Christine Cusick Ross is a trial lawyer who represents clients in complex business disputes and insurance coverage litigation, and also handles antitrust, class action, and trade secret litigation. She is a member of the firm’s Insurance & Reinsurance Industry Group, and represents insurance industry clients in insurance coverage litigation.” She has experience representing insurers in high-stake coverage litigation involving disputes arising from construction, intellectual property, environmental, toxic tort and product liability claims.
Christine has represented clients in both state and federal courts, on the trial level and on appeal. Christine has trial experience, including cross-examination, witness prep, and trying a case to verdict in federal court. Christine is also a member of the firm’s multidisciplinary Artificial Intelligence Steering Committee.
Christine is a 2011 graduate of Santa Clara University School of Law, where she was an articles editor of the Santa Clara Law Review, and a 2006 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.
Areas of Practice
- Commercial Litigation
- Insurance Coverage Litigation
- Appeals
Representative Matters
Prepared California state court appeal and U.S. Supreme Court petition regarding denial of a motion to compel arbitration.
Prepared state court appeals regarding the prevailing party’s right to contractual attorneys’ fees under Civil Code section 1717.
- Renewable Resources Coalition, Inc. v. Pebble Mines Corp., 218 Cal.App.4th 384 (2013) – Successful reversal of anit-SLAPP ruling on appeal. Obtained ruling that a non-profit’s claims for tortious interference based on mining companies’ purchase of nonprofit’s confidential documents from a third-party fundraising consultant were not subject to special motion to strike under anti-SLAPP statute.
- Trial counsel defending alleged violations of the Robinson Patman Act.
Advised corporate client as to their obligations under various proposed contractual arbitration provisions.
Defended company and employees in trade secret action resolved on terms the client found highly favorable.
Represent victims of domestic violence to obtain restraining orders in San Mateo County.
Prepared successful writ of habeas corpus petition on behalf of the Northern California Innocence Project in support of defendant’s petition to vacate conviction in sexual molestation case where faulty expert testimony and ineffective assistance of counsel led to life sentence.
- Nieves v. Travelers Cas. Ins. Co. of Am., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 95774 (C.D. Cal., July 20, 2015) – Briefed and argued successful motion to enforce an order to compel arbitration on behalf of insurer.
- Nieves v. Travelers Cas. Ins. Co. of Am., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 174941 (C.D. Cal. Sept. 29, 2014) - Briefed and argued successful motion to compel arbitration, and defeated motion to remand, in insurance bad-faith suit.
- Phila. Indem. Ins. Co. v. Lakeside Heights Homeowners Ass'n , 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 80033 (N.D. Cal. June 18, 2015) – Briefed and argued successful motion for summary judgment on behalf of insurer regarding application of the policy’s subsidence exclusion.
Camp Richardson Resort, Inc. v. Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company (E.D. Cal., Dec. 9, 2015) 150 F.Supp.3d 1186, 2015 WL 8328529 – Successful motion to dismiss insurance coverage suit because insured resort operator's alleged interference with adjoining landowners' property interest in roadway did not fall within personal injury coverage.
Appellate Matters
General Commercial Litigation
Pro Bono
Insurance Coverage Litigation
Admissions
- California
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
- Supreme Court of the United States
Education
- Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D., 2011
- Articles Editor and Associate Editor, Santa Clara Law Review - University of California, Berkeley, B.A., 2006
Experience
- Duane Morris LLP
- Senior Associate, 2025-present
- Associate, 2015-2024 - Nielsen, Haley & Abbott LLP
- Associate, 2011-2015 California Court of Appeal for the Sixth Appellate District
- Judicial Extern, 2009
Professional Activities
- Seminar Vice-Chair, ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar, 2025
Co-Chair of Insurance Practice Section of the Barristers Club, Bar Association of San Francisco, 2019-2020
Graduate, International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) Trial Academy, Stanford Law School, 2019
- Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada
Honors and Awards
- Listed in Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2021
Selected Publications
- Author, "Menu-Labeling Laws: A Move from Local to National Regulations," 51 Santa Clara L. Rev. 989, 2011
Selected Speaking Engagements
- Panel Speaker, “From Viruses to Planes: Assessing the Impacts of Another Planet and Similar Decisions on First-Party Physical Loss Coverage,” ABA Women in Insurance Network Regional CLE Program, October 8, 2024
- Panelist, “Media Liability: The New Frontier,” ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar, March 7, 2024
- Speaker, "The Tale of Two Costs: Are Environmental RI/FS Costs Defense or Indemnity?" FETTI Annual Conference, September 29, 2023
- Speaker, "…And Three’s A Crowd: Joint Mediation of Plaintiff, Policyholder, and Insurer Disputes," ABA 2020 Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar Roundtable, Tucson, Arizona, March 6, 2020.
- Panel Speaker, "Insurance 101: Litigating a Bad Faith Claim," Bar Association of San Francisco CLE, San Francisco, California, December 10, 2019
- Panel Speaker, "Insurance Coverage In The #metoo World," Bar Association of San Francisco CLE, San Francisco, California, October 16, 2019
Panel Speaker, "How Could That (Not) Be Covered? Truthiness And Coverage For False Claims Act Liability," ABA 2019 Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar, Tucson, Arizona, March 1, 2019
Panel Speaker, “Mad Skillz: Professional Services Coverage & Exclusions in the High-Tech Era,” ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar, March 1, 2018