William D. Naeve

William D. Naeve, a Partner in the Orange County office of Murchison & Cumming, LLP, serves as Co-Chair of the firm's Management Protection, Directors & Officers, Employment Law and Class Action & Consumer Litigation practice groups.  Mr. Naeve is "AV" rated by Martindale Hubbell and focuses his practice in the areas of healthcare, employment , first and third party bad faith, defense of business litigation, employment termination and discrimination, ERISA, wage & hour, health law, and life & disability bad faith claims and litigation.

Mr. Naeve was lead counsel for the defense in Singh v. Lancaster Community Hospital, 140 Cal.App.4th 387 (May 2006). Singh involved a wage & hour class action in which the court affirmed Mr. Naeve's client's manner of paying overtime wages to its employees.

Additionally, he presented oral argument before the California Supreme Court in Kimmel v. Goland, which examined the nature and scope of California's statutory litigation privilege.

He also successfully litigated the following reported California Court of Appeal cases: Smith v. Superior Court; Malcolm v. Farmers New World Life Ins., Co.; Coe v. Farmers New World Life Ins. Co.; Canadian Ins. Co. of California v. Ehrlich; Blumberg v. Guarantee Ins. Co.; and Hartford Fire Ins. Co. v. Superior Court.

Mr. Naeve has served as Judge Pro Tempore in the Orange County Superior Court.

Representative Clients

• Farmer's Group, Incorporated
• Canadian Insurance Co. of California
• Universal Health Services, Incorporated
• Ford Aerospace Corporation

Professional Associations and Memberships

• American Bar Association, Tort and Insurance Practice Section
• Orange County Bar Association
• Clark County Bar Association
• Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
• Defense Research Institute, Employment, Nursing Home and Life, Health, Disability & ERISA Sections
• National Health Lawyers
• California Society for Healthcare Attorneys, Insurance Law Committee
• Association of Business Trial Lawyers of Orange County
• Federal Bar Association
• Claims & Litigation Management Alliance

Representative Cases

• Blumberg v. Guarantee Ins. Co., 238 Cal.Rptr. 36 (Cal.App. 2 Dist. 1987)
• Hartford Fire Ins. Co. v. Superior Court, Los Angeles County, 191 Cal.Rptr. 37 (Cal.App. 2 Dist. 1983)

Published Works

• "Buying a Business? Don't Get Bitten by the Hidden Risk of Successor Liability," German American Chamber of Commerce Legal & Tax Newsletter, Vol. 3 2011
• "The Supreme Court Administers Another Body-Blow to Employers: Sullivan vs. Oracle," Murchison & Cumming, LLP, Employment Brief, Summer 2011
• "The Mixed-Motive Jury Instruction is Reincarnated in California Pregnancy Discrimination Cases," Murchison & Cumming, LLP, Employment Brief, Spring 2010
• "Court Limits Scope of Disability Claims," Orange County Business Journal, April, 1994;
• "Malpractice Cap Limits Injury Compensation," Orange County Business Journal, Special Healthcare Report, February, 1994;
• "Limits on Litigation Privilege Could Portend Wider Liability," Los Angeles Daily Journal, August, 1992;
• "Claims of Unfair Competition Are Striking the Workplace with Increasing Regularity," Orange County Business Journal, May, 1992;
• Contributing Editor, "Responding to Document Requests," Matthew Bender Federal Litigation Guide, 1989;
• Insurance Handbook for Business Litigators (Co-Author), 1989.

Classes/Seminars Taught

• "Plaintiffs’ Use of Stray Remarks  as Proof of Management Discrimination, Harassment or Retaliation," ACCA -SoCal Employment CLE, May 25, 2011, Costa Mesa, CA, May 26, 2011, Los Angeles, CA
• “The Stray Remarks Doctrine: Free Speech Is Not Necessarily Free,” USLAW Network Five City Tour, March 3, 2011, Los Angeles, CA
• "Minimizing Coverage Risks Arising from an Insured’s Merger or Acquisition,” Lloyds Underwriter Boot Camp, February 9, 2011, London, England
• "Defense of Legal Malpractice", Orange County Bar Association Seminar, 1993, Lanai, Hawaii

Fraternities/Sororities

• Pi Alpha Delta