Christopher B. Kende focuses his practice on international insurance, reinsurance, aviation and marine matters.
Christopher has more than 30 years of experience in handling major complex multinational litigation in the areas of insurance, reinsurance, environmental law, aviation and admiralty and maritime disputes. His experience includes virtually every aspect of pre-trial, trial and post-trial proceedings in state and federal courts around the country.
Christopher is a former member of the Foreign and Comparative Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association and is past president of the Maritime Law Committee of the New York County Lawyers Association and the Admiralty and Maritime Law Commission of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA). Christopher is also past president of the Insurance Law Commission of the UIA and serves on the International Organizations, Conventions and Standards Committee of the Maritime Law Association of the United States. He is on the board of directors of the New York Chapter of the French American Chamber of Commerce.
Christopher has a combined B.A. and M.A. degree from Brown University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. He is fluent in French.
News
September 21, 2018
Super Lawyers has named 17 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to its 2018 New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list. Twelve were recognized as Super Lawyers and five were named "Rising Stars."
August 22, 2018
One hundred twenty-six Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 20 of the firm’s national offices have been selected for inclusion in the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
May 27, 2018
Chris Kende, of Cozen O'Connor's Global Insurance department, was quoted in an Inc.com article A JetBlue Passenger Wanted 'Ice.' A Flight Attendant Misheard 'ISIS!'.
April 18, 2018
Christopher Kende, of Cozen O'Connor's Global Insurance department, was quoted in the article, "Southwest Airlines Passengers Looking to Lawyer Up After Emergency Landing."
February 26, 2018
Christopher Kende, of Cozen O'Connor's Global Insurance department, was quoted in an article titled, "NY Judges' Facebook Ruling May Aid Targets of Injury Suits" for Law360.
October 19, 2017
Super Lawyers has named 12 attorneys at Cozen O’Connor to its 2017 lists of top practitioners in the New York metro area. Six were recognized as Super Lawyers and six were named “Rising Stars,” a list that recognizes attorneys under the age of 40.
August 23, 2017
Lawyers were selected for inclusion in the 2018 edition based on a rigorous peer-review that has been developed and defined for more than 30 years.
October 05, 2016
The 2016 New York Metro edition of Super Lawyers Magazine, published by Thomson Reuters, has named 21 Cozen O’Connor attorneys to its list of Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
October 05, 2015
The 2015 New York Metro edition of Super Lawyers Magazine, published by Thomson Reuters, has named 21 Cozen O’Connor attorneys to its list of Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
October 03, 2014
Christopher Kende, of the Global Insurance Department, was quoted in a Law360 article titled “2nd Circ. Says Underwriting Fee Case Lacks Final Order. ” “The Second Circuit on Friday threw out Acumen Re Management Corp.’s appeal of a decision saying its breach of contract claims against General Security National Insurance Co. over a 1994 underwriting agreement are baseless, ruling the court lacks jurisdiction because a lower court’s judgment didn’t address separate claims for relief.”
September 23, 2014
The 2014 New York Metro edition of Super Lawyers Magazine, published by Thomson Reuters, has named 16 Cozen O’Connor attorneys to its list of Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
April 15, 2013
The French-American Chamber of Commerce - New York Chapter (FACC - NY) recently announced the election of its 2013 - 2015 Board of Directors and Advisory Board. Elected to serve for a 2-year term, the FACC - NY Board of Directors and the FACC - NY Advisory Board are each composed of senior executives from some the world's most renowned multinational firms, as well as from small- and medium-sized companies. Founded in 1896, the FACC is a bi-national non-profit association that is devoted exclusively to the development and improvement of economic, commercial and financial relations between the U.S. and France. The 20-chapter FACC national network includes offices in all major metropolitan U.S. cities, as well as over 4,000 members across a broad range of fields. The New York Chapter of the FACC includes 800 members.
Publications
February 16, 2018
Christopher Kende discusses the New York State Court of Appeals ruling in Forman v. Henkin and how this decision is good for defendants.
November 07, 2017
Christopher Kende, of Cozen O'Connor's Global Insurance department, wrote an article titled "Recent Case Law Defining 'Bodily Injury' under the Montreal Convention" for Best Lawyers.
December 01, 2015
Christopher Kende authored this article in the French Maritime Law Review which discuses a recent Supreme Court case which dealt with the definition of a "vessel" under maritime law.
December 16, 2013
Cozen O'Connor lawyers in New York and Washington author an article for French Lexis Nexis Transportation Law newsletter. For the second year in a row, Christopher Kende, Christopher Raleigh and David Loh of the New York office and Marc Atwood and Wayne Rhode of the D.C. office have co-authored an article providing a summary review of developments in transportation law for the French Lexis Nexis publication Review of Transportation Law, which is distributed electronically to approximately 4000 registered readers in France.
January 24, 2013
On January 15, 2013, the Supreme Court, in a majority decision with two justices dissenting, ruled that a so-called “floating home” which did not have self-propulsion and essentially consisted of a house-like plywood structure with French doors floating on an empty bilge space, did not come within the definition of a vessel under 1 U.S.C. § 3 and therefore was not subject to maritime law. Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach, docket 11-626, 568 US ___ (1/15/2013).
December 01, 2012
Published by LexisNexis
Notre chronique de droit américain des transports prévoit une brève explication du système américain, très différent d’un système juridique régi par le Code civil. Nous aborderons un certain nombre de points concernant les récents développements de la règlementation et de la jurisprudence en droitmaritime, droit aérien et droit terrestre des transports. Ces développements ne sont pas exhaustifs, nous avons donc essayé de commenter les arrêts ainsi que l’évolution de la réglementation qui pourraient intéresser les Européens.
October 18, 2011
Court Issues Significant Ruling Regarding Personal Injury Claims in the Deepwater Horizon Litigation - Insurance Coverage Alert! - In a recent Alert, we advised of an important decision affecting maritime interests and their insurers in the multidistricted Deepwater Horizon litigation currently pending before Judge Barbier in federal court in New Orleans. (In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon” in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, MDL No. 2179.) On October 4, 2011, Judge Barbier rendered yet another significant decision, this time relating primarily to personal injury claims.
September 20, 2011
MDL Judge in Deepwater Horizon Multidistrict Litigation Issues Major Ruling Construing the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA”) - Insurance Coverage Alert! - The allegations include claims under OPA and various state laws, including claims for negligence, gross negligence, strict liability, and punitive damages, as well as claims under the Florida Pollutant Discharge Prevention and Control Act, Fla. Stat. §§ 376.011,
et seq.
May 26, 2011
Rhode Island Superior Court Approves First Commutation Plan for Solvent Reinsurer Under Rhode Island's Voluntary Restructuring of Solvent Insurers Act - Insurance Coverage Alert! - On April 25, 2011, the Rhode Island Superior Court, per Justice Silverstein, made history by approving the first solvent commutation plan under Rhode Island’s Voluntary Restructuring of Solvent Insurers Act (Restructuring Act), GL 1956 Section 27 – 14. 15 – 1, et seq.
March 23, 2011
European Court of Justice Rules That Differential Rates Based on Gender are Discriminatory - Insurance Coverage Alert! - The European Court of Justice recently rendered a decision holding that insurers are no longer permitted to apply different insurance rates according to the gender of their insured.
May 14, 2010
The Deepwater Horizon Catastrophe: A Factual Overview and Preliminary First-Party Analysis - Cozen O'Connor Whitepaper - By now you are no doubt aware of the disastrous explosions and fire at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, with its tragic loss of life, and the resulting spill of oil that now threatens to become a major environmental catastrophe. The Deepwater Horizon catastrophe has already given rise to a multitude of third party claims directly against the responsible parties. It will undoubtedly give rise to numerous claims by individuals and businesses under their own first
February 21, 2010
Winter 2010 - Insurance Coverage Observer -
April 01, 2009
Commentary: The Flight to Access - Risk & Insurance - With more and more frequency, possibly due to personnel cutbacks and more attention focused on legitimate security concerns,
courts are seeing actions brought by disabled
passengers alleging discrimination,
exacerbation of a physical injury, mental
anguish and distress, and even punitive
damages as a result of what has been
perceived as either the inability or
unwillingness to deal with the specific needs
of disabled passengers.
January 29, 2009
In this issue, we identify key coverage developments from the year 2008. We summarize recent court decisions dealing with coverage for toxic torts, environmental losses, construction defect and property losses. We also address new decisions in the areas of insolvency and reinsurance.
January 01, 2009
Flying Through Squabbles of the Turbulent - Risk and Insurance Online -
August 30, 2008
We take pride at Cozen O’Connor in addressing new developments that will affect our clients. In this issue, we include a special report on two new decisions from New Jersey on bad faith in the UM/UIM context.
February 26, 2008
In this issue, we consider a number of emerging issues and also identify key developments in coverage in 2007. We summarize new court decisions dealing with toxic torts, environmental coverage, insolvency and regulatory issues, and construction defect. We feature a key construction defect coverage case in Illinois with important implications. We address global warming in the context of directors with officers liability coverage. Finally, we discuss the emerging areas of fax blast and food contamination, and the impact of the reauthorization of TRIA.
November 14, 2007
The Santa Ana Wind-Driven 2007 Southern California Wildfires: A First-Party Factual and Legal Analysis of the Santa Ana Wind-Driven Wildfires - Cozen & O'Connor Whitepaper -
Events & Seminars
Past Events
October 23, 2018 - New York, NY
November 07, 2017 - Webinar
August 16, 2017 - Webinar
October 28, 2016 - Budapest, Hungary
June 23, 2016 - New York, NY
October 28, 2015 - Valencia, Spain
October 28, 2015 - Valencia, Spain
June 29, 2015 - Paris, France
January 15, 2015 - San Diego, CA
October 29, 2014 - New York, NY
May 14, 2014 - New York, NY
September 10, 2013 - London, U.K.
October 18, 2012 - New York, NY
March 06, 2012 - New York, NY
June 07, 2011 - Paris, France
April 26, 2011 - New York, NY
November 04, 2010 - Miami, FL
June 24, 2010 - Atlanta, GA
March 24, 2010 - Scottsdale, AZ
March 01, 2010 - Park City, UT
June 17, 2009 - Paris, France
April 30, 2009 - New York, NY