Alleged Legal Missteps
NOVA’s complaint reads like a checklist of mismanagement. The insurer accuses Hall Booth and Bristol of:
-
Skipping discovery and failing to attend a pre-arbitration hearing.
-
Withholding case details until the first day of arbitration.
-
Missing deadlines for filing exhibits and witness lists.
-
Ignoring strategy discussions, including using an expert witness and Savannah Police interviews that could have supported Quickshot’s defense.
These failures, NOVA argues, amounted to legal malpractice, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty.
$9.9M Judgment and Fallout
The alleged bungling culminated in a $9.9 million judgment against Quickshot—bonded by NOVA—along with another $200,000 in expenses. NOVA says it has now spent more than $10.1 million cleaning up what it calls its former legal team’s errors.
To make matters worse, Quickshot pointed to NOVA’s late coverage letter—sent nearly three months after the suit was filed—as evidence of bad faith. NOVA blames Hall Booth and Bristol for creating that delay by failing to inform them in time.
