James M. Lenaghan

James Lenaghan is a litigator with more than 50 years of experience, primarily in the areas of insurance and employee benefits. Prior to becoming of counsel to DO&CB, Mr. Lenaghan was a litigation officer with MetLife. During his twenty-two years with MetLife, Mr. Lenaghan headed several litigation and insurance legal units. Mr. Lenaghan has extensive knowledge of insurance products, life and annuity contracts with and without variable features and securities components, employee benefits plan design, and associated legal and financial requirements. In addition to his work for DO&CB, Mr. Lenaghan had a business position directing a state life and health insurance guaranty association. During his career, Mr. Lenaghan has tried and argued numerous lawsuits, arbitrations, and appeals in state and federal courts.

Much of Mr. Lenaghan’s legal work has involved handling matters that arose in difficult financial times. For instance, Mr. Lenaghan headed the MetLife litigation unit that defended over fifty putative class actions and several hundred individual opt-out cases during the height of the so-called “vanishing premium” litigation matters in the mid-to-late 1990s.

More recently, Mr. Lenaghan managed and participated in the defense of numerous securities arbitrations involving brokers-dealers. Many of these NASD (now FINRA) arbitrations involved claims that recommended investments were not “suitable” during the downturn in the equity markets in the 2001-2003 time period. Some of the arbitrations involved allegations of “selling away” by registered representatives of unauthorized products such as questionable promissory notes. With DO&CB, Mr. Lenaghan has worked extensively in life and health insurance litigation defense in courts in New York, New Jersey, and across the country.

Affiliations and Activities

Defense research Institute (“DRI”)

Speeches and Publications

 UPDATES ON BUSINESS INTERRUPTION COVERAGE DISPUTES RELATING TO COVID-19
By James M. Lenaghan and Tiffany C. Millioen
To date, hundreds of businesses have filed lawsuits against insurers arising out of denials for COVID-19 business interruption losses. Most of this litigation is in its early stages and is being closely watched by insurers and policyholders. In addition to litigation, regulators are issuing guidance and legislators are proposing bills that would affect coverage for the losses. This article provides a snapshot of the situation at this time.

Panel Speaker, Fiduciary Liability and Standard of Care, 2012 NAMWOLF Insurance Industry Initiative CLE Program,

Author and Speaker, Life Insurance Hot Topics, 2008 DRI Life, Health, Disability and ERISA Claims Seminar

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