People
Samantha L. Riley
Partner
- New York
Biography
For nineteen years, Samantha Riley has represented the interests of Lloyd’s of London syndicates, insurance companies and reinsurers across a broad swath of insurance coverage policy work, with her focus in the past decade primarily in the cyber liability insurance coverage space. Sam has represented insurers on numerous cyber forms, evaluating coverage for breach response, crisis management, cyber extortion, business interruption, reputational harm and payment card industry liability, among other first-party coverages. In addition, Sam handles a variety of complex matters for third-party cyber claims, including multimedia, security and privacy and privacy regulatory liability pending in courts across the country. Sam has extensive experience with errors and omissions policies for professionals addressing lawyers, architects and engineers, directors and officers and employment and management liability.
Recently, Sam has successfully counseled her insurer clients with respect to exposures presented by numerous privacy statutes, including the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act (BIPA), the Michigan Preservation of Personal Privacy Act (PPPA), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA). Sam also has particular expertise with respect to coverage issues for False Claims Act liability, Multi-Media coverage exposures, and the recent spate of class action lawsuits against companies for website Meta-Pixel software, data breach class action lawsuits resulting from vendor error, and claims involving international notification following business email compromise scams and exposure producing ransomware events.
Sam is an active member of the Firms’ Security Committee, avid presenter on topics for the London Market involving new and changing cyber risks and brings her expertise and practical approach to solving complex coverage disagreements on behalf of her clients.
Recently, Sam has successfully counseled her insurer clients with respect to exposures presented by numerous privacy statutes, including the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act (BIPA), the Michigan Preservation of Personal Privacy Act (PPPA), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA). Sam also has particular expertise with respect to coverage issues for False Claims Act liability, Multi-Media coverage exposures, and the recent spate of class action lawsuits against companies for website Meta-Pixel software, data breach class action lawsuits resulting from vendor error, and claims involving international notification following business email compromise scams and exposure producing ransomware events.
Sam is an active member of the Firms’ Security Committee, avid presenter on topics for the London Market involving new and changing cyber risks and brings her expertise and practical approach to solving complex coverage disagreements on behalf of her clients.
Professional Associations
- Professional Liability Underwriting Society, 2020 - Present
- Niagara County Bar Association, 2021 – Present
Experience
Experience
- Represented insurers in connection with multi-million dollar losses suffered by airline industry as a result of cyber event.
- Represented insurers in reformation of cyber policy following fraudulent misrepresentation on cyber policy application.
- Successfully defended insurer client against uncovered losses stemming from ransomware event causing business interruption losses for global shipping company.
- Protect policy priority of coverage strictures in representation of insurer clients to limit millions in exposure.
- Handles hundreds of claims for cyber insurers from inception through resolution, protecting policy limitations, conditions, and approval requirements to protect against runaway claims handling by policyholders and their representatives.
Publications & Presentations
- The State of Play: The Intersection of Cyber Risks, Government Regulators, War and Criminals, ABA Business Law Section Annual Meeting, September 2022, Panelist.
- Subrogation in Cyber: When, Who & Why, London Market Presentation, June 2022, Presenter.
- Cyber Insurance CLE, Summer Series, June 2021, Presenter.
- Claims Handling: Reviewing the Fundamentals, London Market Presentation, May 2021, Presenter.
- Understanding the Rules of Discovery and the Limitations to Privilege for Internal Communications, Web Seminar, December 2020, Presenter.
- The Ever-Growing Cost of Data Breach Litigation in the United States and the Financial Risks Associated with the New California Consumer Privacy Act, London Market Seminar, London UK., February, April 2019, Co-Presenter.
- Cyber & Lawyers Professional Liability, London Market Seminar, London UK, September 2017, Co-Presenter.
- Reinsuring Cyber Risks: Cyber Policies, Claims and Aggregation, AON Benfield, London Market, September 2017, Presenter.
- False Advertising and Unfair Competition/Deceptive Trade Practices, London Market Seminar, July 2017, Presenter.
- Drones and Insurance: The Next Generation Commercial Carriers, Insights, The Institutes CPCU Society, Spring 2017.
- Attorney Client Privilege and Communications, London Market Seminar, September 2016, Presenter.
- Cyber Insurance Coverage Insights, London, February and September 2016, Presenter.
- Attorney Client Privilege & the London Market, London Market Seminar, May 2016, Co-Presenter.
- Advisen Cyber Risk Insights Conference, San Francisco, California, March 2016, Panelist.
- American Chemical Society and American Institute of Chemical Engineers, The Importance of Contract Terms and Insurance Coverage, 2015.
Firm Events
2022 ABA Business Law Section Annual Meeting
09/15/2022John Black and Sam Riley will participate in a panel discussion, “The State of Play: The Intersection of Cyber Risks, Government Regulators, War and Criminals” at the ABA Business Law Section Annual Meeting on September 15th.