Chapman, Popik & White

Carol D. Quackenbos
Partner

PRACTICE AREAS
Business Litigation, Civil Rights & Public Interest, Professional Liability

Carol Quackenbos is a partner who joined Chapman, Popik & White in 1996. She specializes in legal research and analysis for trials and appeals in all the firm's practice areas. This includes researching and preparing motions for summary judgment and summary adjudication, motions in limine, jury instructions, trial briefs, post-trial motions, and appellate briefs and motions. Ms. Quackenbos recently helped prepare successful appellate briefs in the three landmark insurance coverage/bad faith cases arising out of Hurricane Katrina, resulting in rulings by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the client-insurer’s water damage exclusion in Louisiana and Mississippi and reversing a $1 million punitive damages award against the client. She was also extensively involved in pre- and post-trial motion practice before the federal district courts in Hurricane Katrina cases.

Prior to joining CPW, Ms. Quackenbos was a litigator with a major New York law firm where she handled a complex civil and criminal practice in federal and state courts at the trial and appellate level. She also taught lawyering skills at Fordham University School of Law.

During her career, Ms. Quackenbos has done substantial work for nonprofit organizations, and has volunteered her time to the SSI for Children with Disabilities Project and the Volunteer Legal Services Program.

Ms. Quackenbos received her bachelor of arts in Spanish Literature, cum laude, from Barnard College, Columbia University, in 1979. She obtained her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 1984, where she was a moot court finalist and a member of the International Law Journal. After graduating from law school, she was a law clerk for the Honorable Inzer B. Wyatt in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Representative Cases

Obtained declaratory judgment that client-insurer had no duty to defend or indemnify breach of contract actions against homeowners’ association under its directors' and officers’ liability coverage.
Helped prepare pre- and post-trial motions on behalf of former public employee in successful civil rights action against public entity and one of its directors, resulting in substantial award of compensatory and punitive damages.
Helped prepare in limine motions and jury instructions in successful action against client’s former employer for unlawful retaliation and other claims, resulting in substantial award of compensatory and punitive damages.
Helped prepare pre- and post-trial motions in successful action for trade secret misappropriation against client-insurer’s former employees arising out of theft of confidential policyholder information.
Helped prepare successful post-trial motion on behalf of civil rights plaintiff to reinstate jury's award of punitive damages against police officer for use of excessive force.

CONTACT
phone: (415) 352-3000
direct: (415) 277-9009
fax: (415) 352-3030
cquackenbos@chapop.com