Eugene Robert Anderson (October 24, 1927 – July 30, 2010) was an American trial lawyer who developed creative solutions to require

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

companies to cover commercial claims related to

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

exposure and pollution, years after the original

policies Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an organ ...

had been issued.

Early life

Anderson was born on October 24, 1927, in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. As the child of a single mother who was frequently disabled, Anderson lived at various times in

orphanages An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abu ...

and

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family mem ...

.Holm, Erik; and Scism, Leslie
"Lawyer Who Pioneered Liability Coverage for Companies Dies at 82"
''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', August 2, 2010. Accessed August 2, 2010. He worked to pay for his

college education Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

and graduated from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. While

hitchhiking Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads hav ...

cross country, he was picked up one day by a lawyer who helped him gain admission to

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

. He received an LL.M. degree from

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

.Eugene R. Anderson
Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C. Accessed August 2, 2010.

Legal career

He worked his way up to partner at the law firm of

Chadbourne & Parke Chadbourne & Parke LLP, founded in 1902 by Thomas L. Chadbourne, was a 400 lawyer firm, which operated from 12 offices, in ten countries. Chadbourne was probably best known for its global practice in project finance and energy, international ...

, but left to become an Assistant

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the Southern District under

Robert M. Morgenthau Robert Morris Morgenthau ( ; July 31, 1919July 21, 2019) was an American lawyer. From 1975 until his retirement in 2009, he was the District Attorney for New York County (the borough of Manhattan), having previously served as United States Atto ...

. He started his own practice in 1969, which was ultimately known as Anderson Kill & Olick.Walsh, Mary Williams
"Eugene Anderson, Lawyer and Innovator, Dies at 82"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', August 2, 2010. Accessed August 2, 2010. Anderson represented companies that had been the targets of lawsuits by individuals claiming that they had been exposed to material like asbestos or

toxic waste Toxic waste is any unwanted material in all forms that can cause harm (e.g. by being inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin). Mostly generated by industry, consumer products like televisions, computers, and phones contain toxic chemi ...

, who often became ill and filed claims many years after they had first come into contact with the material. Companies that tried to make claims to cover their costs found that business insurers would pass the buck. A company that had used different insurers over the years would find that firms would say that the insurer who should be responsible was either the one who insured the company when the individual was exposed, or the one that was the insurer when the person became ill, or the one who provided coverage when the person filed suit or sought coverage. Each insurer would point the finger at the other and no one company would accept responsibility. In lawsuits filed on behalf of corporations, Anderson helped establish the principle in federal appellate court of the "triple trigger", which would allow a company to be covered at any of the points where an individual was either exposed, turned ill or filed a claim. A resident of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, Anderson died at

NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools, Cornell University and Columbia University. The hospital comprises seven distinct campuses located in the New Y ...

Weill Cornell Medical Center Weill Cornell Medical Center (previously known as New York Hospital or Old New York Hospital or City Hospital) is a research hospital in New York City. It is part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the teaching hospital for Cornell University. ...

at age 82 on July 30, 2010, due to

double pneumonia Pneumonia can be classified in several ways, most commonly by where it was acquired (hospital versus community), but may also by the area of lung affected or by the causative organism. There is also a combined clinical classification, which combi ...

. He was survived by his wife, a son and three grandsons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Eugene 1927 births 2010 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in New York City Harvard Law School alumni New York University School of Law alumni Lawyers from Manhattan Lawyers from Portland, Oregon University of California, Los Angeles alumni 20th-century American lawyers