Scott Gorman focuses his practice on complex business litigation. A majority of his time since the early 1990s has been devoted to representing policyholders and insurance agents in breach of contract and related claims against insurance companies. He has achieved victories in the prosecution and defense of such matters including business torts, breach of contract, fraud, insurance coverage, distributorship issues, consumer fraud, and insurance bad faith.
After graduating from law school, Scott worked for the Florida Department of Labor, and then was employed by a Tampa law firm until he resigned in 1985 to become a partner in Gorman & Gorman. In 1984, Scott was nominated by the Florida Judicial Nominating Commission (along with two other attorneys) for a judicial position filled by Governor Bob Graham.
Over the past 40 years, Scott has worked as co-counsel on numerous cases with each of the following firms: Archer & Greiner; Buchanan Ingersoll; DeCotiis Fitzpatrick; the Gibbons Firm; Allan Kanner & Associates (n/k/a Kanner & Whiteley); Montgomery McCracken; Stark & Stark; and White & Williams.
Scott has also served as an Arbitrator in state and federal courts as well as for the American Arbitration Association.
Representative Matters
Appointed co-lead counsel for all Reliance Insurance Company agents in New Jersey, in class action against Reliance for its failre to pay commissions earned by the agents; and settled the case for 100% of all commissions owed.
Represented 27 insurance agents against Prudential, as lead counsel responsible for damages and insurance law issues, in In re Prudential Life Insurance Company Tort Litigation (Mass Tort Court, N.J. Super. Ct.), which settled for a confidential sum in 2013, following mediation with Kenneth Feinberg.
Obtained $7,000,000 settlement in federal court litigation while in the midst of cross-examining the CEO of the defendant corporation in a breach of contract case.
Pierced the corporate veil of a group of insurance companies in a preliminary injunction proceeding.
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Obtained federal court decision finding insurance company in contempt of court.
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Obtained preliminary injunctions in numerous cases against various insurance companies, enjoining them from terminating insurance agencies. Successfully prevented injunctions from being issued in numerous business tort litigations.
Won first court decision ever holding that the Commissioner of the National Football League could not serve as the arbitrator in certain cases brought by NFL players (despite the language in the players’ contracts designating the Commissioner as the arbitrator.)
As lead counsel for NFL player Bruce Clark, won an award for the full amount of his contract claim (approximately $1,000,000), after the New Orleans Saints had refused to make any offer to settle the case for over three years.
In a sexual harassment case allegedly occuring in the New England Patriots’ locker room, served as lead counsel, successfully defending Michael Timpson, an NFL wide receiver, in a lawsuit brought by newspaper reporter Lisa Olson against several players, the team, and its owner, Victor Kiam.
Won the only case which has ever held that an insurance company violated the New Jersey Fair Automobile Reform Act (and successfully argued the case to the appeals court); and then negotiated settlements for millions of dollars for the four insurance agent plaintiffs. See, Scheller v. Rutgers Casualty Insurance Co., 2008 WL 2121254 (N.J. App. Div. 2008).
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Won landmark insurance coverage case in federal court (noted as one of the “Top Ten Coverage Cases” by Mealey’s Insurance Reporter) which established a new precedent, unequivocally holding that claims involving indoor pollution are not barred by the Absolute Pollution Exclusion (and resulting in the defendant insurance company then paying the policy’s full coverage limit of $1,000,000 to class action plaintiffs consisting of children who had been exposed to mercury at a daycare center which had previously been the site of a thermometer factory). See, Baughman v. United States Liability Insurance Co., 662 F. Supp. 2d 386 (D. N.J. 2009).
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Bar and Court Admissions
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Florida
United States Court of Appeals for the Third and Eleventh Circuits
United Stated District Court, District of New Jersey
United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
United States District Court, Middle District of Florida
Education
University of Pennsylvania (B.A. 1977)
Florida State University (J.D. 1980)
Contact
Philadelphia, PA Direct 215.627.4441 / Fax 215.627.7786
Cherry Hill, NJ Direct 856.665.4300 / Fax 856.665.4347
Scott Gorman can be reached at sgorman@gormanlegal.com
Gorman & Gorman 