Journal of American Law San Francisco Partner John H. Podesta has had his article “Wrap-Up Insurance Programs An Examination of Liability Exposures for Participants in California” published in the Journal of American Law. The Journal is published quarterly by the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance and is distributed to 25,000 readers both in print and […]
By: Dan L. Longo Litigation Management Magazine The following is an excerpt from, “Your Jury Box In The 21st Century Getting to Know (And Manage) The Millennial Juror,” originally published in the Fall 2014 issue of Litigation Management Magazine. Forrest Gump’s mother once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re […]
Katherine Gallo’s blog – Resolving Discovery Disputes View Link “Why Every Insurance Carrier Should Insist That The New Construction Form Interrogatories Be Used ” originally appeared on Katherine Gallo’s Blog – Resolving Discovery Disputes on August 5, 2014. It is generally recognized that construction defect cases are some of the most expensive, and complicated, […]
DRI’s Employment Law Newsletter, “The Job Description” View Link “Internship Programs Safe for Savvy Companies — ‘No making copies or fetching coffee. We do that for ourselves.’ ” originally appeared in the June 27, 2014 issue of DRI’s Employment Law Newsletter The perils of unpaid internship programs have received much attention in the mainstream […]
The Second District has issued a useful case relative to Commercial General Liability for Construction Defects, clarifying California law on the concept of “property damage” and “impaired property”. In this recent case, Regional Steel v Liberty Surplus, the subcontractor/steel fabricator, supplied steel seismic tie hooks that were the wrong angle (90 versus 135 degrees). The subcontractor […]
On June 12, 2014, the California Supreme Court issued its decision in Hartford Casualty Ins. Co. v. Swift Distribution, Inc., affirming the Court of Appeal’s ruling that Hartford’s CGL policy did not potentially cover claims made against its insured for “implied” disparagement, i.e., where the insured’s advertising material does not directly disparage a competitor’s products […]
FC&S Legal View Link Please click here for a PDF of the article. Judge James Mahan of the U.S. District Court in Las Vegas, Nevada, has granted Discover Property and Casualty Insurance Company’s motion for summary judgment, finding that the allegations against the defendant of sexually assaulting a 12 year old boy did not trigger the […]
Tonight the La Mesa City Council will consider a draft Ordinance that proposes to allow new Adult-Use Commercial Cannabis businesses to operate in the City. As currently drafted, the Ordinance will have no cap on the number of licenses that will be issued. If passed, La Mesa would be the first City in San Diego […]
Next week, the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs will hear from U.S. Senators, Banking representatives, and Cannabis industry leaders to discuss the numerous banking challenges for the cannabis industry. The witnesses scheduled to speak at the Hearing include United States Senators, Cory Gardner (of Colorado) and Jeff Merkley (of Oregon). Both […]
On Thursday, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 97 in an attempt to avoid further disruption to the issuance of Annual Commercial Cannabis Licenses. The Governor is expected to sign the bill into law, and if signed would go into effect immediately. This year thousands of commercial cannabis licenses were due to have their state-issued […]
The Ninth Circuit has issued a crushing blow to employers and companies when it decided that recent restrictions on independent contractors would apply retroactively. On May 2, 2019, the Ninth Circuit in Vazquez v. Jan-Pro Franchising International, Inc. decided that the ruling in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court should be applied retroactively. The Dynamex decision made it more difficult for […]
By: Tyler N. Ure If you run a small business, chances are you have not spent much time thinking about whistleblowers and whistleblower protection. Many high-profile whistleblower cases involve sounding the alarm on fraud and government contracts, but government contractors are not the only ones who need to understand whistleblower laws. Virtually any employee “who blows […]
Continued enforcement actions occurred yesterday against two separate unlicensed cannabis businesses in Sacramento, Davis and Los Angeles. Police in Davis assisted the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Division of Investigation – Cannabis Enforcement Unit to serve search warrants on an unlicensed cannabis delivery service with locations in Sacramento and Davis. Over $850,000 in cannabis products was […]
Months ago, we reported on recent enforcements on two unlicensed cannabis businesses in Sacramento and Costa Mesa. Now, we have learned of another enforcement action against an unlicensed cannabis retailer operator in Los Angeles. On October 25, 2018, the Bureau of Cannabis Control (Bureau) and the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Division of Investigation-Cannabis Enforcement Unit […]
Bad faith claims are not easy to beat. An awareness and understanding of the defenses available to the insurer is key to successfully defending against such claims. In this presentation, we will explore the threshold inquiries: are we dealing with a covered claim and was the insurer reasonable in its claims handling? We will also […]
The manner in which an insurer investigates the facts and circumstances surrounding a claim can often make the difference between a claims decision that will hold up in court versus one that might expose the company to a bad faith claim. In this webinar, we will discuss the obligations that both the insurer and the […]
On April 30, 2015 Murchison & Cumming, LLP will present its annual “Year in Review: California Case Law Update” taking a look back at the significant Supreme Court and Appellate Court decisions during 2014. As in prior years, the program will take place at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. If you have […]
Whether to defend a lawsuit against the insured is the single most important decision in the life of most claims. This session will update the boundaries of the duty to defend in California and discuss recent Appellate cases on the subject and touch on recent duty to defend cases in Oregon and Nevada. Insurance Roundtables […]
Important Court Decisions in 2014 for the Insurance Industry The presentation will highlight recent cases in the California state and federal courts involving insurance coverage and claims which will allow the adjuster to be knowledgeable about interpreting insurance-related statutes and rules and handle claims according to the law. Insurance Roundtables are intended to be interactive […]
Insurance Roundtable: A Liability Carrier’s Duty to Settle The course will cover the most important decision any carrier makes: whether to settle a liability claim or proceed to trial. We will cover the duty to settle as outlined in statutes and case law, and the development of the law of bad faith relating to a […]
The Advice of Counsel Defense and Waiver of the Attorney Client Privilege in Coverage and Bad Faith Cases The “advice of counsel” defense and the waiver of the attorney-client privilege impact virtually every area of insurance claims. This presentation will include a discussion about the legal and practical effects of using “advice of counsel” as […]
A motion for summary judgment was granted in favor of Community Action of Ventura Inc. (“Community Action”), a nonprofit organization assisting low income individuals to weatherize their residences to be more energy efficient. Lisa D. Angelo and Christy Gargalis of Murchison & Cumming, LLP represented the defendant. In 2015, Community Action assisted homeowners in Oxnard, CA to replace two […]
On November 12, 2020, a fully masked Orange County jury, which was seated about the courtroom, including the gallery, returned a Defense Verdict in favor of Rajeswari Vunnamadala. Murchison & Cumming, LLP Partner Lisa D. Angelo tried the case. Senior Associate Darin W. Flagg provided law and motion assistance and Associate Vedang J. Patel provided trial assistance over the course of […]
Judge Curtis A. Kin of the Los Angeles County Superior Court granted a motion for summary judgment in a products liability case against Mountville Mills, Inc. (MMI), a floor mat manufacturer. The motion was prepared and argued by Matthew E. Voss and the handling attorney for this matter was Lisa D. Angelo. MMI is a manufacturer of floor […]
Richard C. Moreno and Gina E. Och, members of the Wildland Fire Litigation practice group, secured a victory for their client, a hotel with a golf course on its property, who was sued by adjacent property owners and insurers affected by the Poinsettia Fire. In 2014, a fire originated on a hotel’s golf course and spread to […]
Sedigheh Ansari and Abbas Taheri appealed from a judgment in favor of El Proyecto Del Barrio, Inc. and El Proyecto Del Barrio Foundation. The appellants contended the trial court erred when it failed to instruct the jury that it could consider the failure of respondents to follow their own alleged policies and procedures as evidence […]
A Los Angeles Superior Court Jury returned with a defense verdict in favor of a skilled nursing facility based in Ventura County after a 10-day trial in which plaintiffs sought to recover more than $15 million in compensatory damages as well as punitive damages. Murchison & Cumming Senior Partner Dan L. Longo, Esq. and Partner Mary C. […]
Following a three-day trial before the Hon. William G. Willete of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Torrance Courthouse, the Court ruled in favor of the Defense. Abraham Berger was lead counsel and Alexis B. Cruz was second chair at trial. This matter arose out of the theft of a third-row seat from the plaintiff’s vehicle at a […]
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Welcome Wendy Mitchell as the Newest Of Counsel in Los Angeles
/in Announcements, Press ReleasesMurchison & Cumming, LLP is pleased to announce Wendy Mitchell has joined the Los Angeles office as Of Counsel. She brings a wealth of experience in complex litigation, mass torts, medical malpractice, wrongful death, products liability, premises liability, catastrophic injury, consumer class actions, and complex commercial disputes. Her practice has included cases involving medical devices, pharmaceutical products, […]
Welcome Angela McNair as the Newest Associate Partner in Los Angeles
/in Announcements, Press ReleasesMurchison & Cumming, LLP is pleased to announce Angela McNair has joined the Los Angeles office as an Associate Partner, focusing her practice on Law and Motion. With more than a decade of legal experience, Angela’s background includes significant work in civil rights, educational equity, housing law, and statewide legislative advocacy. Prior to joining the firm, Angela […]
Welcome Naomi Gregoryan as the Newest Associate in Las Vegas
/in Announcements, Press ReleasesMurchison & Cumming, LLP is pleased to announce Naomi Gregoryan has joined the Las Vegas office as an Associate. Her experience includes handling complex tort matters, premises liability, auto accidents, and commercial landlord/tenant disputes. Naomi earned her J.D. from California Western School of Law in San Diego, where she developed her courtroom skills through externships with both the […]
Welcome John Ellis as the Newest Associate Partner in Irvine
/in Announcements, Press ReleasesMurchison & Cumming, LLP is pleased to announce John Ellis has joined the Irvine office as an Associate Partner, bringing more than two decades of experience in general liability and complex torts litigation. An experienced trial attorney, John has successfully tried jury cases to verdict in courts across California, including in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, […]
Welcome Michael Karsaz as the Newest Associate Partner in Irvine
/in Announcements, Press ReleasesMurchison & Cumming, LLP is pleased to announce Michael Karsaz has joined the Irvine office as an Associate Partner focusing his practice on medical malpractice. With over 25 years of litigation experience, Mike built his reputation on delivering effective defense strategies tailored to the needs of healthcare providers, insurers, and businesses facing complex medical malpractice and healthcare-related claims. […]
Welcome Gurpreet Mundra as the Newest Associate in Northern California
/in Announcements, Press ReleasesMurchison & Cumming, LLP is pleased to announce Gurpreet Mundra has joined the Northern California office an Associate, where she represents clients in general liability matters. Gurpreet began her legal career at M&C as a Law Clerk, gaining firsthand experience in litigation strategy, client communication, and case management. Her early work at the firm laid the foundation […]
Welcome Neil MacMillan as the Newest Associate Partner in Los Angeles
/in Announcements, Press ReleasesMurchison & Cumming, LLP is pleased to announce Neil MacMillan has joined the Los Angeles office as an Associate Partner, focusing his practice on law and motion as well as appeals. With over 25 years in litigation and additional experience at a liability carrier, Neil has had broad exposure to a range of civil cases, including general […]