Robert D Chesler

Practice Areas

Insurance Recovery, Climate Change and Disaster Recovery, Biometric Liability, Cyber Insurance Recovery, First Party Property Damage, Business Interruption and Extra Expense Coverage

Industry Groups:

Sports, Media and Entertainment

Construction

Energy and Renewables

Career

A leading participant in the birth of modern insurance law in the early 1980s, Robert D. Chesler has earned the reputation as "The Insurance Guru" for exceptional insurance coverage knowledge. His leadership extends to such new areas of insurance coverage as cyber-insurance, D&O, IP, and privacy insurance.

A shareholder in Anderson Kill's Newark office, Bob has served as the attorney of record in more than 30 reported insurance decisions, representing clients including General Electric, Ingersoll-Rand, Westinghouse, Schering, Chrysler and Unilever, as well as many small businesses including gas stations and dry cleaners. He has received numerous professional accolades, including a top-tier ranking for Insurance Litigation: New Jersey in Chambers USA: American's Leading Lawyers for Business, which dubs him a "dominant force in coverage disputes" and cites a client who calls him "a dean of the insurance Bar; one of the brightest in writing about and analyzing insurance coverage."

He is also listed in The Legal 500, The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers and Who's Who Legal in the Insurance and Reinsurance section of the publication.

Bob represents policyholders in a broad variety of coverage claims against their insurers and advises companies with respect to their insurance programs. Bob is a relentless advocate for his clients in their efforts to obtain coverage from their insurance companies. He has strength in creatively analyzing complex insurance coverage disputes and rapidly driving towards resolution. He has spent his entire career obtaining settlements from insurance companies. He can speak "insurancese" as well as the insurers, and knows how to approach insurance companies, when to talk to them and when to litigate. His depth of experience enables him to distinguish a bad insurance claim from a good one and to understand and implement best strategies for obtaining money for his clients quickly and cost-effectively.

Bob taught Legal Methods at Harvard University and history at the State University of New York at Purchase. He taught insurance law at Rutgers Law School for 10 years. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Princeton University and maintains a scholarly interest in insurance. He is co-author of the seminal article Patterns of Judicial Interpretation of Insurance Coverage for Hazardous Waste Site Liability, 18 Rutgers L.J. 9 (1986), which has been cited by numerous courts, including seven state supreme courts and the Second Circuit, along with dozens of other articles on insurance issues. He is co-author of Insurance Coverage for Intellectual Property and Cyber Insurance Claims, published by Thomas West, and is former co-editor in chief of the Environmental Claims Journal. Bob is also co-editor of Coverage, the ABA Insurance Journal. He has chaired seminars on the new cyber-policies and food insurance issues for the ABA and NJSBA, and was Chair of the Insurance Sub-Committee of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Bob is also a member of Anderson Kill's Cyber Insurance Recovery group.

Publications

New Jersey Adopts NAIC Protocol for Use of AI in Insurance

New Jersey Alert / March 4, 2025

The Top Twelve Insurance Coverage Decisions Of 2024

Mealey's Litigation Report: Insurance / February 19, 2025

Court Rejects Vicarious Liability for Schools in Sex Abuse Cases

Journal of Emerging Issues in Litigation / October 31, 2024

The Use and Abuse of the Pollution Exclusion

Journal of Emerging Issues in Litigation / April 23, 2024

NEW JERSEY FEDERAL COURTS ESTOP INSURANCE COMPANIES FROM DENYING COVERAGE

Anderson Kill New Jersey Alert | April 04, 2023

HOW INSURANCE COMPANIES DEFRAUD THEIR POLICYHOLDERS : WHAT COURTS AND LEGISLATORS SHOULD DO ABOUT IT

Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation | March 15, 2023

RECENT NEW JERSEY SUPREME COURT DECISION CONSTRICTS AN INSURANCE COMPANY'S DUTY TO DEFEND

New Jersey Alert | October 28, 2022

INSURANCE COMPANIES PUSH THE POLLUTION EXCLUSION ENVELOPE. COURTS TEAR IT OPEN

Climate Change & Disaster Recovery Alert | October 25, 2022

AFTER THE FLOOD: TEXAS APPEALS COURT LIMITS A SUBLIMIT'S REACH

Climate Change & Disaster Recovery Alert | October 25, 2022

THE ESG POLICE HAVE ARRIVED. IS YOUR INSURANCE READY?

Climate Change & Disaster Recovery Alert | June 01, 2022

CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISASTER RECOVERY UPDATE

Climate Change & Disaster Recovery Alert | April 27, 2022

D&O COVERAGE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE-ESG-RELATED LIABILITIES

Anderson Kill Policyholder Advisor | April 07, 2022

CLIMATE CHANGE, ESG, AND D&O INSURANCE: COLLISION OR COOPERATION?

Journal of Emerging Issues in Litigation | February 25, 2022

NEW JERSEY STATE COURT ALLOWS CASINO TO PROCEED WITH ITS COVID-19 BUSINESS INTERRUPTION CLAIMS

Anderson Kill New Jersey Alert | January 05, 2022

USEPA RELEASES PFAS ROADMAP, POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING DEEP ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITY

Policyholder Advisor & Alert | November 03, 2021

A SURVEY OF RECENT INSURANCE COVERAGE DETERMINATIONS: D&O, OPIOIDS, BIOMETRICS, DATA BREACHES, RANSOMWARE, AND LEAD PAINT

Journal of Emerging Issues in Litigation | November 01, 2021

A SURVEY OF RECENT INSURANCE COVERAGE DETERMINATIONS: D&O, OPIOIDS, BIOMETRICS, DATA BREACHES, RANSOMWARE, AND LEAD PAINT

Journal of Emerging Issues in Litigation | November 01, 2021

MANAGING RISK OF LIABILITY STEMMING FROM BIOMETRIC TECH AND PRIVACY LAWS

Corporate Counsel Business Journal (CCBJ) | May 27, 2021

INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR FOREVER CHEMICALS

Risk Management Magazine (RMM) | May 03, 2021

For earlier articles, please see bio at https://www.andersonkill.com/People/Robert-D-Chesler

Professional Memberships

American Intellectual Property Law Association: Chair, Intellectual Property Insurance Sub-Committee

American Bar Association

- Litigation Section, Insurance Subcommittee

- Litigation Section, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, Food & Beverage Subcommittee: Co-Chair

American College of Coverage Counsel: Co-chair, committee of AI

TIPS

Essex County Bar Association: Insurance Committee

New Jersey State Bar Association, Insurance Section

Society of Environmental Insurance Professionals: Vice-Chair, Professional Liability Insurance General Committee (2017-18).

Association Memberships

American College of Coverage and Extra-Contractual Counsel: Founding Member

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Bar Admissions: New York, New Jersey

Education