Summer Simmons

Associate

Phone: (817) 635-7303

Fax: (817) 635-7308

Email: summer.simmons@mhllp.com

Office: DALLAS/FT. WORTH

Summer Simmons specializes in complex commercial litigation, with a focus on insurance and financial services litigation. Summer has represented financial service companies in matters involving welfare benefit and defined benefit pension plans, coverage disputes, beneficiary disputes, bad faith insurance claims, breach of contract, and actions relating to the secondary market of life and annuity products. She has been victorious on numerous dispositive motions, allowing her clients to escape the unnecessary costs of protracted litigation. Summer also has considerable appellate experience and has contributed to briefs and responses in Texas’s Fifth Court of Appeals and other state appellate courts.

While in law school, Summer served as the Associate Managing Editor of the SMU International Law Review Association, served as co-director of the mentor program, and chaired the Public Service Committee. Prior to joining MH, Summer gained litigation experience at a Dallas commercial litigation firm.

Outside of the office, Summer enjoys experimenting with new cooking techniques and recipes, exploring state and national parks with her husband and son, and renovating her 65-year-old house.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
  • Obtained reversal of an order approving a structured settlement transfer in the first Texas appellate decision to interpret Section 916 of the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. In re Great Plains Mgmt. Corp., No. 04-21-00110-CV, 2022 WL 2960228, at *4 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2022).
  • Acts as national counsel for some of the nation’s largest insurers in actions relating to secondary market transactions of life and annuity products and structured settlement annuities, including successfully arguing issues of industry-wide significance at the appellate level.
  • Obtained a unanimous jury verdict in federal court in favor of a life insurance company in a case seeking accidental death benefits under a group life insurance policy. Ortiz v. ReliaStar Life Insurance Company, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division.
  • Obtained a unanimous decision by the Kentucky Supreme Court denying the attempted secondary sale of workers’ compensation structured settlement annuity, in violation of state and federal laws. American General Life Insurance Company, et al. v. DRB Capital, LLC, et al., 562 S.W.3d 916, 929 (Ky. 2018).
  • Obtained dismissal with prejudice through demurrer of claims against annuity issuer alleging negligence, negligent misrepresentation, and rescission based on the issuance of a life-benefits-only annuity as part of a personal injury settlement package, affirmed by the California Court of Appeal. Case No. B276316; Benjamin Ramirez v. American General Life Ins. Company, et al., in the California Court of Appeals, Second District.
  • Obtained dismissal on special appearance of all claims against foreign insurance entities alleged to have voluntarily participated in fraudulent investment scheme, affirmed by the Texas Courts of Appeal. Cause No. 05-16-00286-CV; Gail Friend, et al. v Acadia Holding Corp., et al., in the Court of Appeals, Fifth District of Texas at Dallas.
ADMISSIONS
  • Texas
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
EDUCATION
  • SMU Dedman School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2013
  • Southern Methodist University, B.A., Political Science, Phi Beta Kappa, 2008
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