- August 21, 2026
Matthew C. Lovell
Partner
Biography
BIOGRAPHY
Matt handles complex insurance coverage disputes and bad faith actions.
He has litigated a wide range of coverage issues, including claims for defense and indemnity under commercial general liability policies (both bodily injury/property damage and personal injury/advertising injury coverage parts) and multi-party disputes involving issues such as the number of occurrences, exhaustion, attachment, “drop down” due to insolvency, and allocation.
In addition, Matt has substantial experience, including jury trial work and defending personal injury and groundwater contamination matters.
He has litigated a wide range of coverage issues, including claims for defense and indemnity under commercial general liability policies (both bodily injury/property damage and personal injury/advertising injury coverage parts) and multi-party disputes involving issues such as the number of occurrences, exhaustion, attachment, “drop down” due to insolvency, and allocation.
In addition, Matt has substantial experience, including jury trial work and defending personal injury and groundwater contamination matters.
Memberships
- Bar Association of San Francisco, Litigation Section
- Defense Research Institute
Awards & Rankings
- Best Lawyers®, The Best Lawyers in America®, 2021-2027
Before Nicolaides
Before joining the firm as a partner, Matt practiced for 17 years with a large national law firm representing insurers and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) by providing insurance coverage advice and litigation.
Outside Nicolaides
Matt enjoys traveling with his wife and two daughters and spending time outdoors, including backpacking in the Sierra Nevada and climbing volcanoes in the Cascades. He recently rediscovered the fun of playing live music with a local cover band.
- Obtained partial summary judgment for major property casualty insurer in federal court, terminating duty to defend based upon amendments to the underlying complaint.
- Obtained summary judgment finding that insurer client had no duty to defend or indemnify the insured for underlying crop-damage case, on grounds that chemical drift from aerial application of chemicals did not potentially cause property damage and, if it did, pollution exclusion excluded coverage.
- Obtained summary judgment in federal court on the grounds that insurer did not owe duty to defend claims concerning false and misleading statements in advertising regarding the quality and benefits of the insured's products, and infringement of registered trademarks.
- Obtained partial summary judgment in Illinois federal court for liability insurer on policyholder's statutory bad-faith claims (Illinois Insurance Code Section 155) by establishing a bona fide coverage dispute precluding finding that insurer's actions were vexatious or unreasonable.
- Obtained affirmance by California Court of Appeal of ruling that client owed no duty to defend under bodily injury/personal injury coverages relative to alleged conspiracy and fraud involving scheme to underpay uninsured/under-insured motorist benefits.
- June 30, 2026
- August 21, 2025
- August 18, 2022
- October 27, 2021
- August 19, 2021
ADDITIONAL SPEAKING & WRITING
- Co-Author, "Lost Horizons: Montrose, Braun, and the Possible Disappearance of 'Horizontal Exhaustion' in California," International Association of Claim Professionals' Declarations 2020-2021 Year in Review, October 2021
- Co-Presenter, "New Strategies for the New Year," January 2017
- Speaker, "Insurance Bad Faith: Settlement and Failure to Settle," Pincus Professional Education's Insurance Bad Faith Litigation CLE Seminar, February 2015
- Speaker, "Implications and Effects of the California Supreme Court's Decision in Zhang v. Superior Court," Sedgwick's 5th Annual Developments in Regulation and Litigation for the California Insurance Market Seminar, February 2014
- Speaker, "Discovery Requests: Defining Permissible Limits Within the Scope of Discovery," ACI's 26th Annual National Advanced Forum on Bad Faith Litigation Seminar, November 2013
- Speaker, "Overview of E-Discovery in California," State Compensation Insurance Fund Insurance Company, January 2013
- Speaker, "A Practical Guide to E-Discovery," State Fund Insurance Company, May 2010