W. George Bassett
practice emphasis
Insurance Recovery, Employment and Tort Litigation
BAR ADMISSIONS
Washington, 1969; Michigan, 1969
______________________________________________________________________Mr. Bassett has represented insurers and policyholders in a broad range of complex insurance, business, and tort disputes over the past 35 years. He has extensive state and federal jury trial experience, having tried over 50 cases to verdict and litigated hundreds more to a dismissal or settlement. This experience includes complex, multi-party coverage disputes, insurance claims fraud and bad faith litigation, defense of malpractice claims against directors, officers, lawyers, and insurance brokers, and cases involving breach of trade secrets, unfair competition, non-competes and wrongful termination. It also includes defending manufacturers and sellers of automobile and truck parts, off-road and construction equipment, industrial machinery, small appliances, flammable fabrics, chemical and food products. Mr. Bassett has considerable mediation experience in all these areas, both as an advocate and as a neutral. He also has experience as a coordinator of national tort litigation. He received his initial litigation training as a Washington State Assistant Attorney General in the Torts Division.
Mr. Bassett authored the Washington Civil Trial and Evidence Manual, From Voir Dire to Verdict, first published by the Washington State Bar Association in 1978, and for many years, served as its editor-in-chief. He is a frequent CLE lecturer about evidence, trial techniques and insurance. He is a past president of the Washington State Bar Association, Litigation Section and serves on a variety of state and local bar association committees relating to insurance, trial techniques, ethics and judicial screening.
REPRESENTATIVE COMPLEX INSURANCE LITIGATION CASES
- The Boeing Co. v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., et al. (Federal Court, Western District of Washington). One of the first environmental coverage actions filed and tried in Washington. Whether environmental clean up costs are damages covered under a CGL insurance policy was decided by the Washington Supreme Court on certification from the U.S. District Court. 113 Wn.2d 869, 784 P.2d 507 (1990). Our insurance clients were the only defendants to obtain a defense verdict at trial.
- Time Oil Co. v. Cigna Prop. & Cas. Co., et al. (Federal Court, Western District of Washington). Coverage action arising out of the environmental liability for the clean up of the Tacoma Tide Flats. Won summary judgment for insurance client. 743 F. Supp. 1400 (W.D. Wash 1990).
- Mapco Alaska Petroleum Ins. v. Central National Ins. Co., et al. (Federal Court, D. Alaska). Coverage action arising out of the environmental liability for the clean up of the North Pole Refinery. Settled.
- McCall Oil v. Highlands Ins. Co., et al. (Federal Court, D. Oregon). Environmental coverage action involving multiple sites in multiple states and numerous defendants. Settled.
- Washington Natural Gas v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., et al. (King County Superior Court). Trial of a coverage action arising out of the environmental liability for the cleanup of a manufactured gas plant site. There was a jury verdict in favor of the policyholder against all insurers. The case was settled during the appellate process.
- Champion International Corp. v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., et al. (King County Superior Court). Environmental coverage action involving 128 sites in 34 states and many insurance company defendants. Settled.
- Georgia Pacific Co. v. Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co., et al. (King County Superior Court). Environmental coverage action against 87 insurance company defendants involving 38 sites in 12 states. Settled.
- State of Idaho v. The Bunker Hill Company (Federal Court, Western District of Idaho). Represented a group of third party defendant insurance companies contesting coverage for the environmental liability arising out of the clean up of the Bunker Hill Mining District. Settled.
- Univar Corp. v. Commercial Union Ins. Co., et al. (King County Superior Court). Coverage action against 37 insurers by chemical distributor for environmental clean up liabilities arising out of eight distribution facilities in six states. Settled.
representative employment cases
- Represented a manufacturer employer in federal court who was sued by an IT Network Administrator for payment of overtime wages and who also alleged to have been terminated in retaliation for making the overtime claim. The plaintiff was a high salaried employee who, as a computer professional, was exempt from federal and state law regulating the payment of overtime. A through investigation and an early deposition of the plaintiff, followed by an early motion for summary judgment, successfully got the case dismissed.
- Represented an employer who had been sued by its CFO who alleged that he was wrongfully terminated because of a disability caused by cancer. The defendant had in fact discharged him for poor performance. Motion for summary judgment granted.
- Plaintiff, who was wheel chair bound because of Multiple Sclerosis, alleged failure to accommodate her disability and wrongful termination based on her disability. Our client had laid her off because of a seasonal slowdown and because she was the least senior employee. Dismissed on a Motion for Summary Judgment.
- Represented two former "reporter/analyst" employees of a national sports website who had signed non completes, but had then been hired away by a competitor. At issue was not only the enforceability of the non competition agreements and whether the former employees would be able to work at all, but the future conduct of the two competing websites. We crafted a "win win" settlement that allowed the two employees to continue working, the payment of a modest amount of money, and an agreement between the two competing web sites to no longer attempt to "steal" each other's employees.
- Represented the interests of a Private College in a series of lawsuits by instructors and staff alleging a variety of employment claims, including disparate treatment and wrongful discharge based on race and based on sex, wage and hour claims, including constructive discharge based on retaliation for making the claims, as well as suits by unhappy students alleging breach of contract and violation of the Washington Consumer Protection Act. An aggressive motion practice successfully removed all cases to arbitration where they could be defended out of the public eye and the proceedings kept confidential. Two cases were dismissed on summary judgment, one of which was appealed and affirmed by both the Superior Court and the Court of Appeals. One was arbitrated with the result that the plaintiff received an award that was only ten percent of her pre-arbitration settlement demand. The remainder were settled for a fraction of the original claims.
- Represented the interest of a major construction company who was sued by it's in house general counsel for constructive discharge, breach of implied contract for employment and for sale of part of the company, and seeking an accounting. The employer had discharged the officer for insubordination. The feelings of the parties were highly charged, and it was apparent that discovery would not only be financially costly but also significantly disruptive to the ongoing business. An early and aggressive investigation and a thorough legal analysis provided a roadmap for a mutually agreeable settlement that was accomplished before discovery even began.
RECOGNITION
Washington Law & Politics, “Super Lawyer,” 2002 - 2006
The Legal Media Group Guide to the Worlds Leading Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers, 2008
EDUCATION
J.D., University of Michigan School of Law, 1969
B.A., University of Michigan, 1966
