Jo Allison 'Jody' Stasney is a Partner in Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP's Dallas - Downtown office. She is a member of the Insurance Coverage & Extra-Contractual Liability Practice Section. She is also a member of the Midwest Coverage Interdisciplinary Team. She provides direct representation of insurance carriers in matters of coverage and bad faith and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America for her expertise in insurance law.

Ms. Stasney has significant experience in all lines of commercial insurance, including general liability, excess/umbrella liability, property, auto and professional liability. She has also handled a number of coverage issues arising under the liability portions of the homeowner’s policy. She also regularly serves as monitoring/coverage counsel for excess insurers, advising them on the potential liability and exposure under their policies. Related to this aspect of her practice, she also advises insurers in matters involving the Stowers doctrine. She frequently analyzes coverage issues related to risk-shifting schemes, such as indemnity agreements and additional insured requirements, in the various industries in which those issues arise. She has analyzed many risk-shifting schemes in the energy industry, including those governed by the oilfield anti-indemnity statutes of Texas and Louisiana.

Ms. Stasney is regularly invited to speak to claims professionals on topics of coverage and extra-contractual liability. She also serves as a co-editor of the Insurance Coverage and Litigation Section e-mail blast case updates.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, Southern & Western Districts of Texas

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin

Wisconsin 

• “Texas Supreme Court Issues Significant Decision on Exception to “Eight Corners” Rule,” Thompson Coe, 2/11/2022
• “Looking Forward to 2019 – “Texas-Sized” Verdicts in 2018,” Thompson Coe, 1/28/2019
• “Fifth Circuit Holds that Texas Law Immunizes Law Firm from Liability for Alleged Misrepresentations Made to Excess Insurer,” Thompson Coe, 1/2/2019
• “Looking Forward to 2019: Texas Sized Verdicts in 2018 – Outliers or Paradigmatic Shift?,” Thompson Coe Webinar, 2019 
• “Hanover Professional Liability Claims,” Chicago, Illinois, 2017
• “Texas Insurance Code: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” RSUI Group, Inc., 2017
• “Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Allocation of Covered and Uncovered Claims in Settlements and Judgments,” CLM Coverage and Bad Faith Conference, 2016
• “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?,” CLM Coverage and Bad Faith Conference, 2015
• “Texas Supreme Court Grants Review in Concurrent Causation Dispute,” Thompson Coe, 10/7/2014
• “Houston Court of Appeals Finds Punitive Damages Are Covered by Commercial Policies, but Remands the Case for Determination of the Public Policy Issue,” Thompson Coe, 9/2/2014
• “Texas Supreme Court Upholds Denial of Coverage Based on Vacancy Provision,” Thompson Coe, 9/2/2014
• “Fourteenth Court of Appeals Muddies Waters on Policy Benefits and Extra-Contractual Benefits,” Thompson Coe, 7/1/2014
• “Conditions, Trigger and Rights Against Other Carriers – Where Have We Been and Where Are We Now?,” Lennar Corp. v. Markel Am. Ins. Co., 2014
• “Texas Supreme Court Accepts Certified Questions on Scope of Additional Insured Coverage,” Thompson Coe
• “Texas Supreme Court Expands Liability for “Property Damage” and Limits Enforceability of Consent-To-Settlement Requirements,” Thompson Coe, 8/26/2014
• “Fifth Circuit Holds Coverage for Faulty Workmanship Barred by the Contractual Liability Exclusion,” Thompson Coe, 6/18/2012
• “Additional Insured Coverage Language in the Context of a ‘Third Party Over’ Action,” Thompson Coe, 12/12/2011
• “New Legislation Affects Risk Shifting In Certain Construction Contracts,” Thompson Coe, 6/22/2011
• “Punitive Damages Coverage in Texas – Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going,” Thompson Coe, 10/1/2008
• “Yet More Confusion: Another Appellate Opinion Addressing Faulty Workmanship as an ‘Occurrence,” Thompson Coe, 8/12/2002
• “Confusion Remains as to Whether Faulty Construction Constitutes an “Occurrence,” Thompson Coe, 4/11/2002
• “Court of Appeals Refuses to Apply “Loss in Progress” and “Known Loss” Doctrines,” Thompson Coe, 4/11/2002
• “Fifth Circuit Clarifies “Business Activities” in PI Liability Insuring Agreement,” Thompson Coe, 4/11/2002
• “Courts Divide Over Coverage for Shoddy Workmanship,” Thompson Coe, 6/18/2001
• “Texas Law on Additional Insureds, Contractual Indemnity, and Stowers,” FCCI Group, Inc., 2017/2018

• Obtained summary judgment for professional liability insurer (attorney E&O) involving novel issue of claims-made coverage in Texas.
• Obtained plea to the jurisdiction for insurer under policy including general liability and commercial property coverage for lack of standing to sue insurer for recovery of either coverage.
• Obtained plea to the jurisdiction for insurer where plaintiffs asserted a direct action Stowers claim under prior statute despite Texas Supreme Court and Federal District Court authority in plaintiff’s favor.
• Obtained summary judgment in Arizona federal court for insurer against co-insurer for additional insured coverage in construction defect case involving 900 homes.
• Obtained summary judgment for insurer for claims against condominium owners association by condominium owners for mishandling hurricane damage.
• Obtained appellate judgment for insurer addressing exception to employers’ liability exclusion. Obtained bench trial verdict for insurer in construction defect claim in federal court.
• Coverage and litigation counsel in various types of commercial property claims, such as hail and wind damage, vandalism and theft, resulting in favorable settlements.
• Coverage and litigation counsel in various types of professional liability claims, resulting in favorable settlements.
• Coverage, litigation and appellate counsel involving enforceability of an indemnity agreement.
• Excess monitoring counsel in multiple lawsuits involving construction defects, construction accidents, oilfield accidents, product liability, and auto liability, obtaining favorable settlements.
• Coverage and litigation counsel in Hurricane Katrina, Dolly and Ike claims.
• Coverage and monitoring counsel in nationwide pharmaceutical litigation, resulting in favorable settlement for an insurer under an international policy program.
• Drafted policy endorsements.
• Obtained summary judgment for insurer involving voluntary payment and notice conditions.
• Obtained agreed dismissal from insured in coverage case involving policy exclusion after filing a motion for summary judgment.

• CLM Insurance Coverage Committee

• Insurance Law; Commercial Litigation, The Best Lawyers in America
• Fellow, American College of Coverage Counsel
• AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

• “Insurance Litigation Trends and Developments,” Chambers USA Insurance Litigation Practice Guide
• “Insurance and Reinsurance Trends and Developments,” Chambers USA Insurance & Reinsurance Practice Guide
• “Looking Forward to 2019: Texas Sized Verdicts in 2018 – Outliers or Paradigmatic Shift?,” Thompson Coe Webinar