Timothy C. Earl is chair of Sullivan Hill’s Construction and Insurance practice group, and is an experienced litigation attorney practicing primarily in the areas of construction litigation, insurance coverage, and business litigation. His insurance coverage practice involves representation of policyholders and insurance companies in a variety of insurance coverage disputes primarily involving property damage or bodily injury arising out of construction defect and asbestos claims. He represents policyholders in declaratory relief and bad faith actions against insurers and has represented insurers in subrogation and contribution actions against other insurers.

Mr. Earl’s construction litigation practice primarily involves the representation of developers, architects, engineers, general contractors and subcontractors in both residential and commercial contexts, both in private and public work projects. He also represents sureties on various bond claims. He has handled numerous indemnity claims on behalf of developers and general contractors. Mr. Earl has also tried cases involving construction defect, bid protest and indemnity claims.

Mr. Earl’s business litigation practice involves the representation of numerous companies. He has represented limited partnerships involved in disputes over financing of the development of real estate, as well as disputes involving trade secrets, trademark infringement, unfair business practices, defamation, unfair competition, contractual disputes, business tort and fraud claims, and has defended companies and individuals in numerous SLAPP lawsuits involving claims of invasion of privacy, malicious prosecution, negligence, and other torts.

Mr. Earl has an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating by Martindale‐Hubbell and has been recognized as a 2021-2023 Top Rated Litigator by the Legal Leaders of ALM. He was also selected by his peers for inclusion in the 30th edition of Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Litigation – Construction. He was named a Super Lawyer in the area of Insurance Coverage in 2019-2023, a Top San Diego Lawyer in 2013-2023 by San Diego Magazine, and he was included in the 2022 Top 100 Leaders in Law by the San Diego Business Journal. He has also been named a Top Lawyer of Southern California in 2014-2018 by the LA Times, a Top San Diego Attorney in Insurance Coverage in 2015 by San Diego Daily Transcript, and has been recognized in the top 1% of The American Registry, “Best of the Best” for 2016.

Education

• University of San Diego School of Law, J.D., 1994
• University of California, Davis, B.A., 1991

Seminars and Courses:

• Co-Chair & Presenter, “Understanding Deductibles and Self-Insured Retentions,” The Seminar Group’s Insurance in Construction Industry Seminar, January 2023
• Panelist, “Risk Transfer, Two Sides to Every Story,” Association of Southern California Defense Counsel’s 2022 Construction Seminar, December 2022
• Panelist, “Wrap Policies Today: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,” 2021 West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminar, October 2021.
• Panelist, “Is It Safe to Get Back in the Water: COVID-19 Compliance and Claims for General Contractors in California and National Residential/Commercial Construction Projects,” CLM Construction Seminar, September 2021.
• Co-Chair & Presenter, “WRAP Insurance Live Webcast,” The Seminar Group, January 2021.
• Panelist, “Handling the Unique Challenges of WRAP/OCIP Policies,” Construction Defect Seminar, Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC) and the Construction Defect Claims Managers Association (CDCMA), December 2019.
• Panelist, “Unwrapped and Unraveled – An insightful (or inciteful?) play at the changing nature of the relationships between the parties in a wrap program who thought the wrap was supposed to take care of everything,” 25th Annual West Coast Casualty Conference, May 2018.
• Panelist, “Appellate Decisions in McMillin Management Services, L.P., et al. v. Financial Pacific Insurance Company, et al. and Pulte Home Corp. v. American Safety Indemnity Co.,” Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC), November 2017.
• Presenter, “Construction Law: Wrapping Your Head Around Wrap Policies,” AGC San Diego, November 2017.
• Panelist, “We Can Resolve Construction Defect Claims Early,” West Coast Casualty Seminar, May 2017.
• Program Chair, “Insurance in the Construction Industry,” The Seminar Group, March 2017.
• Presenter, “Insurance Archaeology – Raiders of the Lost Policies,” San Diego County Bar Association, May 2016.
• Panelist, “Known Loss Exclusions, Prior Loss Exclusions,” and “Insurance Broker Liability,” The Seminar Group, January 2016.
• Panelist, MC Consultants, Construction Litigation and Insurance Seminar, “Strategies for Case Resolution,” September 2015.
• Panelist, “Construction Defect Litigation & Coverage Issues (The Developer vs. GC/Sub-Contractor Cage Match),” MC Consultants West Region Construction Defect and Insurance Coverage Conference, September 2014.
• Panelist, “Duty to Settle,” Construction Law Section, Orange County Bar Association, August 2014.
• Panelist, “Duty to Settle,” The Seminar Group, March 2014.
• Panelist, “Additional Insured Endorsements, Legal & Practical Issues,” MC Consultants 19th Annual West Regional Const. Defect and Insurance Coverage Conference, September 2013.
• Panelist, “SB 800 – Is it Still Worth Fighting For?” Association of Southern California Defense Counsel and the Construction Defect Claims Managers Association, December 2013.
• Panelist, “Trends in Risk Transfer,” Construction Law and Insurance Sections of the San Diego County Bar Association, August 2012.
• Panelist, “Wrapping Your Brain Around the Emerging Coverage Issues in Construction Defect Cases,” Construction Law Section, Orange County Bar Association, August 2012.
• Panelist, “Yellow Brass Submarine,” West Coast Casualty Conference, May 2012.
• Panelist, “Uncertainty for Trade Contractors – Wrap Programs,” West Coast Casualty Conference, May 2006.
• Panelist, “Wrap Insurance Seminar,” Professional Association of Specialty Contractors Southern California Meeting, February 2004.
• Panelist, “Creative Strategies for Handling Construction Defect Claims in California,” Lorman Education Services, September 2003.
• Panelist, “Creative Strategies for Handling Construction Defect Claims in California,” Lorman Education Services, September 2002.
• Presenter, “California Law for Design Professionals,” Lorman Education Services, September 2002.
• Panelist, “California Law for Design Professionals,” Lorman Education Services, September 2001.
• Panelist, “Construction Litigation in California,” Lorman Education Services, July 2001.
• Panelist, “California Law for Design Professionals,” Lorman Education Services, August 2000.

Representative Matters:

• Centex Golden Const. Co. v. Dale Tile Company, 78 Cal. App. 4^th 992 (2000).

Mr. Earl was admitted to the California State Bar in 1994, he is admitted to practice before all courts of the State of California as well as the United States District Court for the Central, Northern and Southern Districts. He was also admitted to the Washington State Bar in 2020. Mr. Earl is a fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America. He is a member of Trial Law Institute, Diversity Law Institute, American Bar Association, San Diego County Bar Association, Building Industry Association of San Diego, and Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.

Sullivan Hill Attorneys Selected For Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch® in America

Sullivan Hill Attorneys Attend 2023 West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminar

Sullivan Hill Attorneys Selected as 2023 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

Ten Sullivan Hill Attorneys Named 2023 Top Lawyers in San Diego

Timothy Earl is Program Co-Chair and Speaker for The Seminar Group's "Insurance in the Construction Industry" Seminar

Timothy Earl to be a Panelist at the ASCDC 2022 Construction Defect Seminar

Timothy Earl and Gary Rudolph Named to Top 100 Leaders in Law By San Diego Business Journal

Sullivan Hill Attorneys Attend 2022 West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminar

Twelve Sullivan Hill Attorneys Recognized as "2022 Top Lawyers" by San Diego Magazine

Sullivan Hill Attorneys Selected as 2022 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

Timothy Earl to Present at the 2021 West Coast Casualty's Construction Defect Seminar

Sullivan Hill Attorneys Selected as 2021 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

Eleven Sullivan Hill Attorneys Recognized as “2021 Top Lawyers” by San Diego Magazine

Shareholder Timothy Earl to Present Live Webcast Program on WRAP Insurance

Shareholder Tim Earl to be a Panelist at the Virtual 2020 CLM Construction Conference

Congratulations to Attorneys Timothy Earl and Yaniv Newman!

Sullivan Hill Attorneys Selected as 2020 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

Does Business Interruption Insurance Cover COVID-19 Related Business Shutdowns in California?

Sullivan Hill Attorneys Listed 2020 “Top Lawyers” by San Diego Magazine

Shareholder Timothy Earl is a Panelist for the 2019 Construction Defect Seminar Jointly Presented by ASCDC and CDCMA