Overview
Justin K. Curtis is an experienced litigator who focuses his practice on the defense of complex civil litigation, insurance coverage, fraud and bad faith, and construction litigation. He’s obtained successful results for his clients and has extensive experience in the fields of insurance coverage/defense, employment law, toxic tort, school law, construction, personal injury, and professional liability.
Mr. Curtis’ insurance clients include domestic and international insurers. He’s represented them in the defense of claims involving insurance fraud, organized activity and staged causes of loss, first and third-party coverage, and bad faith defense. He’s completed several hundred examinations under oath and followed these matters through verdict on extra contractual litigation.
He also represents corporate construction clients in a variety of capacities, including construction injury, product liability, risk transfer, and contract litigation. He assists clients in the various stages of contract development and defends them from notice of loss through the completion of litigation.
In addition, Mr. Curtis represents clients from a broad spectrum of industries in response to investigations, citations, and claims under the Occupational Safety and Health Act enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). He’s successfully helped clients avoid citations during the investigation stage, reduce the severity and amount of financial penalties in response to issued citations, and challenge findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Education
- Valparaiso University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 2009
- Ball State University, B. S. in Political Science with a concentration in Economics and a minor in Criminal Justice, 2006
LAW SCHOOL HONORS/INVOLVEMENT
- Honors Program Scholar
- Graduated in top 7% of class
- Class Honors (highest grade)
- Constitutional Law
- Business Associations
- Land Transfer and Finance
- Valparaiso University Law Review
- International Moot Court Society
- Executive Board
- Heritage Law Scholarship
- Herbert F. Stride Endowment
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Admissions & Affiliations
- Indiana
- Illinois
- U.S. District Courts for the
- Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana
- Northern District of Illinois
- Northern District of Ohio
Professional Associations
- Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana
- Chair, Insurance Coverage Section (2019-2020)
- Indiana State Bar Association
- Lake County (IN) Bar Association
Practices
Results
Insights
Events & Speaking Engagements
- Conducted in-house trainings for insurance clients on tips for conducting successful depositions and the latest news on insurance appraisals (2024).
- “Good Investigations, Good Faith: Harmonizing Diligent Medical Investigations with Ethical Responsibilities,” 6th Annual Midwest Medical Fraud Symposium (virtual, 2021). (Co-presenter)
- “Best Practices for Client Relationships,” panel moderator, 2020 Annual Conference of Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana (virtual)
- “Understanding Types of Available Incident Data and Their Interconnectivity to Support Modern Litigation,” 2019 Annual Conference of Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana (French Lick IN, 2019).
- “Bad Faith Update,” Indiana Chapter, International Association of Special Investigations Units (Greenwood IN 2017).
- “Misrepresentations on Applications for Insurance,” Chicago, Chicago-Northwest, and West Suburban Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter Chapter’s Insurance Law and Coverage Seminar (Oak Brook IL, 2017).
Publications
- “COVID-19 Business Interruption Litigation: Indiana Weighs In,” Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana (April 28-May 11, 2021).
- “Assignment of Claims for Recoverable Depreciation,” The Indiana Lawyer (December 9, 2020).
- “Multidistrict Litigation and an Examination of Recent Attempts to Establish a Business Interruption MDL,” Indiana Civil Litigation Review (November 2020). (Co-author)
- “Insurer’s Right to Limit Its Risk: Rescission of Insurance Policies Due to Material Misrepresentations of the Application for Insurance,” Indiana Civil Litigation Review (December 2019).
- “When Expert’s Testimony Should be Inadmissible,” The Indiana Lawyer (October 16, 2019). (Co-author)
- “Including Victims Without a Voice: Amending Indiana’s Child Wrongful Death Statute” 43 Valparaiso University Law Review 1211 (Spring 2009).
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