Fritz Huszagh has more than 29 years of experience representing parties in insurance disputes under commercial property and casualty policies, E&O policies, reinsurance agreements and insurance intermediary arrangements. He handles disputes involving litigation and arbitration among insurers and insureds, other insurers, reinsurers, and insurance brokers.

Mr. Huszagh has extensive experience in errors and omissions coverage, including lawyers, doctors, accountants, directors and officers (financial and other public corporations, and not-for-profit organizations), dentists, factors, actuaries, trustees and fiduciaries, architects, real estate and insurance agents. He has also handled insurance coverage matters involving products liability, with experience involving component and finished products including apparel, food, machinery, metal, paper, automotive, sanitation equipment, as well as medical, computer and electronic devices.

Mr. Huszagh’s experience also includes insurance disputes relating to employment, bankruptcy, liquidation, transportation, restaurants, construction, government, labor arrangements, drugs, asbestos, lead paint, mold (first and third-party), environmental, sexual assault and a host of other unique problems associated with commercial insurance.

Mr. Huszagh has been involved in numerous arbitrations and mediations of insurance and reinsurance disputes, both as counsel and as arbitrator.

His representative cases include:

• Represented liability insurer in Fox River Grove train/bus accident, with successful outcome of non-liability in Illinois Supreme Court.
• Represented insurer against another insurer in seminal Illinois case establishing duties under additional insured endorsement issued to general contractor.
• Established that a minority partner in a limited partnership was deemed a partner for purposes of exclusion in legal malpractice liability policy.
• Successfully established that negligent hiring is not a professional act and that employer is not covered under E&O policy for negligent hiring of employee who conducts improper medical examination involving untoward physical contact.
• Represented reinsurer in successful defense of claims of over $3 million under CAT contract pertaining to hurricane cessions.
• Represented umbrella insurer in successful defense, at trial and appellate level, against claims by public housing authority for $6 million, with both courts holding there was no liability under the policy.
• Obtained over $2 million recovery for ceding company against facultative reinsurer in connection with cessions pertaining to legal malpractice policies.
• Successfully defended insurance company in trucking liability coverage dispute against claims involving death of eight adults stemming from truck/bus collision.
• Obtained judgment against liability insurer, upon denial of coverage, in excess of $2.3 million.

Before entering legal practice, Mr. Huszagh was both an underwriter and claims manager at GATX Underwriters and at Thomas F. Sheehan, Inc., both of which acted as managing general agents in connection with the writing and claims handling for various professionals, including lawyers, architects, directors and officers, fiduciaries, accountants, insurance and real estate agents.

Mr. Huszagh joined Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in February 1983. He is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Association of Defense Counsel and the American Bar Association. He is a member of the AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Society (ARIAS) and certified by ARIAS U.S. as an insurance and reinsurance arbitrator.

He has been recognized by his peers as a Leading Lawyer in the category of Insurance / Insurance Coverage / Reinsurance Law. In addition, Mr. Huszagh holds the AV® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Since 2004 Mr. Huszagh has been named annually to the Super Lawyer list in the area of Insurance Coverage, by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine. Mr. Huszagh has written a number of articles and educational publications, and has contributed chapters on insurance and reinsurance issues to a number of texts and guides. This includes:

• “Privilege 101 – A Primer on the Attorney-Client Privilege, the Work Product Doctrine and Waiver,” co-author, Arias U.S. Quarterly, Volume 16, Number 4, Fourth Quarter 2009.
• “Professional Liability Claims-Made Issues” Commercial and Property Liability Insurance, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2002
• "Guide to Purchasing Legal Malpractice Insurance," Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, 1999
• “Insurance Coverage of Product Liability,” Illinois Product Liability Practice, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 1999
• "Reinsurance Issues,” Liability Insurance, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 1996 and updated 1998
• "Professional Liability Insurance Issues" Liability Insurance, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 1996 and updated 1998
• "Insurance Coverage for Products," Illinois Product Liability Practice, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 1990
• Chapter on "Professional Liability Insurance & Reinsurance Issues" in Liability Insurance, published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education - 1989

Mr. Huszagh has also spoken to various groups. These include:

• "Plan and Prepare, Part Three: The Roles of the Responders,” Hinshaw’s 2011 Insurance Services Symposium, Chicago, Illinois, October 2011.
• “The Very Model of a Reinsurance Arbitrator: Industry Executives Speak Out,” HarrisMartin Reinsurance Summit: Fresh Perspectives on the Reinsurance Front, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 2011.
• “When the Barn is Blazing: Recent Developments in Law on Montrose Endorsements, ‘Prior Knowledge’ Exclusions and Limitations, and the True Meaning of Fortuity,” Hinshaw’s Annual Insurance Services Symposium, Chicago, Illinois, October 2010.
• “The ‘American Rule’ at Risk: Reliastar Life Insurance Company of New York v. EMC National Life Co.,” Hinshaw’s 2009 Insurance Services Symposium, Chicago, Illinois, October 2009.
• “Emerging Issues in Arbitration: A Viable Alternative to Litigation?” Blue Cross Blue Shield 42nd Annual Lawyers’ Conference, Glendale, Arizona, May 2008.
• “Insurance Law – The Year in Review – The Significant Decisions,” Hinshaw’s 2006 Legal Malpractice & Risk Management Conference, Chicago, Illinois, March 2006.
• "Civil Rights/Employment Claims: Insurance Coverage Issues," presented at Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel Seminar, Wisconsin, September 1989
• "Excess & Reinsurance Coverage Conflicts, Duty of Good Faith and Other Issues," presented at Defense Research Institute, Insurance Coverage & Practice Seminar, Chicago, May 1988, May 1989, December 1989
• "Commercial Liability Policies, Claims-Made Form," presented at Oregon Association of Defense Counsel Seminar, Portland, November 1986
• "Lawyers' Professional Liability Policy Analysis," American Bar Association, San Francisco 1984