violation of their Fifth Amendment rights, and his defense of a child in Prince George’s County, Maryland, resulted in reductions in the length of pretrial incarceration of children charged as adults. Vivek also represents individuals and families in deportation and removal proceedings.
