Articles by Gary Wickert

image of Gary WickertGary Wickert is an insurance trial lawyer and a partner with Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C., and is regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on insurance subrogation. He is the author of several subrogation books and legal treatises and is a national and international speaker and lecturer on subrogation and motivational topics. He can be reached at gwickert@mwl-law.com.

Opinion: Must Hurricane Harvey Victims File Insurance Claims Before September 1?

As if the tragedy and destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey in the Houston and Gulf Coast region wasn’t bad enough, a few opportunistic trial lawyers and public adjusters have taken to social media urging Houston homeowners to file their insurance …

10 Subrogation Mistakes Insurance Companies Keep Making

“Show me the money.” – Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire This year is the 20th anniversary of the 1996 romantic comedy Jerry Maguire. Its director, Cameron Crowe, just published the entire 5,000-word mission statement he wrote for his crisis-hit sports …

Imputed Contributory Negligence: Maximizing Auto Property Subrogation When Permissive User Driving

Effective auto property subrogation may seem simple, but it often requires a thorough understanding of some of the more confusing legal concepts known to American civil jurisprudence. When your insured (owner of a vehicle) entrusts his or her vehicle to …

Robo Claims: When Robots Injure Humans

Around the world, robots are increasingly being used to perform menial and complex labor tasks in the home and in the workplace. Robots are used in restaurant kitchens to make sushi and chop vegetables. They are also important earlier in …

How to Sue Yourself and Win

The new American horror film “Split”, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, recently in theaters, is a psychological thriller which centers on a bizarre antagonist with 23 separate personalities. Without spoiling the plot, suffice it to say that it focuses on …

Liberty v. Tyranny: More States Pass Laws Outlawing Cell Phone Use While Driving

Every year, more than 170 billion cell phone texts are sent and received. Each year, an average of 3,000 people die and 450,000 are injured in motor vehicle accidents involving distracted drivers. Ten percent of all drivers who are 15 …

¿Dónde Están Mis Beneficios? Workers’ Comp Claims by Undocumented Employees

Following an election cycle in which illegal immigration became a touchstone issue, it seems only appropriate that claims handlers and subrogation professionals have a clear understanding of the many nuances involving workers’ compensation claims made by undocumented employees. Indeed, with …

Waivers Of Subrogation Endorsements Are Like Onions

A recent Texas Court of Appeals decision parsing the wording of a workers’ compensation policy’s waiver of subrogation endorsement reminds us that, like an onion, a waiver endorsement has many layers and should be peeled back fully before giving up …

Subrogating Hawaii: Navigating the Subrogation Trade Winds In ‘The Middle of Nowhere’

Hawaii. There is no place like it on earth. It is the most remote population center on the face of the planet, 2,400 miles from the nearest anything. It has the most diverse population on earth, with no racial or …

The Exceptions to the Rule: Understanding The Dual Capacity Doctrine

The Exclusive Remedy Rule is neither exclusive nor a remedy. What began as a cornerstone of the social insurance experiment known as workers’ compensation has become so riddled with leaks that employers and their insurers often give up on subrogation …