Photo of Lou Ferreira

Lou Ferreira

Subscribe to Lou Ferreira's Posts

Lou Ferreira is a senior partner with more than 30 years of complex trial experience. His practice focuses on insurance coverage and environmental, safety & health issues.

Best Lawyers in America® has consistently recognized Lou as one of the leading attorneys in insurance law. He has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars from insurance companies for his clients. Lou is AV Peer Review Rated for Energy & Environmental, Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer recognition for professional ability and ethical standards. He represents clients in an array of environmental contexts, including issues related to negotiation of consent decrees with governmental agencies, lawsuits between potentially liable parties to allocate the cost of environmental cleanups, suits against insurance companies to recover the costs associated with environmental liabilities, and Citizen Suits under the Clean Water Act. Lou has tried cases under both the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Recovery Act (CERCLA), and Washington State’s Model Toxics Control Act.

Lou regularly advises companies on a wide range of risk management issues, including matters concerning the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, product liability, regulatory compliance, and contractual allocation of risks, as well as advising clients with regard to the procurement of a wide range of insurance products necessary to deal with their unique issues.

Lou has represented clients in OSHA and other types of regulatory enforcement actions involving workplace fatalities and other catastrophes. Lou is experienced in managing multi-agency investigations, coordinating evidence preservation, and making sure clients have the right experts involved to protect their rights and to understand the root causes of such events.

Prior to joining Stoel Rives, Lou served as law clerk to the Honorable Stephen S. Trott, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1989–1990) and as an honors intern in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental and Occupational Disease Litigation Section (1987). He also served as a Special Forces medic in the U.S. Army.

Click here for Lou Ferreira's full bio.

Contact:Read more about Lou Ferreira

On November 6, 2020, the Oregon Occupational Health and Safety Administration (“OR-OSHA”) published final temporary rules for workplace safety protections specific to COVID-19. Our alert about the new rules is available here.

Among other requirements, the new rules require employers to adopt a COVID-19 Infection Notification policy for notifying exposed and affected employees of…

OSHA’s General Duty Clause requires an employer to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.  In the current pandemic,  COVID-19 qualifies and contractors should draft a COVID-19 policy for their worksites implementing the latest guidance in order to minimize the hazard and protect employees.

In addition to OSHA’s COVID-19 standards, on April 21, 2020, OSHA published a list of tips that can help reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the construction industry.  Some of those tips include:

  • Allowing workers to wear masks over their noses and mouths to prevent them from spreading the virus.
  • Training workers on how to properly wear and use protective clothing and equipment.
  • Keeping in-person meetings (including toolbox talks and safety meetings) as short as possible and limiting the number of workers in attendance.
  • Encouraging workers to stay home if they are sick.
  • Maintaining physical distance (at least six feet when possible) on the job site and inside work trailers.
  • Encouraging frequent handwashing or sanitizing.

In my latest Daily Journal of Commerce Construction column, I discuss Oregon’s Employer’s Liability Law or the ELL, workers’ compensation and why the Oregon legislature should take another look at these piecemeal laws. As it stands, the party with the greatest culpability may not pay anything for the injuries they cause.

Read the full article…

In my latest Daily Journal of Commerce Construction column, I discuss insurance jargon in contracts and use Commercial General Liability or “CGL” policies as an example.  The terms “bodily injury,” “personal or advertising injury,” and “property damage” all have specific meanings in CGL policies.  Since this language is not always intuitive, it is best to…