John D. Mereness

John D. Mereness
Denver, Colorado

Partner
Phone	303-333-1957
Fax	303-377-3460
Email	John Mereness

 

Mr. Mereness most recently became a shareholder at Giometti & Mereness P.C. John Mereness was born in Montana and attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1993. Three years later he obtained his J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas with honors in 1996.

John began his legal career in Texas from 1996-2001, focusing his litigation practice in insurance defense (including auto, trucking, and oil and gas injury and death cases), insurance coverage, and construction disputes. John and his family moved to Colorado in 2001 where he continued his practice focus upon construction disputes (including arbitrations lasting 5 weeks), mechanic’s lien disputes, surety claims, insurance defense litigation, coverage and bad faith litigation, as well as construction contract negotiations, and is a member in good standing with the American Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association and the Denver Bar Association.

John has a strong and proven background in construction disputes and commercial litigation, and has successfully negotiated numerous multi-million dollar business critical contracts well in excess of $100 million. John also has a notable background with jury and bench trials, and has been a vital asset in resolving complex multi-million dollar arbitrations. He has published appellate cases in Texas, Colorado, and Virginia, and given construction and insurance speeches in Las Vegas, Nevada. When not at work, John and his family take advantage of the many great activities offered by Colorado’s great outdoors, especially fly-fishing.

Year Joined Organization:

2014

Areas of Practice:

Civil Litigation

Construction Litigation

Construction – Transactional

Surety Litigation (including performance, payment, and fidelity bonds)

Bodily Injury Litigation

Wrongful Death Litigation

Insurance Coverage (Transactional and Litigation)

Insurance Bad Faith Litigation

Fire Cases

Premises Liability

Speeches and Presentations:

          Lorman Education Services, “Insurance and Construction Disputes,” February 2006 (Las Vegas, NV)

Construction Defect Seminar for Nevada Law

“AI’s, Occurences, and Bears, Oh My. A Survey of Trends and Strategies,” “Another Ethics Speech,” “Cross Examination of Insurance Adjusters”

Lorman, Las Vegas, NV, June 2007.

          Loss Executives Association, “Cutting Edge Issues in Commercial Property Claims and Litigation,” June 2016 (Atlanta, GA)

          Authored ten appeals with multiple oral arguments in Texas, Colorado, and Virginia

Bar Admissions:

Texas, 1996

Colorado, 2002

US District Court, District of Colorado, 2002

US District Court, Western District of Texas, Western Division, 1996

US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 2000

US Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 2015

Pro Hac Vice Appearances:

New Mexico, Virginia

Education:

St. Mary’s University School of Law, San Antonio, Texas, 1996 – J.D.

Honors: Phi Delta Phi Honor Fraternity

Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, 1993 – B.A.

Major: History, with Environmental Studies Minor

Professional Associations and Memberships:

American Bar Association

Colorado Bar Association

Denver Bar Association

Texas Bar Association

Publications:

            Recent Developments in Insurance Coverage Law, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal, Vol. 52, No. 2, Winter 2017.    

Published and Unpublished Court Decisions:

             Colorado Federal Court:

Brookshire Downs at Heatherridge Condominium Associates, Inc. v. Owners Insurance Company, 2019 WL 1228060 (D. Colo., March 15, 2019).

Brookshire Downs at Heatherridge Condominium Associates, Inc. v. Owners Insurance Company, 366 F. Supp.3d 1224, 2019 WL 764480 (D. Colo., February 21, 2019).

Quail Run II Association Inc. v. American Alternative Insurance Corp, 2019 WL 399231 (D. Colo., January 31, 2019).

Markham v. Auto-Owners Insurance Company, 2018 WL 6791106 (D. Colo., September 26, 2018).

Hiland Hills Townhouse Owners Association, Inc. v. Owners Insurance Company, 2018 WL 4537192 (D. Colo., September 20, 2018).

Nesavich, v. Auto-Owners Insurance Company, 2018 WL 3729513 (D. Colo., August 6, 2018).

Brookshire Downs at Heatherridge Condominium Associates, Inc. v. Owners Insurance Company, 324 F. Supp.3d. 1201, 2018 WL 3633488 (D. Colo., July 31, 2018).

Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Csaszar, 893 F.3d 729, 2018 WL 3029155 (10^th Cir. June 19, 2018).

Hiland Hills Townhouse Owners Association, Inc. v. Owners Insurance Company, 2018 WL 1993423 (D. Colo., April 27, 2018).

William Penn Realty, LLC v. Auto-Owners Insurance Company, 2018 WL 1449412 (D. Colo., January 9, 2018).

Cherry Grove East II Condo. Ass’n, Inc. v. Philadelphia Indem. Ins. Company, et. al, 2017 WL 6945038 (D. Colo. December 20, 2017).

Auto-Owners Insurance Company v. Unruh, 2017 WL 5130199, (D. Colo., November 6, 2017).

Hiland Hills Townhouse Owners Association, Inc. v. Owners Insurance Company, 2017 WL 4837836 (D. Colo., October 26, 2017).

Snyder v. Acord Corporation, et. al, 684 Fed.Appx.710, 2017 WL 1279032 (10^th Cir. April 6, 2017).

Murphy-Sims v. Owners Ins. Co., 2017 WL 2865679 (D. Colo., March 17, 2017).

Pinewood Townhome Ass’n., Inc. v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., 2017 WL 590294 (D. Colo. February 13, 2017).

Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Csaszar, 2017 WL 5188338 (D. Colo. January 26, 2017).

PB Property Holdings, LLC v. Auto-Owners Insurance Company, 2017 WL 7726696 (D. Colo., January 26, 2017).

Pinewood Townhome Ass’n., Inc. v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., 2017 WL 131798 (D. Colo. January 13, 2017).

PB Property Holdings, LLC v. Auto-Owners Insurance Company, 2016 WL 9415215 (D. Colo., October 19, 2016).

Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Summit Park Townhome Ass’n, 198 F.Supp.3d 1239 (D. Colo. August 01, 2016).

Snyder v. Acord Corporation, 2016 WL 9735141 (D. Colo., July 6, 2016).

Dillon v. Auto-Owners Insurance Company, 2016 WL 943775 (D. Colo., March 14, 2016).

Snyder v. ACORD Corporation, 2016 WL 192270 (D. Colo., January 15, 2016).

Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Summit Park Townhome Ass’n, 129 F.Supp.3d 1150, 2015 WL 5284704 (D. Colo. September 10, 2015).

FDIC v.  Kansas Bankers Surety Co., 2015 WL 4882496 (D. Colo. August 17, 2015).

FDIC v.  Kansas Bankers Surety Co., 105 F.Supp.3d 1234 (D. Colo. May 21, 2015).

Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Summit Park Townhome Ass’n, 100 F.Supp.3d 1099, 2015 WL 1740818 (D. Colo. April 14, 2015).

Bagher v. Auto-Owners Insurance Company, 2015 WL 1408539 (D. Colo., March 25, 2015).

FDIC v.  Kansas Bankers Surety Co., 2014 WL 943110 (D. Colo. March 11, 2014).

EMC Ins. Co. v. Mid-Continent Cas. Co., 884 F.Supp.2d 1147, 2012 WL 3150528 (D. Colo. August 2, 2012).

EMC Ins. Co. v. Mid-Continent Cas. Co., 2012 WL 4668453 (D. Colo. October 3, 2012).

               Colorado State Court:

Collins v. State of Colorado,  2017 WL 3912761 (Colo. App. September 7, 2017).

Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. 4320 Morrison, LLC, 2016 WL 6104337 (Colo. App. October 6, 2016).

Cotton Creek Circles, LLC v. Rio Grande Water Conservation Dist., 218 P.3d 1098, 2009 WL 3337685 (Colo. 2009).

BFN-Greeley, LLC v. Adair Group, Inc., 141 P.3d 937 2006 WL 871577 (Colo. App. 2006).

             Texas State Court:

Teal Const. Company/Hillside Villas Ltd. v. Darren Casey Interests, Inc., 46 S.W.3d 417, 2001 WL 420605 (Tex. App.- Dallas 2001).

Benitz v. Gould Group, 27 S.W.3d 109, 2000 WL 918125 (Tex. App.- San Antonio 2000).

Gonzales v. Willis, 995 S.W.2d 729, 1999 WL 238897 (Tex. App.- San Antonio 1999).

Howard v. Fiesta Texas Show Park, Inc., 980 S.W.2d 716, 1998 WL 484692 (Tex. App.- San Antonio 1998).

McClure v. Landis, 959 S.W.2d 679, 1997 WL 702911 (Tex. App- Austin, 1997).

            Virginia Supreme Court:

Cotton Creek Circles, LLC v. San Luis Valley Water Co., 279 Va. 320, 689 S.E.2d 675 (Va. 2010).

Past Employment Positions:

Texas

Johnson Curney & Fields

Colorado

Fisher, Sweetbaum, & Levin (associate)

Hustead Law Firm (partner)

Kamlet Shepherd Reichert (partner)

Holme Roberts & Owen/Bryan Cave (senior counsel)

Gifford Stevens (special counsel)

Birth Information:

1971, Miles City, Montana