Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Shawn Hanson is a commercial litigator who also has extensive experience in insurance, insurance regulation, ERISA, labor and employment, managed health care, and real estate litigation. In addition, he regularly handles commercial disputes, including those involving Articles 2, 4, and 7 of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Shawn's trial experience includes: Ticor Title Insurance Company v. Employers Insurance of Wausau, Santa Clara County Superior Court (February 1994) (represented policyholder in bad faith insurance coverage dispute in which the jury awarded client $5 million); Pentastar v. Elder, Eastern District of Virginia (November 1990) (represented plaintiff franchisor in franchise dispute); Chicago Title Insurance Company v. California Canadian Bank, San Mateo County Superior Court (April 1989) (co-tried claim for fraud and the late return of over $17 million of kited checks resulting in an award of $33 million, reported at 1 Cal.App.4th 798 (1992); and Hart v. Vance, San Francisco County Superior Court (2001 real estate dispute).

Shawn has also successfully tried a number of ERISA cases. These include Ritter v. Standard Insurance Company, Northern District of California (Dec. 1993) (represented insurer in claim for ERISA benefits); Hendrix v. Standard Insurance Company (May 1997) (claim for benefits resulting from chronic fatigue syndrome); and Natelson v. Standard Insurance Company (June 1997) (defense of claim and recovery of $200,000 overpayment). He also represents employers and their benefit plans in class action litigation over health and welfare benefits.

Shawn has extensive experience in litigation involving employer sponsored group disability benefits and the ADA in the federal courts of California (Ellis v. Standard Insurance Company, No. CV-97-5755 GHK (C.D. Cal.)), Arizona (Sawyer v. General American Life, et al., No. CUV-97-211 PHX (Dist. Ariz.)), Washington State (Conway v. Standard Ins. Co., 23 F. Supp. 2d 1199 (E.D. Wash.)), and Indiana (Erwin v. Northwestern Mutual Life, et al., 999 F. Supp. 1227 (S.D. Ind. 1998)).

He has also represented clients in class actions with respect to investigations by the United States Department of Labor and with individually underwritten products and the ADA (Goldman v. Standard Insurance Company, No. C-98-1013-VRW (N.D. Cal.) (summary judgment for defendant) and Barbier, et al. v. California Public Employees' Retirement System, No. C-98-1497 CW (N.D. Cal.)).

Furthermore, Shawn regularly counsels health maintenance organizations and other health care service providers in commercial disputes and regulatory matters involving insurers. He was counsel of record for the California Farm Bureau Federation in the C-F Insurance Insolvency (Sacramento County Superior Ct. No. CV328346). Most recently, he advised parties involved in the Superior National Insurance Group Insolvency (Los Angeles County Superior Ct. No. BS061974).

Shawn has lectured at seminars on ERISA litigation and on the use of demonstrative evidence and has participated in law firm programs co-sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. He is a member of the State Bar of California and is admitted to practice in all federal district courts in California and the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan as well as in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits.

Areas of Practice

• Health Care
• Litigation/Health Care
• Trial Practice
• Insurance Coverage
• Class Action Litigation
• Insurance

Representative Cases

• Kendall v. Standard Insurance Company, 17 F. Supp. 2d 1128 (E.D. Cal. 1998)
• Newman v. Standard Insurance Company, 997 F. Supp 1276 (C.D. Cal. 1990)
• Chapter 11 Trustee

West Practice Categories

Bankruptcy Litigation, Business & Commercial Law, Class Actions, Complex Litigation, Disability, Elder Law, Federal Appellate Practice, Federal Claims Court, Federal Trial Practice, Food & Drug Administration, Health & Health Care Law, Hospital Law, Insurance Law, International Law, International Trade Litigation, Litigation & Appeals, Medicare & Medicaid, Mental Health, Military & Veterans Appeals, Multidistrict Litigation, Nursing Home, Patent Litigation, Social Security -- Disability, State Appellate Practice, State Trial Practice, Tax Litigation, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, US Supreme Court

Bar Admissions

• California

Education

• U of California - Hastings

Published Works

• Arbitrators Now Face Geographic Gaps in Subpoena Powers, Los Angeles Daily Journal, 2006
• Arbitrators Now Face Geographic Gaps in Subpoena Powers, Daily Journal, 2006

Address

555 California Street
26th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104

Phones

1.415.875.5726 (Business Phone)

Faxes

1.415.875.5700 (Business Fax)

Emails

Contact Us (Business Email)

Websites

http://www.jonesday.com