GARY M. HELLMAN, ESQ.

Attorney

Legal Field:

• Crane and Rigging Defense
• Casualty litigation
• Insurance law
• Construction defects
• Personal injury

Professional development:

1976

Bachelor of Arts, Emory University

1979

Juris Doctor, Loyola University

1999

Founded GOLDMAN & HELLMAN

Memberships:

• American Bar Association Member, January 1990 - Present
• Florida Bar Association Member, January 1990 – Present

STEVEN E. GOLDMAN, ESQ.

Attorney at Law

Legal Field:

• Marine Insurance Coverage Litigation and Arbitration

Professional Development:

1975

Bachelor of Arts, Boston University

1977

Master of Arts, Boston University

1980

Juris Doctor, Tulane University

Member Bd. of Editors Tulane Maritime Law Journal, 1978-80

1993

Master of Public Admin., Kennedy School of Gov’t, Harvard University

1998

Founded Goldman & Hellman

Memberships:

• New York State Bar, 1981 – Present
• Southern & Eastern Districts of New York
• Florida State Bar, 1982 – Present
• Southern & Middle Districts of Florida
• 2^nd and 11^th United States Circuit Courts of Appeal
• American Institute of Marine Underwriters
• Fort Lauderdale Mariners Club

Legal Publications:

“The Status of the Principle of Utmost Good Faith in the Law of Marine Insurance in the USA,” Vol. 21, Issue 4, Journal of International Maritime Law (July-August 2015)

“Is the Jury Still Out? The Controversy Over the Traditional Rule Requiring a Non-Jury Trial in Marine Insurance Declaratory Judgment Actions in Federal Court.”  (with Michael I. Goldman) 41 Journal of Maritime Law & Commerce 117 (January 2010).

“Litigating Marine Insurance Warranties: Once More Into the Breach,” 57 Federation of Defense & Corp. Counsel Quarterly 111 (Winter 2007)

“Awards of Attorneys’ Fees in American Marine Insurance Law,” 53 Federation of Defense & Corp. Counsel Quarterly 3 (Fall 2002)

“Recent Developments in American Marine Insurance Law – 1999 Reviewed,” [2000] International Journal of Shipping Law 11 (Part 4 March).

“Serving One Master – Marine Insurance and the Agency Status of Insurance Brokers,” [1999] International Journal of Shipping Law 105 (Part 2 June)

“Rule 9(h) Federal Jurisdiction in Marine Insurance Declaratory Judgment Action,” 46 Federation of Insurance & Corp. Counsel Quarterly 383 (Summer 1995)

“Breach of Warranty in American Marine Insurance,” 52 Insurance Counsel Journal 60 (January 1985)

Non-Legal Publications:

“Revitalizing the ‘Special Relationship.’ The Logic of an Anglo-American Alliance in a Post-NATO Europe,” 158 World Affairs Quarterly 80 (Fall 1995)

“A Right of Intervention Based Upon Impaired Sovereignty,” 156 World Affairs Quarterly 124 (Winter 1994)

“Redressing the Balance: The Geopolitical Roots of the U.S. Vital Interest in Europe,” VIII Global Affairs 38 (Summer 1993)

Notable Published Decisions:

Securian Cas. Co. v. Markel Amer. Ins. Co., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7253 (E.D. Wis. 2015)

Summary judgment in favor of the marine insurer against the policy loss payee following a settlement with the insured where the application failed to disclose the insured’s history of prior losses.

Great Lakes Reinsurance v. Fortelni, 951 F.Supp.2d 385 (E.D.N.Y. 2013)

Summary judgment in favor of the marine insurer where the vessel nearly sinking in the Intracoastal Waterway was not attributable to an accident as required under the “fortuity” rule.

Class Action of S. Fla. v. Nat’l Union Fire Ins. Co., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 130696 (S.D. Fla. 2013)

Summary judgment in favor of the marine insurer where the vessel sank at its mooring because of wear & tear, and gradual deterioration.

Markel Amer. Ins. Co. v. Dolan, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 167468, 2012 WL 5906401 (N.D. Il. 2012)

Summary judgment for the marine insurer where the application misrepresented the named insured’s prior experience in the ownership and operation of similar vessels

Great Lakes Reinsurance v. Gonzalez, 2012 A.M.C. 2639 (S.D. Fla. 2012)

Judgment for the marine insurer following a bench trial when the evidence established that the insured had failed to disclose material facts regarding a prior loss.

Great Lakes Reinsurance v. Rosin, 2011 A.M.C. 223 (S.D. Fla. 2010)

Judgment for the marine insurer following a bench trial when the evidence established that the vessel was being operated in breach of a Named Operator Warranty in the policy, affirming the validity of the Choice of Law clause in the policy.

Markel Amer. Ins. Co. v. Bachmann, 2011 A.M.C. 41 (W.D. Wis. 2010)

Summary judgment for the marine insurer where the insured denied having ever received the policy’s Named Operator Endorsement, by proving that the Endorsement had been received by both the retail and the wholesale brokers acting as agents for the insured.

MICHAEL I. GOLDMAN, ESQ.

Attorney at Law

Legal Field:

• Marine Insurance Coverage Litigation and Arbitration
• Appellate practice

Professional Development:

2003

Bachelor of Arts, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

2008

Juris Doctor, Boston College School of Law

2008

Joined Goldman & Hellman

Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice:

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2009

United States Supreme Court, 2014

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 2014

United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 2012

District of Massachusetts, 2010

Eastern District of Michigan, 2011

Memberships:

Legal Publications:

“The Fortuity Rule of Federal Maritime Law: The Scope of “All Risks” Coverage Under Policies of Marine Insurance and the New Decision of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals,” 46 Journal of Maritime Law & Commerce 171 (April 2015)

“Is the Jury Still Out? The Controversy Over the Traditional Rule Requiring a Non-Jury Trial in Marine Insurance Declaratory Judgment Actions in Federal Court.”  (with Steven E. Goldman) 41 Journal of Maritime Law & Commerce 117 (January 2010).

Notable Published Decisions:

Essex Ins. Co. v. Detroit Bulk Storage, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 100545, 2014 WL 3687032 (E.D. Mich. 2014)

Summary judgment for the marine insurer  on a Wharfinger’s Liability policy…

Class Action of S. Fla. v. Nat’l Union Fire Ins. Co., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 130696 (S.D. Fla. 2013)

Summary judgment in favor of the marine insurer where the vessel sank at its mooring because wear & tear, and gradual deterioration.

Markel Amer. Ins. Co. v. Bachmann, 2011 A.M.C. 41 (W.D. Wis. 2010)

Summary judgment for the marine insurer where the insured denied having ever received the policy’s Named Operator Endorsement, by proving that the Endorsement had been received by both the retail and the wholesale brokers acting as agents for the insured.  

Great Lakes Reinsurance v. Vasquez, 341 Fed.Appx. 515 (11^th Cir. 2009)

Reversal of summary judgment by the S.D. Fla. holding a policy exclusion for theft to be ambiguous and entry of Judgment in favor of the marine insurer .