Mr. Tappe is an attorney at Righi Fitch Law Group. As a dedicated and effective litigator and trial attorney, Mr. Tappe has focused his practice in insurance defense and construction defect litigation, where he has handled a diversity of civil matters, including insurance bad faith, breach of contract, breach of warranty, subrogation, and premises liability. He also has experience in the practice areas of personal injury, medical malpractice and professional liability.

Mr. Tappe’s current practice is concentrated on the representation of developers, contractors, businesses and individuals in tort and construction litigation, primarily in the areas of construction defect, general liability, and insurance coverage. In his practice, he has successfully defended and pursued cases through Judgment at trial, secured payment on behalf of his clients, and litigated numerous issues taken up on appellate review. In 2013 and 2014, he was honored as a Southwest SuperLawyers® Rising Star for Construction Law.

Notably, on behalf of an Arizona-based developer, Mr. Tappe has argued before the Arizona Court of Appeals against a national insurance carrier seeking to prosecute a post-Judgment subrogation claim for recovery of defense costs, despite a release signed by the carrier’s insured. In the reported decision, Monterey Homes Arizona, Inc. v. Federated Mutual Ins. Co., 221 Ariz. 351, 212 P.3d 43 (App. 2009), the Court of Appeals held that an insurance carrier defending under a reservation of rights is not entitled to pursue subrogation and is bound by a settlement entered into by its insured if the carrier had notice of the settlement and the settlement was reasonable.

Mr. Tappe presently serves as the Chairman for the Construction Section of the Maricopa County Bar Association (MCBA). His duties with the MCBA include planning and organizing CLE seminars, and he has been a contributing author for The Maricopa Lawyer. He is also a member of the Arizona Association of Defense Counsel (AADC).

Mr. Tappe graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1999. He received a Bachelor of Science in Political Communications from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1996, where he was also a member of the Nebraska Wesleyan University baseball team. In his free time, Mr. Tappe enjoys playing softball, attending sporting events and exploring the Arizona outdoors.