Wendy N. Enerson

Regional Manager, Global Insurance Department – Midwest/South

Wendy Enerson's practice encompasses a broad range of complex litigation matters, including insurance and consumer class action defense, and in particular, cases arising under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, shareholder disputes, securities violations and general business litigation. She is an experienced litigator who has handled cases in state and federal courts across the United States. 

In the context of her insurance work, Wendy has represented numerous insurance companies in complex insurance coverage disputes involving long-tail environmental pollution and asbestos claims. Wendy has successfully represented multiple insurance companies in the defense of class actions alleging improper / unlawful claims handling and underwriting practices, as well as institutional bad faith. Wendy has also represented several insurance companies in major catastrophe litigation. Wendy served as national coordinating counsel for a leading insurance company in the defense of thousands of homeowners' claims and class actions, mass actions and attorney general suits arising out of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  

Wendy earned her law degree, cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law in 2000 and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois-Chicago in 1993.

Experience

News

Cozen O'Connor's Female Shareholders Offer Advice for International Women's Day

March 08, 2024

Last year was a historical year for Cozen O’Connor – with no fewer than six of the seven members elevated to shareholder being women. In honor of International Women’s Day, the Cozen O’Connor Women’s Initiative hosted a panel discussion to discuss their unique backgrounds and career paths.

Leading Lawyers Network Recognizes 19 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers as Top Illinois Practitioners

March 05, 2024

Ira Bodenstein, Jack Carriglio, Janet Davis, John Dunn, Mitch Edlund, Wendy Enerson, Gary Gassman, Tia Ghattas, Jeremy Glenn, Erin Bolan Hines, Mark Rabinowitz, Peter Roberts, Brian Shaw, Joseph Tilson, Julie Trester, Peter Valeta, Anna Wermuth, and Brian Williams were recognized as Leading Lawyers, Christina Sanfelippo was recognized as an Emerging Lawyer.

Cozen O’Connor Announces New Group Chairs, Office Managing Partners, Other Promotions

February 15, 2024

The firm announced several new practice group chairs, office managing partners, and leaders of firm committees and initiatives

Cozen O’Connor Announces Seven New Shareholders

September 07, 2023

Cozen O’Connor is pleased to announce Wendy Enerson, Melissa Grossman, Susan Grueneberg, Suzanne Radcliff, Laura Reinhart, John Sullivan, and Cheryl Upham have been promoted to shareholder.

Leading Lawyers Network Recognizes 23 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers as Top Illinois Practitioners

March 02, 2022

The Leading Lawyers Network has named 22 Cozen O’Connor lawyers to its annual list of Illinois’ top practitioners and named one other as an Emerging Lawyer in its 2022 survey results.

Leading Lawyers Network Recognizes 26 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers as Top Illinois Practitioners

January 26, 2021

The Leading Lawyers Network has named 24 Cozen O’Connor lawyers to its annual list of Illinois’ top practitioners and named two others as Emerging Lawyers in its 2021 survey results.

Pennsylvania Supremes to Decide Whether Actual Cash Value Includes General Contractor Overhead and Profit [Property Insurance Law Observer Blog]

July 01, 2019

Insurance companies may no longer be allowed to rely on clear policy language that expressly excludes general contractor overhead and profit (“GCOP”) from actual cash value payments.  The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently agreed to hear argument on the issue in Kurach v. Truck Insurance Exchange,...

ALLEGED BAD FAITH FAILURE TO ADVISE POLICYHOLDER OF CONSEQUENCES OF SETTLEMENT CONDUCT CAUSES INSURER TO SETTLE $22 MILLION LAWSUIT [Avoiding Insurance Bad Faith Blog]

January 07, 2019

Progressive recently settled a bad faith lawsuit with the guardians of a child injured in a car accident driven by a Progressive policyholder, Earl Lloyd. Progressive faced liability for an underlying judgment in excess of $22 million against Lloyd, who had purchased a $10,000 auto policy from...

Expanding When Liability is “Reasonably Clear”: Massachusetts Court Chips Away at Bad Faith Counterarguments [Avoiding Insurance Bad Faith Blog]

August 25, 2016

Earlier this month, a Massachusetts Appellate Court affirmed a trial court’s award of bad faith damages in a case where it found the insurer’s approach to a claim to be “at best inattentive, if not incompetent.”  Although the state appellate court in McLaughlin et al. v. American States Insurance...

“Low-Ball” Settlement Offer On Its Own Is Insufficient To Support A Claim for Bad Faith Under Pennsylvania Law [Avoiding Insurance Bad Faith Blog]

August 18, 2016

A low-ball settlement offer on its own is not enough to state a claim for a bad faith according to a federal district court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania which granted the insurer’s motion to dismiss the insured’s claim for alleged violation of Pennsylvania’s bad faith insurance statute,...

Insurers’ Beware: Defending Bad Faith Claim May Lead to Waiver of Privileged Communications [Avoiding Insurance Bad Faith Blog]

August 02, 2016

On July 27, 2016, the United States District Court for South Carolina ordered an insurer to turn over its privileged communications. The Court explained that the insurer waived the protections afforded under the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine by asserting it acted in good faith...

Industry Sectors

Education

  • Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2000
  • University of Illinois–Chicago, B.A., 1993

Awards & Honors

Leading Lawyers Network, Top Illinois Practitioner

Expert Guides: Insurance & Reinsurance

  • Illinois
  • U.S. District Court -- Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court -- Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court -- Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court -- Colorado