Suzanne N. McNulty

Partner Retired  / Los Angeles

Suzanne has tenaciously defended the interests of her aviation clients in matters ranging from major aircraft disasters to private aircraft crashes, obtaining outstanding results.  In many instances, Suzanne has been able to extract her clients from litigation in its early phases saving them the expense, time and significant business disruption that can come with protracted litigation.  Representative matters that Suzanne has successfully handled include the defense of a satellite manufacturer involving damage to nine telecommunication satellites; the defense of a solid rocket manufacturer arising from the explosion of a rocket fuel plant; the defense of component part manufacturers and service providers in aircraft crash cases involving skydiving, fire-fighting, crop dusting, combat and experimental test flight operations and other aviation mishaps pending all over the United States, Canada and South America.

Suzanne also has a long history of defending aviation and other manufacturers in toxic tort litigation cases involving exposure to asbestos, benzene, beryllium and lead.  Suzanne also defends non-aviation assureds in the area of products liability and construction/premises liability and provides product integrity advice and seminars regarding litigation avoidance.

Suzanne also defends the London Market and other insurers in coverage disputes involving All Risk, War Risk, E&O and D&O policies.  Suzanne also provides continued assistance and counseling in the area of California claim handling practices and has provided seminars to insurers regarding California’s Fair Claims Settlement Practices Act.  She has also presented and published articles on a broad range of insurance coverage and aviation litigation topics.  Suzanne is proficient in Spanish.

  • University of San Diego School of Law
    J.D., 1988
  • La Universidad de San Luis in Madrid, Spain
    (Spanish/Sociology). 1980-1981
  • University of Massachusetts
    B.A., 1982
  • California, 1989
Presentations
  • Warsaw and its Progeny:  New Developments and their Impact on Aircraft Manufacturers, Montreal, Canada, International Aviation Women’s Association Conference, 1999.
  • Computer Simulated Evidence, Lisbon, Portugal, International Aviation Women’s Association Conference, 2003.
  • Computer Generated Video Evidence:  Pepcon Explosion and Crash of Cali AA Flight 962, Los Angeles, Lloyd’s of London Under 30’s Association, 2005.
  • Emerging Trends in Asbestos Coverage Litigation, Mealey’s Insurance Conference, Beverly Hills, California, 2008.
  • California Fair Claims Settlement Practices, Lloyd’s of London, England, annually from 2003 to 2008.
  • The International Business of Insurance and Related Legal Issues, Boston, Massachusetts, International Aviation Women’s Association Conference, 2010.
  • Post-Sale Duty to Warn, Naples, Florida, Aircraft Builders Council Conference, 2016.
  • Aviation Product Integrity Seminars, provided throughout the U.S. to various manufacturing companies.
  • Battle of the Forms, Scottsdale, Arizona, Aircraft Builders Council Conference, 2021.
  • Artificial Intelligence and U.S. Product Liability, The Insurance Institute of London, 2022.
Publications
  • The Spider and the Fly: The Jurisdictional Trap of the World-Wide Web, Aircraft Builders Council Law Report, Fall 2000.
  • Proposition 51 Impact on Asbestos Cases; Application of California’s Anti-Slapp Statute in the Insurance Context; and Recently Enacted California Fair Claims Practices Legislation.  Firm Newsletter.
  • Reach for the Skies:  The Expansive View of Federal Preemption, Aircraft Builders Council Law Report, Fall 2011.
  • Stepping into the Post-Sale Duty to Warn, Aircraft Builders Council Law Report, Fall 2017.
  • The Smouldering Firefighter’s Rule, Aircraft Builders Council Law Report, Fall 2019.
  • Predators & their Prey: How to Counterstrike Plaintiff’s Reptile Attack, Aircraft Builders Council Law Report, Fall 2020.
  • PTSD & The Aviation Case, Aircraft Builders Council Law Report, Fall 2020.
  • Battle of the Forms: How Parties Can Protect Themselves (co-author), Aircraft Builders Council Law Report, Fall 2021.
  • Artificial Intelligence and Products Liability, Jetstream, 2022.
  • Breaking the Strict Product Liability Chains of Distribution…Or Not?, Aircraft Builders Council Law Report, Fall 2022.e