Wellford, Alexander W.

Matthew joins Marshall Dennehey as a member of the Casualty Department concentrating his practice in the areas of Admiralty and Maritime Law, Aviation, Personal Injury, Products Liability, Transportation Law, Insurance and Commercial Litigation

Matt has been litigating cases in the Courts of New York for over 15 years.  He has handled cases involving all aspects of maritime law, aviation and transportation as well as insurance coverage and bad faith issues.  He has prosecuted subrogation claims and defended major air and ocean carriers as well as forwarders and logistic providers in claims.

Matt has represented major airlines and logistic companies involving claims for loss and damage in both United States domestic and international carriage.  He has also represented insurers in marine insurance cases involving coverage issues and bad faith claims in the Courts of New York, California and Rhode Island.

Matt graduated from the Tulane University Law School in 1988.  After practicing law in Los Angeles, California in the early 1990s, he returned to New York City where he still practices today.  He is admitted to the Courts in California and New York.

Significant Representative Matters:

• Nippon Fire & Marine Insurance Co. v. Skyway Freight Systems, Inc., 235 F.3d 53 (2d Cir. 2000) 
  Represented an airline in this case for loss of cargo while being transported by truck under an air waybill domestically across the United States.  In making a groundbreaking holding in the Circuit, the Court agreed with the airline and held that both domestic truck and air transport moving under an air waybill were governed by federal common law and that federal common law was a basis for federal jurisdiction.

• Republic National Bank of New York v. Delta Air Lines, 263 F.3d 42 (2d Cir. 2001)
  Successfully broke the airline's limitation of liability under the Warsaw Convention for the loss of 1 million dollars in cash during air carriage from New York to Russia.