Michael D. Alper

Michael Alper focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, with particular emphasis on insurance disputes and consumer class actions.  Mr. Alper has represented clients in connection with a broad range of insurance and consumer matters including the following:

• Represented an insurance company in a putative class action lawsuit seeking reformation of all of the client's Colorado automobile insurance policies to provide unlimited lifetime medical and wage-loss payments to all insureds who ever made a claim for no-fault benefits.  After defeating the plaintiffs' attempt to certify a class, the remaining individual claims settled very favorably.
• Represented insurance companies in numerous lawsuits alleging bad faith breach of the insurance contract, including cases involving catastrophic injuries.
• Won summary judgment in U.S. District Court on all claims against WTO's client, from whom an industrial equipment supplier had sought additional insured coverage and indemnity payments to cover liability for serious burn injuries suffered by an equipment operator. The case involved the complex interplay of primary insurance policies, excess policies, and contractual indemnity provisions.
• Represented reinsureds and reinsurers in reinsurance disputes.
• Successfully represented a diagnostic testing company against class action allegations following a high-profile Hepatitis outbreak at a hospital, and obtained a complete dismissal of all claims without any settlement payment by WTO's client.
• Represented a defendant in a lawsuit alleging errors in antibiotic susceptibility testing that allegedly caused the plaintiff's doctor to prescribe incorrect medications. 
• Represented commercial landlords and tenants in lease disputes, including the prosecution of actions to terminate leases and the defense of a lawsuit for alleged damage to a large industrial recycling facility.
• Defended consumer lawsuits under California Business and Professions Code § 17200, including cases involving allegations that a title insurance company allegedly retained "secret interest" on escrow deposits, failed to escheat unclaimed property to the state, and charged customers for services it did not perform or which cost far less than the amount charged.
• Represented a major oil and gas company in a wrongful death lawsuit arising from an accident occurring on an oil rig owned by the company.
• Represents clients in appellate matters in both state and federal courts of appeals.

Other Experience
Pillsbury Winthrop, LLP (formerly Pillsbury Madison & Sutro)

Community Memberships Activities, and Honors
Denver Urban Debate League
    Advisory Board, 2012

Personal Interests
Ice hockey
Scuba diving
Travel
Foreign languages