|

Partner
New Jersey Office
T 973.863.7601
F 973.994.3375
Professional malpractice, complex
civil litigation, construction law, civil rights and
employment law; public entity liability defense, personal
injury defense, and insurance coverage disputes; healthcare
and hospital law; insurance regulation; and civil appeals.
Education
Rutgers University B.A.
1964
Indiana University J.D. 1967
New York University L.L.M. (in taxation) 1972
Bar
Admissions
New Jersey; United
States District Court for the District of New Jersey;
United States Court of Appeals for Third Circuit.
Martindale-Hubbell Legal Rating:
AV
Associations
International Association of Defense Counsel; Former Chairman of
Legal Malpractice Committee of IADC; Chairman of the Professional Errors and Omissions
Committee of IADC; Chair of the IADC’s Professional Liability Roundtable; Essex
County, New Jersey State and American Bar Associations; Order of the Coif; former
Chairman of West Essex County Fee Arbitration Dispute Committee; Professional
Liability Underwriting Society; Associate Member, American Bar Association Lawyers
Professional Liability Committee; Member of Council of Litigation Management (CLM).
|
|
ELLIOTT
ABRUTYN
EAbrutyn@morganlawfirm.com
Seminars,
Speeches and Articles
Published Opinions
Mr.
Abrutyn handles all types of professional liability cases,
complex civil litigation, commercial litigation, insurance coverage
disputes and civil appeals. He is also the Firm’s Managing Partner
and Chairman of the Executive Committee.
Mr. Abrutyn has an extensive appellate practice and has argued
several precedent setting cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court.
His most notable case was Morton International v. General Accident Ins. Co.,
134 N.J. 1 (1993), in which the Supreme Court clarified the definition of
occurrence and the meaning of the pollution exclusion in general liability
policies. Recently the Supreme Court in Liberty Surplus Insurance Corporation,
Inc., v. Nowell, Amoroso, P.A., 189 N.J. 436 (2007), which involved the prior
knowledge condition in a lawyers malpractice policy affirmed a summary
judgment obtained by Mr. Abrutyn in favor of the insurer on appeal.
He also argued and received four precedent setting decisions from the
New Jersey Supreme Court in the following cases: Kane v. Hartz Mountain Industries,
Inc.,143 N.J. 141 (1996), in which the court clarified the duties of owners,
contractors and subcontractors in construction work place accidents;Zirger v.
General Accident Ins. Co., 144 N.J. 237 (1996), in which the court determined
that a jury award is binding upon an underinsured motorist insurer who did
not participate at the trial, however, the decision was prospective and the
Supreme Court set forth guidelines on seeking the intervention of the insurer
at the liability trial; Lyn-Anna Properties, Ltd. v. Harborview Development Corp.,
145 N.J. 313 (1995), where the court held that a defendant in an equity action
who filed a counterclaim for legal malpractice against the plaintiff-attorney
was not entitled to a jury trial; and, in the case of American Motorists Insurance
Co. v. L-C-A Sales Co., 155 N.J. 29 (1998), the Supreme Court held that a wrongful
termination and age discrimination claim is not covered under a general liability
policy. Below is a list of the published opinions Mr. Abrutyn has presented to an
appellate court.
Work
Experience
1968-Present Morgan, Melhuish,
Abrutyn
1967-1968 Law Clerk to the Honorable Ralph L.
Fusco, Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court.
|
|