Penn State Law

Sixth edition of ‘Insurance Law in a Nutshell’ released by Professor French

Penn State Law Professor of Practice Christopher C. French Credit: Mary Szmolko. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Christopher C. French, professor of practice and director of the Trial Advocacy Program at Penn State Law on the University Park campus, recently co-authored the release of the sixth edition of the book “Insurance Law in a Nutshell” (West Academic Publishing)

The book by French and John F. Dobbyn examines the fundamentals of insurance law, such the rules of insurance policy interpretation, coverage for intentional torts, insurable interest, claims submission/handling, duty to defend and settle, insurer bad faith, and insurer defenses. The sixth edition also has sections that discuss insurance for natural catastrophe losses as well as business interruption insurance, which includes a brief discussion regarding the COVID-19 business interruption coverage litigation.

Third-year J.D. program students Garvey McKee and Emory Robertson assisted French on the project. French also recently released the 2021 edition of his insurance law treatise, New Appleman Pennsylvania Insurance Law, which Penn State Law in University Park students also assisted with.

French has written extensively in the area where insurance law intersects with contract and tort law, and he currently teaches contracts, evidence, torts, trial advocacy, and insurance law. He has published numerous articles in law review journals at Duke University, University of California (Davis), University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Texas, and University of Virginia, among other law schools. His work has been cited by at least 25 courts, including the Second Circuit, Tenth Circuit, and the Supreme Courts of New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia, as well the Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance. Prior to joining Penn State Law, French taught at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Villanova Law School, and he was a former partner at K&L Gates LLP where he worked as a commercial litigator.

Last Updated January 26, 2022