Joseph Gonnella is a Partner in Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP's San Diego office. He is a member of the Insurance Coverage & Extra-Contractual Liability, Commercial Litigation/Directors & Officers and Labor & Employment Law Practice Sections. His practice focuses on advising insurers and Insurtech clients on complex risk management, insurance coverage, regulatory compliance and indemnity and risk transfer, including commercial general liability policies and first-party property coverage. He also counsels commercial clients on full-spectrum dispute resolution, from pre-litigation negotiation to litigation strategies and execution, in alignment with company objectives and risk tolerance. He is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US). Prior to joining FMG, he worked for a well-respected regional firm representing clients in complex commercial litigation and insurance coverage matters in state and federal courts. He has successfully briefed, argued and won many dispositive motions in defense of his clients’ interests, including demurrers, motions to dismiss, motions for nonsuit and motions for summary judgment.

Mr. Gonnella previously served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Nita L. Stormes, Presiding Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of California. He also served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable William S. Dato at the San Diego Superior Court.

Mr. Gonnella earned his Juris Doctor degree from California Western School of Law in San Diego, where he graduated magna cum laude. While in law school, he served on the executive board of the law review as the executive editor of student notes and comments. He received Academic Excellence awards for the highest grade in the class in Civil Procedure I, Civil Procedure II and Advanced Legal Writing. He also served as a tutor for Constitutional Law.

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• “California rejects “creative” collateral source theory of standing,” Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP BlogLine
• “California Court Declines Reformation of Insurance Policy,” Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP BlogLine
• “COVID-19 business interruption claims: Virus jurisprudence is no longer novel,” Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP BlogLine

• Represented commercial general liability insurer in catastrophic premises liability personal injury case, and identified other available insurance and successfully transferred – after initial denial – primary defense and indemnity obligation to tenant’s insurance carrier.
• Defended insurance broker against claims for breach of contract and fraud arising from sale of commercial automobile liability insurance policy issued by allegedly insolvent insurance carrier, and successfully obtained dismissal of all claims based upon absence of legal duty of care.
• Successfully resolved high risk exposure – exceeding $9,000,000 – through summary judgment motion resulting in complete dismissal of government client in complex, multi-action catastrophic train vs. auto case, including disputed issues of indemnity, subrogation, Government Claims Act compliance, and claim preclusion
• Obtained complete dismissal of professional negligence and related claims against inspection company regarding alleged negligent funding of disbursements exceeding $1,000,000, successfully arguing absence of contractual privity and legal duty of care

• Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
• San Diego Defense Lawyers
• American Bar Association: Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section
• San Diego County Bar Association: Insurance Law Section

• 2023-2026 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America^™
• 2025 Super Lawyers Rising Stars