People
Ellen D. Jenkins
Partner
- Chicago
Biography
Ellen Jenkins has nearly three decades of experience counseling insurers and reinsurers in complex insurance coverage actions and other insurance-related disputes. Although Ellen has served as coverage and litigation counsel in matters involving many different types of professional liability coverages, her practice in recent years has focused on representing commercial general liability, umbrella, and excess insurers in high-stakes environmental pollution, toxic tort, and products liability claims.
Ellen is an accomplished litigator. She has represented many U.S. and London market insurers in declaratory judgment and breach of contract actions in federal and state courts across the country. Ellen has also litigated numerous rescission claims, defended insurers against allegations of bad faith, and pursued contribution, indemnity, and subrogation claims. She has briefed and argued many federal court and state court appeals.
Ellen has also represented her clients in various forms of alternative dispute resolution, including binding and non-binding arbitrations, and mediations. Over the years she has successfully negotiated countless settlements, collectively saving her clients hundreds of millions of dollars.
Ellen is an accomplished litigator. She has represented many U.S. and London market insurers in declaratory judgment and breach of contract actions in federal and state courts across the country. Ellen has also litigated numerous rescission claims, defended insurers against allegations of bad faith, and pursued contribution, indemnity, and subrogation claims. She has briefed and argued many federal court and state court appeals.
Ellen has also represented her clients in various forms of alternative dispute resolution, including binding and non-binding arbitrations, and mediations. Over the years she has successfully negotiated countless settlements, collectively saving her clients hundreds of millions of dollars.
Honors
- Leading Lawyers, 2018-2019
Professional Associations
- Illinois State Bar Association, Member 2021-2023
Experience
*Includes matters before joining Skarzynski Marick & Black
experience
- Represented London-based and domestic excess insurers in environmental coverage litigation that involved commercial general liability policies spanning three decades and that settled favorably after briefing and oral argument on more than a dozen summary judgment motions raising a wide variety of coverage defenses.
- Developed coverage defenses for opioid-related claims, including public nuisance claims, under third-party liability insurance policies.
- Served as monitoring and coverage counsel for general liability insurers asked to defend or indemnify, among others, malicious prosecution claims against municipalities, sex trafficking claims against hoteliers, and products liability claims against baby products manufacturers.
- Served as coverage counsel for Lloyd’s syndicates and insurance companies asked to reinsure COVID-19 travel insurance claims.
- Avoided dismissal of $60 million rescission/fraud action arising out of reinsurer’s purchase of large property book of business, thereby precipitating extremely favorable settlement for client.
- Obtained summary judgment holding that $38 million settlement of class action seeking the disgorgement of contingent commissions was uninsurable as a matter of law.
- Won U.S. Court of Appeals reversal of district court decision to abstain from adjudicating $20 million rescission action.
- Obtained favorable state appellate court decision in $10 million directors and officers liability coverage dispute over comprehensive pollution exclusion that resulted in client’s recovery of over $1 million in advanced defense costs.
*Includes matters before joining Skarzynski Marick & Black
News
Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP adds two new litigation partners, Janene Marasciullo and Ellen Jenkins.
01/20/2023Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP is thrilled to announce the addition of Janene Marasciullo and Ellen Jenkins, boosting the growth of our litigation practice in our New York and Chicago offices.