Dawn Williams

Dawn B. Williams defends insurance companies in complex civil litigation and class actions in federal and state courts across the country. Combining a thorough knowledge of class action procedure with an understanding of current regulatory developments.

She counsels her clients on myriad issues pertaining to their life insurance and annuity products, including the adequacy of disclosures in illustrations and marketing materials, cost of insurance concerns, and claims arising as a result of stranger-originated life insurance and annuity transactions.

Dawn has broad experience in a variety of substantive areas, including RICO, regulatory and state statutory violations, such as unfair competition and deceptive trade practices claims, and various common law claims. Dawn also represents insurers in local or regional matters, such as in individual consumer and agent sales practice actions.

She has a keen interest in insurance-related issues in the District of Columbia, and authored a chapter on D.C. relating to misrepresentations in the life, health, and disability insurance application process and is an active member of the D.C. Insurance Federation.

Dawn regularly shares this insider knowledge with clients. Dawn clerked for the Honorable Johanna L. Fitzpatrick, Chief Judge at the Court of Appeals of Virginia (2005−2006).

Experience :

• Thompson v. Allianz Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., 2019 WL 337587 (D. Minn. Jan. 2019) (order declining certification in a putative nationwide class alleging improprieties in the way the insurer calculated nonguaranteed benefits).
• Logan v. Union Security Ins. Co., 2015 WL 3745047 (C.D. Cal. 2015) (order dismissing ERISA section 1132(a)(3) claim and other claims against insurer in putative class action concerning payment of accidental death and dismemberment benefits)
• Ostrow v. Allianz Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., No. 2009 CA 007621 B (D.C. Superior Ct. 2011) (dismissal of representative action alleging consumer protection claims against insurer)
• Mooney v. Allianz Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., 2010 WL 419962 (D. Minn. 2010) (defense jury verdict following three week trial in 350,000-member sales practices class action)
• In the Matter of S.B. and In the Matter of G.P. (D.C. Super. Ct., Family Court 2017) (in two separate adoption cases, orders granting adoption to the petitioners)
• Cruz v. State of California, et al., No. RG14727139 (Cal. Super. Ct. 2014) (temporary restraining order granted against state in case alleging that the state violated students’ constitutional rights to equal education through the deprivation of meaningful learning time)
• Abell v. Cissel, No. 09-0900 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 2010) (judgment in favor of victims of mortgage “foreclosure rescue” fraud following three week trial affirmed)

Education :

• University of Richmond School of Law, J.D., 2005, magna cum laude
• University of Virginia, B.A., 2002

Bar Admissions : District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia

Court Admissions :

• U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
• U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
• U.S. District Court, District of Maryland