Firm News
Case Law Update: Plaintiff’s CCP Section 998 Offer Made Just Five Days After Defendant’s Answer Deemed Not In Good Faith
The Court of Appeals for the Second Appellate District recently affirmed the trial court’s ruling that a plaintiff’s Code of Civil Procedure section 998 offer was not made in good faith where the offer was made just 19 days after service of the plaintiff’s medical...
read moreInsurance Company Obligated To Pay Post Judgment Costs In Excess Of Policy Limits
An Appellate Court recently held that an insurer’s liability may exceed its policy limits where its insured is liable for costs under CCP §998 and insurer has stepped into the shoes of its insured. Background Plaintiff Amanda Meleski (“Plaintiff” or “Meleski”) was...
read moreDefendant’s Pre-Offer Fees/Costs Should Have Been Considered When Calculating the Value of Defendant’s Offer of Settlement (CCP §998)
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that the trial court erred when it failed to consider Defendants pre-offer fees/costs as part of Defendant’s CCP 998 Offer, which was silent as to costs. Facts Restaurant worker Samantha Martinez (Plaintiff) sued...
read moreNightclub shooting case expands Coverage for what’s considered “Property Damage”
The California District Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District recently overturned a lower court ruling and held that the reduction in permitted uses under a Conditional Use Permit qualifies as the loss of use of tangible property and therefore “property...
read moreVLA&S Welcomes Attorney Hua Jiang
VLA&S is pleased to announce the recent hiring of attorney Hua Jiang. Hua’s practice focuses on real estate and construction litigation, products liability, premises liability, and personal injury. She graduated from UCLA Law School in 2015, during which she...
read moreVLA&S Welcomes Attorney Victoria Townsend
VLA&S is pleased to announce the recent hiring of attorney Victoria Townsend. Vicky’s practice focuses on personal injury, products liability, construction defect, homeowners association liability, and landlord-tenant disputes. She has also served as a designated...
read moreVLA&S Obtains Dismissal of Attorney General Action Against Optometrist Client Following 3-Day Hearing
VLA&S attorney Jennifer Thomas defends Optometrist client against claims brought by the California Attorney General alleging that based on the symptoms with which patient presented, our client’s failure to dilate and examine the patient’s eye to rule-out retinal...
read morePersonnel Investigations Conducted by Outside Counsel are Privileged and Protected by Work Product Doctrine
VLA&S’s experienced attorney investigators regularly conduct complex personnel investigations for corporate clients. Historically, one of the benefits of having outside legal counsel conduct a pre-litigation workplace investigation was that the attorney-client...
read moreYour Employee’s Crime May Be Your Fault
If you are an employer, you probably purchase general liability insurance. You probably know that this type of insurance covers you if you or your employee accidentally hurt another person. You may also know that this insurance does not cover you for intentionally...
read moreLiberty Surplus Ins. Corp. v. Ledesma & Meyer Constr. Co., Inc.
Liberty Surplus Ins. Corp. v. Ledesma & Meyer Constr. Co., Inc. 18 C.D.O.S. 5462 (Supreme Court of California, June 6, 2018) Disclaimer: This paper is an analysis of a recent case at a specific point in time. It is not intended as legal advice. It may not be...
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