PRACTICES
OVERVIEW
Bill Doerler is counsel in the Subrogation Department, practicing exclusively in the field of insurance subrogation. As part of his practice, Bill partners with insurers and self-insured clients to investigate losses and develop cost-effective recovery strategies.
Bill routinely handles subrogation-related construction defect and products liability cases. His practice focuses on researching, briefing and handling complex litigation and appellate matters. Issues Bill frequently analyzes include waiver of subrogation clauses, the made whole doctrine, the admissibility of expert testimony, the economic loss doctrine and damages recoverable. In addition to working on individual cases, Bill is the co-editor of and a blogger for the Subrogation Department’s blog, The Subrogation Strategist. Bill's writing for the blog was recognized by JD Supra in 2022, when it found him to be one of the Reader’s Choice Top Authors for 2022 in the area of Products Liability.
Before joining the Subrogation Department, Bill was a member of the firm’s Litigation Department, where he handled defense matters including products liability, construction defect and premises liability cases. Bill’s experience on both sides of a lawsuit gives him a thorough understanding of defenses subrogation targets raise.
In addition to working in the Litigation Department, Bill also worked in the firm’s Appellate Group, where he successfully briefed and argued cases in state and federal court addressing a wide variety of issues, including medical malpractice, personal injury and worker's compensation. Bill’s appellate experience gives him unique insights into issues that arise at trial and how to preserve issues for appeal. While working in the Appellate Group, Bill was a co-editor of and contributor for the Court Crier.
Prior to joining White and Williams, Bill worked for several years as a trial litigator. Before becoming a lawyer, Bill utilized his accounting degree by working for ten years as the Treasurer and Vice President of Finance for a construction-related company in the private sector.
Bill is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware but works on cases throughout the country utilizing the services of local counsel.
Credentials
Bar and Court Admissions
Pennsylvania
Delaware
New Jersey
Education
Widener University School of Law, JD, magna cum laude, 1997
University of Delaware, BS in Accounting, 1983
News & Insights
Memberships
National Association of Subrogation Professionals
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Worked with an insurer to recover damages arising from the recall of contaminated, adulterated and misbranded food (spices) containing allergens, work that included an analysis of complex and detailed financial records
- Partnered with an insurer to investigate claimed property damage losses associated with computer virus attacks
- Worked with an insurer interested in subrogating a hacking incident involving an educational institution who was transitioning its student information to a cloud-based server using a mongo database
- Litigated a construction defect, roof collapse case involving multiple parties, wavier of subrogation clauses and arbitration provisions
- Handled the appeal of a water loss case against a negligent contractor who secured summary judgment at the trial level, securing a reversal of the trial court’s decision
- Investigated the subrogation potential of a claim involving a ransomware attack that resulted, upon recovering the insured’s systems, in a programming error and damage to the insured’s manufacturing equipment
- Litigated issues related to the enforcement of subrogation waiver, limitation of liability and consequential damages clauses in a complex case against an alarm company that included both property damage and wrongful death claims
- Litigated a case against a fire suppression contactor whose suppression system failed, resulting in the insured’s restaurant being destroyed by a fire
- Handled an email spoofing claim that resulted in fraudulent wire transfers
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Defeated a Motion to Amend wherein the defendant sought to amend its answer to raise a defense based on an arbitration provision – calling for arbitration in Italy – in a contract between an Italian manufacturer of bakery equipment and the insured
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Secured partial summary judgment on the issue of liability in a ceiling collapse case against the contractor hired to install the ceiling
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Litigated a case against the designer and installer of a sprinkler system extension – under a fire spread theory - after a fire at a wax and oil manufacturer
- Bakery Explosion Leads to Sweet Settlement
- Ceiling Collapse Nets Seven-Figure Settlement
- Multimillion-Dollar Settlement Reached Against Designer and Installer of Sprinkler System
- Seven-Figure Settlement Reached Against Spice Ingredient Supplier
- Subrogation Department Settles a Multi-Leak Water Damage Case
- Subrogation Department Resolves Large Water Loss Case
- Firm Successfully Defends Against National Manufacturer’s Daubert Challenge to Expert Testimony
- White and Williams Secures Seven-Figure Subrogation Settlement Following a Water Leak in a Residential Tower
- White and Williams Settles Multi-Plaintiff Case Following Fire
- White and Williams Secures a Favorable Settlement in a Superstorm Sandy Case
BLOGS & PODCASTS
Podcasts
Subro Sessions
- Subro Trauma Center: Part 1: Subrogor Problems - Handling Claims Involving an Uncooperative or Difficult Insured5.16.23
Listen to the newest episode of the Subro Sessions #podcast where we launch a new series: “Subro Trauma Center - Discussions on Common Issues that Arise in Subrogation Claims and How to Address Them,” hosted by Gus Sara, Lian Skaf and Matthew I. Ferrie. The series analyzes common symptoms of subrogation claims, diagnoses potential problems and discusses how to treat the symptoms or problems to secure a recovery.