Terri Sutton

Terri A. Sutton has a wide range of experience advising clients on insurance coverage issues related to claims under general liability, professional liability, errors and omissions, and excess/umbrella policies. She advises clients and litigates complex coverage issues and bad faith, including those arising under professional liability, general liability, and directors and officers liability policies.

Terri has drafted several liability and professional liability coverage forms for insurers. Prior to joining the firm, Terri worked for Chubb Group of Insurance Companies as a commercial lines underwriter. She has worked with large and small companies in analyzing products liability exposures, evaluating quality control and supplier agreements, and formulating insurance programs to meet the unique needs of insureds.

In 2016, Terri was on secondment with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Terri acted as a special deputy prosecutor in the felony trial unit, responsible for all phases of trials. Terri earned her law degree, summa cum laude from Seattle University School of Law, where she was an associate editor of the law review.

Terri received her Bachelor of Arts in economics and management from Beloit College, in Beloit, Wis. Terri earned her Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 2005 and was awarded the Loman Education Foundation Academic Excellence Award as a top scoring designee.

She also served on the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) casualty curriculum advisory committee for the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research.

Terri is the president-elect of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the CPCU Society, vice-chair of the steering committee for the CPCU Society’s Coverage, Litigators, Educators, and Witnesses (CLEW) interest group, and a member of PLUS (Professional Liability Underwriting Society). Terri is also on the board of directors of Provail, an organization serving children and adults with disabilities.

EXPERIENCE :

• Successful summary judgment of dismissal of a $2.25M legal malpractice claim involving an admitted mistake by a lawyer. This result was affirmed on appeal.
• Successful summary judgment of dismissal of a $1.5M bad faith claim under a claims-made-and-reported insurance policy.
• Successful summary judgment of dismissal of bad faith claims arising from an insurer’s filing of a declaratory judgment action while providing a defense to the insured.
• Successful rescission action of a professional liability insurance policy based upon misrepresentations in the application.

EDUCATION :

• Seattle University School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2011
• Beloit College, B.A., 1999

BAR ADMISSIONS : Washington; Oregon

COURT ADMISSIONS :

• U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Washington
• U.S. District Court — Western District of Washington