Sheila J. Carpenter
Partner

Washington, D.C.

Email: sjc@jordenusa.com
Phone: 202.965.8165
Fax: 202.965.8104

Sheila J. Carpenter has specialized in complex litigation involving the insurance industry for over 30 years. She has tried disputes involving insurance and reinsurance, agency, corporate governance, contracts, torts, consumer protection, employment, partnerships, tax, and estates. She is adept at the efficient management of complex cases, as well as smaller matters. She has served as outside general counsel for large non-profit organizations, handling varied issues, e.g., employment disputes, contracts, governance/fiduciary duty, exempt status/taxation, and regulatory issues.

Ms. Carpenter's subspecialties include alternative dispute resolution, especially arbitration, and she serves on AAA's Large, Complex Case and Commercial Panels. Ms. Carpenter has been appointed as an arbitrator more than 100 times by the American Arbitration Association and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Cases with completed hearings include partnership disputes (medical, dental, law firms, restaurateurs and real estate), accounting malpractice, contract disputes, fraud, corporate acquisitions, corporate governance, negligence, insurance coverage, and management company disputes.

Ms. Carpenter is a member of the Firm's Life and Health Insurance, Reinsurance and Consumer Finance and Banking industry groups. Public service has always been important to Ms. Carpenter. She has served as Jorden Burt's firmwide Pro Bono Partner for the past four years.

She is married to William J. McCarthy, who teaches Ancient Greek, film and computers at Catholic University. In her free time she likes to watch her daughter play lacrosse, help with team projects, talk with her two parrots and spend time with her extended family.

Representative Matters

• Pruco Securities Corp. v. Montgomery, 264 F. Supp. 2d 862 (D. N.D. 2003) (agent restrictive covenant issue)
• Joe v. Minnesota Life Ins. Co., 337 F. Supp. 2d 821 (S.D.Miss. 2004) (summary judgment granted in agency vicarious liability case)
• Aid Assoc. for Lutherans v. United States Postal Serv., 321 F.3d 1166 (D.C. Cir. 2003) (USPS regulations held invalid)
• In re Minnesota Mutual Life Ins. Co. Sales Practices Litigation, McCord v. Minnesota Mutual Life Ins. Co., 346 F.3d 830 (8th Cir. 2003) (affirming summary judgment for Minnesota Mutual); Parkhill v. Minnesota Mutual Life Ins. Co., 188 F.R.D. 332, 1999 WL 614013 (D. Minn. 1999) (class certification denied in market conduct case) & 2000 WL 33582649 (2000) (summary judgment), aff'd, 286 F.3d 1051 (8th Cir. 2002)
• Pyramid Securities, Ltd. v. IB Resolution, Inc., 924 F.2d 1114 (D.C. Cir.), cert. denied, 112 S. Ct. 85 (1991) (affirming summary judgment in RICO case focusing on "continuity" requirement)
• Parkhill v. Minnesota Mutual Life Ins. Co., 188 F.R.D.332, 1999 WL 614013 (D. Minn. 1999) (class certification denied in market conduct case) & 2000 WL 33582649 (2000) (summary judgment), aff'd, 286 F.3d 1051 (8th Cir. 2002)
• Omaha Indem. Co. v. Royal Am. Managers, 755 F. Supp. 1451 (W.D. Mo. 1991) (agency case among many litigation and arbitration cases stemming from a major reinsurance fraud)

Speeches and Publications

• Author: "5th Circuit Rules En Banc That Arbitration Treaty Trumps State Insurance Laws," Harris Martin Reinsurance Report, December 2009
• Program Chair, 2006 Defense Research Institute Life, Health, Disability & ERISA Claims Seminar, Washington, DC
• Speaker: "Class Action Arbitrations and Health and Disability Insurance Class Actions," August 2004 ABA Annual Meeting
• Co-Author: For the Defense, "Market Conduct Class Action Litigation," February 2003
• Speaker: "Current Issues Affecting Life, Health & Disability Class Actions," 2003 Defense Research Institute Life, Health & Disability Committee's Seminar, Chicago, IL
• Co-Author: The Brief, Summer 2000, "Discovery of Electronic Documents," reprinted in GP Solo, Summer 2001, The Best Articles Published by the ABA
• Co-Author: For the Defense, Aug. 2000, "Protecting Trade Secrets: Exploitation by Former Employees"