Robert Allen
Bob Allen Featured in an IADC Speaks Podcast on Pro Bono Opportunities
The International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) produces a regular podcast, IADC Speaks, which explores a wide variety of topics faced by its members. In this version of IADC Speaks, Bob recollects his pro bono experiences in obtaining coverage for a prematurely born baby who was denied…
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Bob Allen Elected as Secretary/Treasurer of the American College of Coverage Counsel
At the recent Annual Meeting of the American College of Coverage Counsel (ACCC) held in Chicago, and after serving two terms on its Board of Regents, the ACCC has elected Bob Allen as its Secretary/Treasurer for 2025-2026. Through its rules of progression, Bob will be the President-Elect in…
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TALG Wins Summary Judgment on Two Duty to Defend Cases; One Based on the Insured’s Judicial Admissions in a Criminal Case
About two months apart from each other, TALG was welcomed with emails announcing wins on two duty to defend summary judgment motions. Depositors Ins. Co. v. CUMIS Ins. Co., Cause No. DC-23-13549 on file in the 162nd Judicial District Court of Dallas County, Texas) is a priority of coverage case…
TALG Obtains Dismissal of Claimant’s Suit for Coverage Based on Lack of Standing
On February 7, 2025, Dallas federal judge Jayne Boyle granted TALG client Hudson Specialty’s Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction in connection with an action by a claimant of a Hudson Specialty insured to obtain insurance coverage for a $12.3 million arbitration award in favor…
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Bob Allen Speaks on The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Insurance Claims and Litigation
In November 2024, Bob participated on a panel analyzing issues raised by insurers use of artificial intelligence at the American College of Coverage Counsel’s Law School Symposium at the University of Minnesota. After a discussion of the issues, Bob represented the insurer in a mock argument over…
Texas Supreme Court gives Excess Insurers an Early Christmas Present
On December 20, 2024, the Texas Supreme Court handed down its unanimous opinion in The Ohio Casualty Insurance Company v. Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc., __S.W.3d ___; 2024 WL 5172096 (Tex. 2024). Bob Allen’s take on the decision is contained in the attached casenote he authored.
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TALG Hosts its Office Open House
At long last, TALG opened its finished offices to friends and family on September 19. It was a rousing success and a lot of fun. The event had a distinctive “60s in Dallas” theme with an exhibit of the personal file of Phil Burleson Sr.’s ultimately successful representation of Jack Ruby (Phil Sr…
In Memoriam: Paige Pace Allen
It is with extreme sadness that we share the news of the passing of Paige Pace Allen on May 19, 2024. Paige was the pride and joy of Sweetwater Texas (home of the Rattlesnake Roundup: http://www.rattlesnakeroundup.net/ --she was First Runnerup Miss Rattlesnake Roundup in 1976). Sweetwater is also…
Bob Allen Named by D Magazine as One of 2024 Best Lawyers for Insurance Law
The selection process included being nominated, vetted and then approved after an independent review by a panel of esteemed lawyers. All told, D Magazine recognized 19 Dallas lawyers as being one of 2024 Best Lawyers for Insurance Law.
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TALG Celebrates Its 11th Anniversary: Moves to New Offices at 4101 McEwen Road
It is hard to believe that it was eleven years ago when we embarked on this small firm practice thinking it would be just a matter of time before we hooked up with firms or maybe start something with a couple of friends. It has been a very gratifying ride so far; full of interesting cases and…
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Bob Allen Earns Board Certification in Texas Insurance Law.
The Texas Board of Legal Specialization announced that Bob Allen passed the certification examination and is now Board Certified in Insurance Law effective December 31, 2023. The process of becoming board certified includes a background check, references, specialty verification and passing a…
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BEST LAWYERS Names The Allen Law Group a Tier 1 Firm for Commercial Litigation In Dallas
In its 14 th Edition for 2024 the publication Best Lawyers named the Allen Law Group a Tier 1 law firm for commercial litigation in Dallas. “Since we don’t purchase anything from these organizations, we appreciate their recognition of our good work. It is a nice acknowledgment for a small firm like…
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THE DALLAS INSURANCE LAW AMERICAN INN OF COURT NAMES BOB ALLEN A FOUNDING MEMBER AND MASTER OF THE BENCH
The Dallas Insurance Law American Inn of Court is the first American Inn of Court in the nation to focus on insurance law. An American Inn of Court is loosely based on the traditional English Inns of Court and is an amalgam of judges, law professors, and both experienced and less experienced…
Bob Allen Co-Chairs Successful Insurance Coverage Law Symposium at SMU Dedman School of Law for the American College of Coverage Counsel.
On November 11, 2022, the American College of Coverage Counsel hosted its 8th Annual Law School Insurance Coverage Law Symposium at SMU Dedman School of Law. The ACCC is an honorary, invitation-only organization of insurance coverage specialists made up of experienced practitioners of…
Bob Allen Re-Elected to Three-Year Term to the Board of Regents of the American College of Coverage Counsel and Receives the Thomas F. Segalla Award
At the 2022 Annual Meeting at the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago, the Fellows of the American College of Coverage Counsel reelected Bob Allen to their Board of Regents. Bob will serve the organization as a Regent through 2025. At the same meeting, Bob also a received the Thomas F. Segalla Award…
Paige Pace Allen Obtains a Dismissal of a Multi-Jurisdictional Collection Action Through a Successful Special Appearance Based on the Best Evidence Rule
A Dallas-based company sued a TALG client, a London doctor, in Dallas state court for collection on an alleged promissory note to pay significant medical expenses incurred in connection with a scuba diving incident in Cozumel in which the diver, the London doctor’s son, was in a coma for two days.…
Bob Allen Comments on Important Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage Case and is Quoted in Claims Journal
On May 21, 2021, the Texas Supreme Court handed down its 5-4 decision in Allstate Ins. Co. v. Irwin , 2021 WL 2021446 (Tex. 2021) in which the Court officially adopted Declaratory Judgment as the procedural method by which insureds can seek recovery from their insurers for uninsured/underinsured…
Fifth Circuit Certifies 8-Corner Duty to Defend Questions to the Texas Supreme Court
On March 12, 2021, the Fifth Circuit in Bitco General Ins. Co. v. Monroe Guaranty Ins. Co., 2021 WL 955155 (5 th Cir. 2021) certified two questions on the 8-Corner rule on an insurer’s duty to defend to the Texas Supreme Court. Here, the Texas Supreme Court is being asked to weigh in on potential…
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Bob Allen Prepares Casenotes on Important Stowers and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Cases and is Quoted in Law360
In the past month, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals handed down an important decision on the Texas Stowers Doctrine in American Guarantee and Liability Ins. Co. v. ACE American Ins. Co., ___ F.3d ___; 2020 WL 7487067 (5th Cir. 2020). Bob Allen’s take on the decision is contained in the attached…
BOB ALLEN TO BE HONORED AS A PAST-CHAIR AT THE DALLAS BAR ASSOCIATION TORT AND INSURANCE PRACTICE SECTION’S ANNUAL MEETING ON DECEMBER 1, 2020
After co-founding the DBA’s Tort and Insurance Practice Section (DBA TIPS) in the late 90s with Mike Knapek, Nikki Carmody and the late Mark Pistorious, Bob served as its Chair in 2001. At the DBA TIPS Annual Meeting on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at noon, he and his fellow DBA TIPS Past-Chairs will…
TALG Moving to 10670 North Central Expressway March 24, 2020
The Allen Law Group is moving their Law Offices to 10670 North Central Expressway, Suite 550, Dallas, TX 75231. All contact information: Email: bob.allen@theallenlaw.com Off: 214-217-5012 Fax: 214-291-5544 Address: 10670 North Central Expressway, Suite 550, Dallas, TX 75231. The move, which is…
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TALG Intervenes into Coverage DJ and Obtains a Summary Judgment of No Coverage Under a Commercial Auto Policy
When Commercial Auto-insurer Amtrust Insurance Company of Kansas, out of the blue, received a policy limits Stowers demand in a wrongful death lawsuit being defended by the mutual insured’s CGL carrier, it turned to Bob Allen to resolve the coverage issue. Over the opposition of the CGL carrier,…
TALG Obtains Ruling that CGL Carrier Does Not Owe A Duty To Defend Due To a Professional Liability Exclusion
A Houston-based safety engineering firm was sued in a construction site wrongful death suit. It tendered the suit to its CGL insurer, TALG client the Travelers Indemnity Co., who denied a defense based on its policy’s Professional Liability exclusion. Eighteen months later, this insured filed suit…
Bob Allen Elected to Three-Year Term to the Board of Regents of the American College of Coverage Counsel
At the 2019 Annual Meeting at the Chicago Athletic Association, the Fellows of the American College of Coverage Counsel elected Bob Allen to their Board of Regents. Bob will serve the organization as a Regent through 2022. The American College of Coverage Counsel (ACCC), established in 2012, is the…
Bob Allen Litigates D&O Case of First Impression involving Coverage for Delaware Securities Appraisal Actions.
When Dallas-based Zales Jewerly was purchased by jewelry conglomerate Signet in 2014, litigation against the Zale Board of Directors predictably followed. In addition to the typical fiduciary class action; a large percentage of Zale shareholders, including arbitrageurs, dissented to the merger and…
Bob Allen Participates in a NALFA Panel Discussion on Legal Fees & Billing Issues in Insurance Coverage Litigation.
The National Association of Legal Fee Analysis (NALFA) is a non-profit professional association for the field of legal fee analysis. Its members provide a range of services on attorney fees and legal billing matters. One of its services is providing monthly CLE programs on Attorneys Fees Issues.…
Bob Allen Named to Faculty at the 5th Annual American College of Coverage Counsel’s Law School Symposium at American University Washington College of Law in Washington D.C.
At this Symposium, Bob will be participating on a Panel on "’Stowers’ and the Art of Turning the Table on an Insurer with a Policy Limits Settlement Demand.” The American College of Coverage Counsel annually holds a Symposium focusing on cutting-edge insurance coverage issues at different Law…
Bob and Paige Allen Team Up for a Successful Resolution of a Multi-Million Dollar Commercial Hail Property Damage Claim without Litigation.
An April 2016 hail storm near downtown Plano, Texas left a trail of damages to all buildings, houses and structures in its path. Included in the destruction were 13 buildings owned by a TALG client. The claim raised multiple issues. In the property insurance policy, there was an unexplained bundle…
Six Year Effort to Avoid Judgment Ends with 11 Months of Incarceration and Deportation
In 2011, while at Meckler Bulger & Tilson, Bob Allen received a call that would lead to most unusual case he has ever handled. His Zurich lawyer-friend described the situation where his client, Florida businessman Peter Denton, recently won a 2 million swiss franc (roughly $2 million USD)…
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The Allen Law Group Obtains a Defense for a Property Manager from a Premise Owner’s Liability Insurer
September 27, 2017 On September 27, 2017, Houston federal judge Alfred Bennett granted summary judgment to TALG client Alliance Communities, Ltd. (“Alliance”) that the insurer of the owner of an apartment complex managed by Alliance owed Alliance a duty to defend in connection with a severe bodily…
PRO BONO: Bob Allen Convinces Health Insurer to Retract a Coverage Termination for a Prematurely Born Baby
Upon learning of the plight of parents faced with their health insurance being canceled for their prematurely born baby because her birth certificate was not sent into the company within 60 days of her birth, Bob Allen took on their representation on a pro bono basis. There were hundreds of…
Bob Allen to Speak at the 2016 University of Texas Insurance Law Institute in Houston
One of the common threads in almost all coverage lawsuits is the potential for the policyholder, and sometimes the insurer, to recover their attorneys fees. Explore the legal, equitable, and evidentiary issues for recovering attorneys fees in insurance litigation.
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Paige Pace Allen Joins Firm. Name Changes to The Allen Law Group
Paige, who is Board Certified in Personal Injury Law, brings her 30 plus years of experience in tort litigation to The Allen Law Group. She has tried over 20 cases to a jury verdict along with at least as many arbitrations, bench trials and cases that settle during trial. Currently, Paige is…
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Federal Magistrate Certifies Facts Showing Opposing Partys Conduct Constitutes Civil Contempt. District Judge to Hold Show Cause Hearing.
LORDA clients Peter Denton and his company Harvest Investors seek to collect on a multi-million dollar Swiss Arbitration award that has been confirmed into a U.S. judgment. The debtor is Swiss citizen Rudolf Suter, currently a Dallas-based optical company executive, who has resorted to obstruction…
LORDA Assists CGL Insurer in Obtaining a Substantial Recovery from a Pollution Insurer in Final 9-11 Mass Action
This result emanated from the navigation and negotiation of multiple insurers providing different lines of coverage with multiple layers over seven years of potential coverage. LORDA Principal, Bob Allen, represented a CGL carrier as its coverage counsel in connection with hundreds of bodily injury…
Bob Allen Guides Ace European to a Rare 91a Dismissal. Judge Awards Fees.
In a classic forum battle pitting a first filed Texas action against a California action over the same transaction, Bob Allen, working with Clyde & Co., secured a dismissal of a Dallas suit for declaratory judgment brought by Ringler & Associates in deference to a subsequently filed suit for…
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LORDA Defeats a GC's Attempt to Obtain AI Coverage from Sub's Insurer
Galveston Federal Magistrate John R. Froeschner held oral arguments on March 11 and then two days later he issued a Memorandum Order recommending the granting of LORDA's client Selective Insurance Company of South Carolina's motion for summary judgment in a coverage dispute arising from a lawsuit…
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LORDA Wins a $27,605 Attorneys Fees Sanction for Client due to Opponent's Obstruction of the Discovery Process
On Christmas Eve, U.S. Magistrate Judge David A. Horan issued a Memorandum Order awarding LORDA clients Peter Denton and Harvest Investors, LP $27,605 in attorney's fees as a Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(a)(5) Sanction because of their opponent's failure to produce documents in a complex international…
Bob Allen to Speak at the ABA Litigation Section Insurance Coverage Conference in Tucson
On March 5, 2015 at the Annual Conference in Tucson, Bob will be a panelist presenting "Give & Take: The Battle Over Defense Dollars." This panel will cover (a) the initial negotiation between carrier and policyholder regarding defense, rates and potential impact on later reimbursement; (b)…
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Bob Allen Named to the Faculties of the 2014 University of Texas Insurance Law Seminar and the 29th American Conference Institute's National Forum on Bad Faith Claims Litigation.
At the University of Texas Insurance Law Seminar, to be held on November 13-14, 2014 at the Cityplace Conference Center in Dallas, Bob will be speaking on “Why You Should Care About Gilbert, Ewing and Lennar Outside of the Construction Context.” At the American Conference Institute’s Bad Faith…
Bob Allen Elected Into The American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel
The American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel (ACCEC), established in 2012, is composed of preeminent coverage and extracontractual counsel in the United States and Canada, representing the interests of both insurers and policyholders. ACCEC is focused on the creative, ethical and…
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Law Offices of Robert D Allen Celebrates its First Anniversary
It has been a great year. With technology and my supporting lawyers, legal assistant and secretary, I was able to pick up right where I left off from the big firms. In addition to an active docket in state, federal and bankruptcy courts all over Texas, I acted as lead counsel in litigation in…
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LORDA Obtains Dismissal of an Insured's Amended Complaint in Protracted D&O Bad Faith Litigation
On behalf of Zurich American Insurance Co., Bob Allen convinced Dallas Federal Judge Sidney Fitzwater to dismiss a D&O bad faith lawsuit. This is the second dismissal scored by LORDA in this suit. Here, the court threw out the insured's action for Declaratory Judgment on the duties to defend and…
Bob Allen to Speak at the American Conference Institute's National Bad Faith Conference in Miami
Bob will participate in a panel exploring and analyzing "The Scope and Limits of the Duty to Defend, Duty to Settle and Initiating Settlement Negotiations."
Bob Allen Announces Move to 10440 North Central Expressway as of November 15th, 2013
Bob Allen is moving the Law Offices of Robert D Allen to 10440 North Central Expressway, Suite 1450, Dallas, TX 75231. The phone number will change to (214) 891-5960. The fax number will change to (214) 891-5966. As before, you can reach Bob via email at bob.allen@theallenlaw.com.
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LORDA Client Wins Order from Federal Magistrate Forbidding Opposing Counsel from Withdrawing to Avoid Delay, Disruption and Prejudice
On October 2, 2013, Dallas Federal Magistrate David L. Horan ruled that counsel for the Defendant, a Swiss national owing over $2 million on a US Judgment, could not withdraw from the case; notwithstanding not being paid, because "the Court must balance Defendant's Counsel's hardship with the…
Court Rules for LORDA Client Steadfast Insurance Co. and Awards Independent Counsel a Mere 5.7% of a Requested Fee
This slam dunk win was reported in the Texas Lawyer and was profiled by national defense bar organization DRI. As part of the 25 page Memorandum Order, the court ruled that "the vast majority of the sought-after fees and expenses were not reasonable, necessary, or related to defending the Bonnemas…
Bob Allen Guides the Dallas Museum of Art to a Successful Resolution of a D&O Claim Denial
The Dallas Museum of Art was sued by an alleged jilted heir of a benefactor who with her late husband donated a substantial art collection to the DMA. The heir alleged that the DMA, three of its directors, a Dallas philanthropist and a leading Dallas lawyer conspired to deprive him of a 1/2 share…
LORDA wins an imporant D&O Coverage Decision
When Zurich American Insurance Company was sued in Dallas Federal Court for an alleged wrongful denial of a Directors and Officers claim and for violations of the Texas Insurance Code, it turned to Bob Allen for its defense. Bob filed a Motion to Dismiss under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(6) for failure to…
Bob Allen Leads Team to a Complete Victory in a Three Week Jury Trial Between a Reinsurer and a Managing General Agency
Texas Lawyer names result as the Number 2 Insurance Jury Verdict of 2011 The case involved a dispute between St Paul, as a reinsurer, and a Managing General Agency over excessive commission withdrawals from a Premium Trust Account by the MGA. The MGA denied making excessive withdrawals from the…
Bob Allen Wins Prestigious George W. Yancey Award for Best Article in the Defense Counsel Journal
At the 2009 Annual Meeting of the International Association of Defense Counsel at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, Bob Allen was named the recipient of the George W. Yancey Memorial Award, which is given annually to honor the authors of the best article published in the Defense Counsel…