Matthew W. Beato
Partner
Overview
Matt Beato is a member of Tyka’s Management Committee. He represents insurers in their most complex, high-stakes coverage disputes. As lead counsel in numerous coverage cases in trial and appellate courts, he has repeatedly delivered the early, case-ending wins insurers prize most—dismissals and summary judgments defeating coverage—and defended them on appeal. Law360 has recognized him as a “Rising Star” in insurance.
As often as he is in court, Matt also serves as day-to-day coverage and monitoring counsel, advising insurers on claims as they are reported. Matt’s practice spans the full range of liability insurance coverage. He is a go-to advocate in directors and officers and management liability disputes; in financial-institution professional liability, including policies issued to banks, investment advisers, and investment companies; and in the market’s fastest-evolving exposures—transactional liability, cyber, privacy and data breach, and technology claims—along with errors and omissions and general liability coverage.
-
- Argued and won summary judgment for a D&O insurer on all counts—including breach of contract and bad faith—in Wyoming federal court, holding that an insured v. insured exclusion relieved the insurer of any duty to defend a shareholder class action brought by a former director. Tri County Tel. Ass’n, Inc. v. Twin City Fire Ins. Co., No. 24-cv-274 (D. Wyo. Jan. 12, 2026).
- Argued and won summary judgment for an excess D&O insurer in the Delaware Superior Court’s Complex Commercial Litigation Division, exiting the client from coverage litigation over securities and consumer class actions involving more than $40 million in underlying settlements. Benefytt Techs., Inc. v. Capitol Specialty Ins. Corp., 2025 WL 84701 (Del. Super. Ct. Jan. 6, 2025).
- Secured dismissal with prejudice for a general liability insurer in Florida federal court, holding that professional-services exclusion barred a forensic firm’s attempt to collect on a judgment arising from faulty DNA analysis. Speckin Forensics, LLC v. Twin City Fire Ins. Co., 2025 WL 2598396 (S.D. Fla. Aug. 8, 2025).
- Obtained dismissal with prejudice of a competing insurer’s contribution suit in New York federal court, in a decision that served to reinforce clean and clear rules for priority of coverage amongst insurance carriers. Zurich Ins. Co. Ltd. (UK Branch) v. XL Specialty Ins. Co., No. 24-cv-8342 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 11, 2026).
- Secured summary judgment for insurer in Tennessee federal court on the grounds that a specific entity exclusion applied to a lawsuit against the insured alleging a conflict of interest based on its affiliation with the excluded entity, and argued the successful appeal before the Sixth Circuit. CapWealth Advisors, LLC v. Twin City Fire Ins. Co., 665 F. Supp. 3d 862 (M.D. Tenn. 2023), aff’d, 2024 WL 1134647 (6th Cir. 2024).
- Defeated a policyholder’s motion to remand in intellectual property infringement coverage litigation, securing a published decision that the insurer’s removal was timely and preserving the federal forum. Broadhead, LLC v. AXIS Ins. Co., 711 F. Supp. 3d 1083 (D. Minn. 2024).
- Argued and secured favorable rulings for cyber insurers in cutting-edge coverage litigation arising from website “session-replay” and wiretap-based privacy suits against a software company, establishing that the insurer had no duty to defend or indemnify the majority of the underlying actions and defeating the policyholder’s bid to remand. FullStory, Inc. v. North American Capacity Ins. Co., 2023 WL 8125775 (C.D. Cal. 2023).
- Represented an excess D&O insurer and contributed to the insurer group’s appellate briefing in the Fourth Circuit’s landmark decision holding that the “bump-up” provision barred coverage for the Towers Watson/Willis merger settlements. Towers Watson & Co. v. National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa., 67 F.4th 648 (4th Cir. 2023).
- Obtained dismissal of coverage litigation in Delaware federal court that insured’s failure to provide timely notice under claims-made-and-reported policy precluded coverage and that “notice-prejudice” rule did not apply. Georgian Am. Alloys, Inc. v. AXIS Ins. Co., 1-20-cv-01634-LPS (D. Del. Apr. 12, 2021), aff’d, 2022 WL 3971584 (3d Cir. 2022).
- Obtained dismissal of coverage litigation in Delaware state court asserting that an appraisal action under Del. Gen. Corp. Law § 262 was brought “for” a Wrongful Act as required by a D&O liability policy. Jarden, LLC v. ACE Am. Ins. Co., No. CVN20C0311, 2021 WL 3280495 (Del. Super. Ct. July 30, 2021), aff’d, 273 A.3d 752 (Del. 2022).
- Argued and won summary judgment in California state court that the insured v. insured exclusion precluded coverage for a shareholder derivative action. International Walls Inc. fka Art.com, Inc. v. Allied World Assurance Co. (U.S.) Inc., CGC-20-587590 (Cal. Super Ct. Nov. 1, 2021).
- Won dismissal of coverage litigation for insurer in decision holding that policyholder’s “non-specific,” “boiler-plate” notice of potential claim was insufficient as a matter of law to provide notice of an unmentioned $610 million settlement proposal from the U.S. Department of Justice concerning a False Claims Act investigation. First Horizon Nat’l Corp. v. Houston Cas. Co., No. 15-cv-2235-SHL-dkv, 2017 WL 2954716 (W.D. Tenn. June 23, 2017), aff’d 742 F. App’x 905 (6th Cir. 2018).
- Obtained multiple successful discovery-related rulings for insurer on issues relating to reserves, reinsurance, privilege, work product, compliance with procedural requirements, and discovery regarding claims against other policyholders. First Horizon Nat’l Corp. v. Houston Cas. Co., No. 15-cv-2235-SHL-dkv, 2016 WL 5869580 (W.D. Tenn. Oct. 5, 2016) & 2016 WL 5867268 (W.D. Tenn. Oct. 5, 2016) & 2017 WL 3252238 (W.D. Tenn. Mar. 6, 2017).
- Obtained summary judgment in Florida federal district court that employment practices liability insurer had no duty to defend or indemnify a licensing action involving a dentist alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct with sedated minor patients. Turbyfill v. Scottsdale Indem. Co., 3:14-cv-283, 2016 WL 741657 (N.D. Fla. Feb. 24, 2016).
- Obtained summary judgment in Florida federal district court in favor of general liability insurer that it had no duty to indemnify an underlying personal injury matter because of a pollution exclusion. Shaw v. Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co., No. 6:15-CV-686-ORL-TBS, 2016 WL 561409 (M.D. Fla. Feb. 12, 2016).
- Successfully represented insurer in Florida state court in case involving late notice under claims-made-and-reported policies. Close Construction LLC v. Greenwich Insurance Co., 2014CA344 (Fla. Cir. Ct.).
- Represented two insurance industry trade associations participating as amici curiae before the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court in one of the first data breach-related insurance coverage cases to reach an appellate court. Zurich Am. Ins. Co. v. Sony Corp. of Am., 651982/11 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. App. Div.).
-
- Best Lawyers | “Ones to Watch” in Insurance Law (2023-2027)
- Law360 | Rising Star in Insurance (2023)
- Legal 500 US | “Recommended Lawyer” Insurance: Advice to Insurers (2022-2023)
- Business Insurance | Break Out Award (2022)
-
- Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., magna cum laude
- Georgetown Law Journal, executive notes editor
- College of William & Mary, B.A.
- Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., magna cum laude