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Jacob C. Cohn, Member
jcohn@cozen.com

Office:

Philadelphia

Phone: (215) 665-2147

Toll Free: (800) 523-2900

Fax: (215) 701-2347

 

Mailing Address:

1900 Market Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
United States

Jacob C. Cohn, a member in the Global Insurance Group, has over 20 years of experience in all aspects of trial and appellate practice in both state and federal courts in a wide variety of complex, high-stakes litigation. Currently, he focuses his practice on appellate practice, class-action defense, policyholder bankruptcies, and insurance coverage. He has been recognized as a Pennsylvania "Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics. Prior to joining Cozen O'Connor in 2003, Jack was a partner of Wolf Block Schorr and Solis-Cohen.

Among his recent accomplishments, Jack:

  • Argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in Travelers Indemnity Company v. Bailey, 557 U. S. ___ (June 18, 2009), a widely-followed case involving issues of bankruptcy jurisdiction and finality.
  • Won Third Circuit affirmance of the summary dismissal of a class action by medical providers challenging an automobile insurer's use of computerized fee review software to adjust claims for medical reimbursement in St. Louis Park Chiropractic v. Federal Insurance Co., No. 08-3808, 2009 WL 2171221 (3d Cir. July 22, 2009).
  • Obtained Second Circuit affirmance of a ruling that the twin September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center constituted one, rather than two, occurrences for insurance purposes, saving an insurance company $254 million. SR International Business Insurance Co., LTD. v. World Trade Center Properties, 467 F.3d 107 (2d Cir. 2006).
  • Won summary judgment and prevailed on appeal before the Pennsylvania Superior Court rejecting a homebuilder's argument that CGL policies afford coverage for water damage caused by construction defects. Millers Capital Insurance Co. v. Gambone Brothers Development Co., 941 A.2d 706 (Pa. Super. 2007). This decision has been repeatedly cited by the Third Circuit and other state and federal courts as a leading precedent in this area of the law.
  • Won reversal of a trial court’s holding in a class action suit, brought by radiologists, that New York's no-fault automobile insurers could not deny reimbursement for MRI scans on grounds of lack of "medical necessity." Long Island Radiology v. Allstate Ins. Co., 830 N.Y.S.2d 192 (2d Dept. 2007).
  • In a pro bono representation, obtained a $250,000 settlement for a woman with AIDS after the viatical settlement company that purchased her life insurance policy tried to renege on its contractual obligation to continue paying the woman's health insurance premiums because she had survived for too long.

Jack also represents insurers in many asbestos-related bankruptcy proceedings pending around the country as well as in major asbestos and other mass tort coverage cases. He is the co-author of "The Need for Transparency Between the Tort System and Section 524(g) Asbestos Trusts," 17 J. Bankr. L. & Prac. 257 (Issue No. 2, April 2008) and "Unraveling the Gordian Knot of Asymptomatic Asbestos Claimants: Statutory, Precedential and Policy Reasons Why Unimpaired Asbestos Claimants Cannot Recover in Bankruptcy," Mealey's Asbestos Bankruptcy Report (May 12, 2004).

Jack is a frequent speaker on topics of policyholder bankruptcies and insurance coverage. Most recently, he lectured at the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges in Las Vegas, Nev. on October 20 and 21, 2009 on the subjects of "Post-Confirmation Litigation - The Latest Issues," and "Mass Tort Bankruptcy Update - Recent Events and the Impact of the Supreme Court's Decision in Travelers v. Bailey."

Jack's other speaking engagements include:

  • Featured Speaker, “Third-party Releases, Exculpation Provisions, Plan Injunctions and Post-confirmation Jurisdiction,” American Bankruptcy Institute’s Annual Spring Meeting, National Harbor, Md., April 3, 2009
  • Featured Speaker, "The Need for Transparency Between the Tort System and Section 524(g) Asbestos Trusts," Environmental and Emerging Claims Managers Association's Annual Conference, Captiva Island, Fla., May 1, 2008
  • Featured Speaker, "The Bankruptcy Code and Section 524(g) – What is Currently Allowed?," Mealey's Asbestos Bankruptcy Conference, Chicago, Ill., June 7, 2007
  • Featured Speaker, "When Will the Debtors Emerge From the Chapter 11 Process?," Mealey's Teleconference: Asbestos Bankruptcy, October 12, 2006
  • Program Co-Chair, Mealey's Asbestos Insurance Conference, Boston, Mass., September 20, 2006
  • Featured Speaker, "On the Hook for Bogus Claims: Investigations into Alleged Fraudulent Screening of Asbestos/Silica Claims," Mealey’s 4th Annual Advanced Insurance Coverage Conference, Philadelphia, Pa., January 21, 2006
  • Featured Speaker, "Insurance Issues in Asbestos Bankruptcies," Mealey’s Asbestos Litigation 101 Conference, New Orleans, La., July 21, 2005
  • Featured Speaker, "Unimpaired Asbestos Claimants' Recovery in Bankruptcy," Mealey's Asbestos Bankruptcy Conference, Chicago, Ill., June 7, 2004

Some of Jack's additional accomplishments include:

  • Saved insurance company tens of millions of dollars by obtaining ruling that insurer had no duty to defend drug manufacturer in over 1,500 "Fen-Phen" diet drug products liability cases. Steadfast Ins. Co. v. Eon Labs Mfg., Inc., Del.Super. LEXIS 272 (Del. Super., June 1, 1999), aff'd sub nom., Eon Labs Mfg., Inc. v. Reliance Ins. Co., 756 A.2d 889 (Del. 2000).
  • Twice briefed and argued the constitutionality of Pennsylvania's confession of judgment and garnishment procedures before Third Circuit in Jordan v. Fox Rothschild, O'Brien & Frankel, 20 F.3d 1250 (3d Cir. 1994) and in Sheehan v. Mellon Bank, Dkt. No. 96-1983 (3d Cir., June 27, 1997).
  • Won a 6-0 reversal of a zoning decision before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Collins v. Upper Salford Twp., 669 A.2d 335 (Pa. 1995).
  • Won summary dismissal of contentious lender liability litigation in Hansen v. Citibank, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6176 (E.D. Pa. May 4, 1995).
  • In a jury trial, successfully defended a major local real estate developer against a multimillion-dollar claim arising out of the rehabilitation of the historic Bellevue Stratford Hotel.

Jack received his bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985. He earned his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1988, where he served as associate editor of the University of Pittsburgh Journal of Law and Commerce.

Jack is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, as well as before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits, and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Pennsylvania, the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He is a founding member of the Third Circuit Bar Association and is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and American bar associations.