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312-281-3627
jjeffery@cmn-law.com
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JOSEPH R. JEFFERY

PARTNER

 

Joe is a Member of Chittenden, Murday & Novotny LLC whose practice combines substantial litigation experience with deep substantive knowledge of life, health, and disability insurance and ERISA.  He represents insurers and other clients nationwide in complex disputes before trial and appellate courts and in arbitrations before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).  He also advises life, health, and disability insurers on regulatory compliance issues affecting their products and operations.

Joe pairs that knowledge and experience with a practical understanding of the business and regulatory considerations that underlie his clients’ disputes.  His practice encompasses individual and complex litigation involving insurance and ERISA, as well as commercial disputes involving securities, employment, and other business matters.

Joe has written extensively on insurance and ERISA law.  He is co-editor and chapter author of a national survey of the law governing misrepresentation in life, health, and disability insurance applications, and is a frequent speaker at national conferences on developments in insurance, ERISA, and related areas of law.

EDUCATION

University of Iowa, Bachelor of Arts, 1992
Saint Louis University, Juris Doctor, cum laude, 1996

ADMISSIONS

Joe is admitted to practice in Illinois and Missouri. He is a member of the Trial Bar for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and is admitted to practice before the following federal courts where he represents clients:

  • United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
  • United States District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois
  • United States District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana
  • United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan
  • United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri
  • United States District Court for the District of Oregon
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the District of Columbia
  • United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin

Life, Health, Disability, & ERISA Litigation

  • Defended clients in complex ERISA disputes involving life, health, disability, and pension claims in the individual and class action contexts.
  • Represented insurers and financial services companies in all manner of ERISA fiduciary litigation disputes.
  • Prosecuted insurance fraud claims against medical providers, hospitals, and various types of out-patient medical facilities on behalf of health insurance clients.
  • Represented clients in stop-loss coverage disputes involving health-insurance carriers, self-funded employee benefit plans, and third-party plan administrators.

Employment Litigation & Consulting

  • Prosecuted actions on behalf of clients for breach of confidentiality, non-solicitation, non-compete, and non-pirating provisions.
  • Defended and prosecuted actions involving misappropriation of trade secrets, conspiracy, tortious interference with contract, tortious interference with prospective economic advantage, and other business-related torts.
  • Defended and prosecuted actions asserting claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and Americans with Disability Act (ADA).

Financial Services Litigation

  • Defended broker-dealers and registered representatives in lawsuits and arbitrations asserting suitability claims, and claims for negligent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duties, negligent hiring, negligent supervision, violations of state and federal securities laws, fraud, securities fraud, and RICO.
  • Defended broker-dealers and registered representatives in lawsuits and arbitrations concerning the sale of registered and unregistered securities, including securitized tenant-in-common interests, hedge funds, limited liability interests, variable annuities, and mutual funds.

Regulatory

  • Provided advisory services to clients to ensure compliance with state laws governing the underwriting and sale of group life, health, and disability insurance products for employers and associations.
  • Consulted with clients interested in establishing and operating Preferred Provider Arrangements and Health Maintenance Organizations in Illinois and other states.
  • Worked to ensure clients’ compliance with federal and state laws related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the establishment and operation of discounted health care services plans and wellness benefit programs.

Joe has written and presented extensively on developments in the law governing life, health, and disability insurance and ERISA. A selection of his articles and presentations appears below.

  • Co-author, Recent Developments in Health Insurance, Life Insurance and Disability Insurance Law, Tort Trial & Ins. Prac. L.J. (2013-Present).
  • Panel Speaker, Annuities: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask, DRI Life, Health, Disability and ERISA Seminar, April 2026, Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Panel Speaker, Ethics in 30(b)(6) Depositions: Examining the Ethical Questions and Challenges of Preparing for and Defending the Rule 30(b)(6) Deposition, ABA TIPS Midwinter Symposium on Employee Benefits, ERISA, Life, Health, Disability, and Insurance Regulation, February 2025, San Diego, California.
  • Joseph R. Jeffery, A Course Correction for Analyzing Claims of Tortious Interference with At-Will Contracts: Abandoning a Line of Illinois Decisions Founded on a Mistake, 29 Ill. Bus. L.J. 5 (Summer 2024).
  • Joseph R. Jeffery, All in the Family: Does the Use of an Applicant’s Family History of Diseases or Disorders in Life Insurance Underwriting Violate Illinois’ Genetic Information Privacy Act?, For the Defense, Apr. 2024, at 27.
  • Panel Speaker, Life Insurance Law Update: The DOL Aims to Put an End to Fiduciary Finger Pointing in Supplemental Group Life Disputes, ABA TIPS Midwinter Symposium on Employee Benefits, ERISA, Life, Health, Disability, and Insurance Regulation, February 2024, San Diego, California.
  • Co-editor and a chapter author, Misrepresentation in the Life, Health, and Disability Insurance Application Process: A National Survey (Joseph M. Hamilton and Joseph R. Jeffery eds., 2022).
  • Co-presenter, Accidental Death Claims & Opioids, Eastern Claims Conference (March 23, 2021).
  • Moderator, Accidental Death – Legalized Marijuana, the Opioid Epidemic, and Coverage Exclusions, American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section’s 46th Annual Symposium on Insurance and Employee Benefits, January 16-18, 2020, Austin, Texas.
  • Co-author, New Appleman on Insurance Law Library Edition, Chp. 93A Long-Term Care Insurance (2017).
  • Co-presenter, The ERISA Preemption Clause and Gobeille, American Conference Institute, 13th National Forum on ERISA Litigation, Oct. 27, 2016.
  • Author, Interpreting the Sounds of Congress’ Silence: Is A Fiduciary Entitled to Contribution or Indemnity from ERISA Co-Fiduciaries?, For the Defense, December 2015, 39-44.
  • Co-author, The Fiduciary Exception to the Attorney-Client Privilege in ERISA Litigation, The Voice, Vol. 24, Issue 4 (April 28, 2015).