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Tessa P. Vorhaben

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Tessa Vorhaben concentrates her practice in the areas of general litigation, insurance coverage, and tort litigation.

Professional Biography


Tessa Vorhaben practices primarily in the areas of general litigation, insurance coverage, and tort litigation. She defends claims involving personal injury, products liability, premises liability, property damage, business interruption, insurance bad faith and extra-contractual litigation.

Ms. Vorhaben also represents Write-Your-Own (WYO) insurance carriers participating in the U.S. Government's National Flood Insurance Program.

  • Obtained dismissal for WYO insurance carrier against suit brought by insured seeking to invoke appraisal provision in the Standard Flood Insurance Policy.

  • Counseling and representation of film production company during OSHA investigation into an accident that occurred during the filming of a movie.

  • Representation of chemical corporation in defense of claims arising from an accident that occurred at the chemical corporation's facility.

  • Representation of domestic commercial lines insurance companies in defense of insurance coverage claims arising from Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav, Ike, and Isaac. These matters involve the defense of claims for property damage, business income, statutory penalties, and bad faith damages.

  • Representation of domestic commercial lines insurance companies against claims for breach of contract and extra-contractual damages resulting from hail and fire losses.

  • Obtained dismissal for domestic insurer against suit brought by a lessee of the insured on grounds that the lessee had no right of action.

  • Obtained summary judgment for chemical corporation against suit brought by an employee of a subcontractor on grounds that the subcontractor's employee was a statutory employee of the chemical corporation.

  • Coverage opinions interpreting CGL and commercial property policies concerning claims for construction defects, product recall, personal and advertising injury, and employee dishonesty.

  • As second chair, represented an insurance company in a breach of contract dispute concerning a multi-million dollar commercial property damage claim. The first jury trial resulted in a mistrial after four days. After a six-day trial, the jury returned a defense verdict after only 30 minutes of deliberation.

  • Secured summary judgment on behalf of a flood insurance company sued for breach of contract by plaintiffs alleging entitlement to additional proceeds under their flood insurance policy for damages allegedly stemming from two flood losses. The court held that the plaintiffs failed to comply with the proof of loss requirements under their flood insurance claims and dismissed plaintiffs’ claims.

  • Obtained a dismissal for a wholesale insurance broker against a claim brought by an insurance customer asserting claims for negligence, misrepresentation and breach of fiduciary duty.

  • Listed in Louisiana Super Lawyers as a "Rising Star" (2013 – 2023)
  • Listed in New Orleans Magazine as a top lawyer in New Orleans (2023)
  • Member – New Orleans Bar Association
    • Chair, Women in the Profession Committee
  • Member – Louisiana State Bar Association
  • Member – American Bar Association
  • Member – DRI
  • Member – New Orleans Bar Association Inn of Court
  • Board of Directors, Treasurer, and Executive Committee – Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault
  • The Pro Bono Project
  • Vice-Chair – New Orleans Women's Initiative
  • Co-Chair – Baker Donelson Women's Initiative Communications Committee
  • Board Member – the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel (2023)

  • "Breaking the Glass Ceiling…and Beyond," New Orleans Bar Association (June 2024)
  • "Professionalism Across Generations," Tulane Law School CLE (December 2022)
  • "Institutional Bad Faith," National Business Institute's Advance Bad Faith CLE, New Orleans, Louisiana (December 2018)
  • "Adjuster and Bad Faith Expert Depositions," National Business Institute's Advance Bad Faith CLE, New Orleans, Louisiana (December 2018)
  • "CLE by Young Lawyers on Topics Everyone Needs to Know," New Orleans Bar Association (December 2015)

Education

  • Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., 2007
  • University of Southern Mississippi, B.A., 2004, magna cum laude

Admissions

  • Louisiana, 2007
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Texas

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