Seslee S. Smith

Seslee focuses her practice on first-party and third-party commercial general liability (CGL), property, auto, E&O, and D&O insurance coverage matters and the defense of companies in complex litigation.

Seslee has successfully litigated commercial disputes, products liability actions, insurance coverage disputes, and health care-related matters in federal and state courts, including jury trials, as well as before regulatory agencies, in arbitration proceedings, and in courts of appeal. She currently serves as counsel to several national insurers in bad faith and breach of fiduciary duty litigation.

• Representing national insurer in multiple, high profile lawsuits alleging sex trafficking at various insured hotels, shaping insurance coverage case law throughout the country.
• Representing insurer in one of the most significant insurance coverage matters ever made in the poultry processing industry, involving highly technical mechanical and chemical engineering issues.
• Prosecuting declaratory judgement action for nationwide insurer based on insured’s failure to cooperate, and defending breach of fiduciary counterclaim.
• Representing three automotive component part companies in defense of products liability alleging unintended acceleration.
• Defending multiple individuals and corporate entities as national counsel in insurance company receivership action and coverage issue arising from allegations of malfeasance against directors and officers.
• Successfully handling multi-district litigation alleging claims of pulmonary and neurological injuries following use of a spray grout sealant sold by large big box retailer.
• Successfully opposing certification of multiple nationwide putative class-action lawsuits arising out of big box retailer’s sale of chromated copper arsenate-treated wood, involving litigation of extensive jurisdictional and class cert issues and handling of complex insurance coverage issues with dozens of major insurance carriers, resulting in dismissal of class actions after defeat of certification.
• Successfully obtaining Certificate of Need for MCG Health to build first new hospital in state of Georgia in more than a decade and successfully defended numerous appeals by Doctors Hospitals.
• Successfully appealing denial of Certificate of Need for radiation therapy services and defended award of CON at Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court.
• Successfully prosecuting breach of contract action against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia arising out of reimbursement disputes between provider and payor.
• Successfully litigating for existing medical practice and physician owners underinsured medical malpractice claim and coverage disputes through appeals to Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court.
• Successfully obtaining grant of Certificate of Need for 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital through Petition for Judicial Review and appeal to Georgia Court of Appeals.
• Serving as co-lead counsel a four-week trial on a product liability case involved claims of a carpenter’s alleged toxic exposure to arsenic and chromium from CCA pressure-treated wood, securing a complete defense verdict. This was one of dozens of CCA-treated woods lawsuits filed against Home Depot, including several national class actions, successfully defended by the firm.
• Serving as co-lead counsel and obtained complete defense verdict after two-week trial involving alleged toxic exposure to CCA pressure-treated wood.
• Successfully defending putative national class actions involving CCA pressure-treated wood product.
• Serving as co-lead counsel in administrative matters, resulting in a successful adjudication of a licensure revocation proceeding for the client’s assisted living facilities.
• Successfully appealing trial court’s order enjoining a hospital board’s decision to revoke a doctor’s clinical privileges.