Preston B. Bennett

Preston Bennett is an associate in the Business Trial Practice Group in the firm's San Diego office. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego Law School.

Areas of Practice

Preston represents insurance companies in bad faith litigation.  He has represented insurers in a wide spectrum of first- and third-party bad faith matters, including “cap off” cases, coverage disputes, unfair business practices claims, uninsured motorist matters, and insurance fraud cases.  He represents his clients at all stages of litigation, including discovery, motion practice, case-dispositive hearings, pre-trial preparation, and post-judgment debtor examinations and motions.  Preston also advises clients on issues related to general claims handling, med pay reimbursement best practices, the made-whole rule, and policy language interpretation and amendments.

Experience

• Obtained the dismissal of an action alleging breach of contract, fraud, and unfair claims practices.
• Won summary judgment establishing non-coverage for a $100,000 property damage claim in which the plaintiff alleged negligent misrepresentation and sought reformation of the policy to provide coverage.
• Represented a liability insurer in a failure to settle case in which the claimant obtained a $2 million judgment after the insurer allegedly failed to accept a settlement offer for its $100,000 policy limits.

Representative Clients

• Allstate Insurance Company
• GEICO General Insurance Company
• Wawanesa General Insurance Company
• Automobile Club of Southern California
• Travelers Insurance Company
• OneBeacon America Insurance Company
• Infinity Insurance Company

Memberships

Member, San Diego County Bar Association

Member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers of San Diego