Robert S. Nobel
Robert S. Nobel is a Partner in Tyson & Mendes’ New York office with more than 30 years of experience representing insurance companies and other clients in complex insurance coverage and litigation matters. His practice focuses on insurance coverage, construction litigation, professional liability, general liability, additional-insured and contractual indemnity issues, and complex liability matters involving primary, excess, umbrella and other insurance policies, including Bermuda Form policies.
Mr. Nobel has prosecuted and defended coverage actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and regularly counsels insurers, claims professionals and risk managers on coverage issues arising from significant claims and litigation. His experience representing both insurers and insureds in litigation, together with his extensive coverage background, enables him to evaluate cases from both the coverage and defense perspectives and develop practical strategies designed to achieve favorable results for his clients.
Mr. Nobel has achieved significant results for his clients in a wide range of insurance coverage disputes. In Maxum Indemnity Co. v. A One Testing Labs., Inc., he obtained a ruling that the insurer had no duty to defend or indemnify its insured in an underlying construction defect action because the underlying allegations did not constitute property damage caused by an occurrence; the insurer was also entitled to recover the defense costs it had incurred. In George Campbell Painting v. National Union Fire Insurance Co., he successfully established the application of New York Insurance Law § 3420(d)(2) to a disclaimer issued by an excess insurer. In West 64th Street, LLC v. Axis U.S. Insurance Co., he obtained a ruling establishing that the plaintiffs were not additional insureds under the policy at issue. Mr. Nobel has also successfully obtained dismissals and summary judgment in insurance coverage and construction-related litigation, including matters involving Labor Law claims, additional-insured status, and insurers’ obligations to defend and indemnify. He is admitted to practice in New York and before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Mr. Nobel obtained his J.D., cum laude, from St. John’s University School of Law in 1992 and his B.A. in Psychology from Binghamton University in 1989. He has served as a Director of the USLAW Network’s Board of Directors and as Chair of both its Construction Law Practice Group and Insurance Services and Risk Management Group. He is also a frequent lecturer and author on insurance coverage and litigation issues.
Outside of his practice, among other things, Mr. Nobel enjoys spending time with his family and friends, and various activities at and around his lake home.