Bethany Barrese

Partner, Saxe Doernberger & Vita, P.C.

Adjunct Faculty

Bethany L. Barrese is a Partner at Saxe Doernberger & Vita, where she specializes in insurance coverage disputes. As an adjunct professor here at UConn Law, she teaches Insurance Litigation. She received her JD from UConn Law, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Connecticut Insurance Law Journal.

In her professional work, Barrese works with clients under a wide variety of policies, including including commercial general liability, commercial property, builder’s risk, professional liability, educator’s legal liability, and captive policies. She has extensive experience handling insurance coverage disputes arising from real estate development and construction projects, and frequently negotiates construction defect and additional insured claims on behalf of owners, architects, construction managers, and general contractors. Some of her cases include:

• Appeal of Nash Street, LLC v. Main Street America Assurance Co. before the Connecticut Supreme Court, which set a significant judicial precedent for Connecticut insurance law.
• Litigation of complex coverage issues involving post-9/11 World Trade Center first responder injury claims.
• Preparation of an amicus brief in Cypress Point Condominium Association Inc. v. Adria Towers, which contributed to a precedent-setting decision from the New Jersey Supreme Court regarding coverage for construction defects.

Outside of the courtroom, Barrese works with clients to review their existing insurance programs, recommend various risk management strategies, and develop innovative long-term solutions to common coverage issues. She is also actively engaged in industry outreach and enjoys speaking on insurance coverage issues.