Bernanke to give deposition in AIG bailout lawsuit
A U.S. judge has ordered that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke can be questioned in a lawsuit against the government filed by the former head of American International Group Inc.
Education
Law School/Year: Washington & Lee University, J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, 1986
College/Year: Missouri State University, B.S., summa cum laude, 1983
Bar Admissions
California; Illinois; Missouri
Practice Areas
Business Litigation; Civil Litigation; Commercial; Construction; Personal Injury & Property Damage; Real Estate
Major Cases
Carr, et al. v. Emerald Bay Financial: I obtained a fraud judgment in a 2011 trial for $5,086,688 on behalf of several elderly plaintiffs who had invested in trust deeds.
Collins, et al. v. American Honda. I prosecuted a nationwide class action. Honda agreed to provide a transmission-replacement program to settle the case, which was valued at more than $180 million.
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund: Arbitration: I volunteered to represent two families who were victims of the September 11 attacks. We presented the claims at evidentiary hearings held in New York City as part of the Trial Lawyers Care Program. We were able to assist two families who desperately needed legal assistance and emotional support to help them through a very complex process and difficult time in their lives.
Chappell v. McDonnell Douglas: Trial
Chappell was flying a helicopter when it began to shake violently and crashed into the South Pacific. I represented him in a product liability action against McDonnell Douglas, claiming that the main rotor hub assembly was defective, which caused the main rotor blade to depart. The helicopter sank immediately after the crash and was never recovered. Defendant McDonnell Douglas argued that the helicopter was not defective, that no blade loss occurred and that Chappell was solely responsible for the crash. McDonnell Douglas made no settlement offer before the jury returned its verdict.
The case was tried for five weeks in San Diego Superior Court, and the jury awarded Chappell damages of $2.7 million. The jury verdict validated for Chappell that he was not the cause of the accident and enabled the Chappell family to relocate and remodel their new home to address the paraplegia caused by the accident.
Professional Background
Following graduation from law school, I began my practice with a large law firm in St. Louis, Thompson & Mitchell (now Thompson Coburn). In 1990, I moved to San Diego and joined what is now known as Kirby Noonan Lance & Hoge. I was promoted to partner in 1993, and my name was added to the firm in 2006. My practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and serious personal injury cases. The commercial cases include real estate, securities and other complex business disputes. I represent both defendants and plaintiffs and have obtained many multimillion dollar verdicts, settlements and awards.
Professional Affiliations
I am a member of American Board of Trial Advocates, a national organization of trial attorneys that requires the equivalent of 20 civil jury trials to verdict as lead counsel to be considered for admission. I have been a member of the Louis M. Welsh Chapter of the American Inns of Court and the William B. Enright Chapter, as well. I am also a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, and have served on its board. I currently serve as the editor for the products liability section of the Trial Bar News.
Personal Background
I live in the Kensington area of San Diego with my wife and three boys. I have coached for Tecolote Youth Baseball for more than 10 years and also managed a travel baseball team for several years. Coaching baseball provides an excellent opportunity to teach skills that players can use to deal with many obstacles they will face in life. Coaching has been great fun and has provided me special time with my three boys, as well as provided me with an excellent opportunity to give back to the community.
Aug. 14, 2013 -- Reporter Doug Sherwin talks with attorney Lonny Zilberman, a partner with Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP and a 2013 Top Attorney, about sexual harassment lawsuits and the nuances of these types of cases.
A U.S. judge has ordered that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke can be questioned in a lawsuit against the government filed by the former head of American International Group Inc.
Partner liability has emerged as one of the most important issues for law firms and is increasingly the crucial factor that determines building selection and the structure of other economic lease terms. Arguments over liability complicate — even kill — otherwise easy lease transactions. Law firm decision-makers contemplating a relocation or renewal would be well-served to understand and carefully consider how they intend to deal with partner liability from the outset.
Top Attorneys 2013 pays tribute to San Diego County's legal cream of the crop. It is the culmination of a lengthy peer voting process that began in April with the announcement of a call for nominations. San Diego County lawyers were asked who among their peers -- with whom they had professional experience -- were worthy of recognition.
When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in June, it opened up more than 1,000 federal benefits and responsibilities to legally married same-sex couples.
Thomas Guernsey has been at the job as Thomas Jefferson School of Law's new dean and president for less than two months and he's already made quite an impression.
Recently, I received calls from two human resources managers regarding articles in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. They were concerned about the WSJ’s claim that the position of legal secretary is extinct and USA Today’s assertion that the growth of temporary hiring is a negative devolvement.
Established in 2001, Morris, Sullivan & Lemkul was founded by Shawn Morris and Mike Sullivan. Shawn and Mike are former partners of Wingert Grebing, one of San Diego's oldest and most respected law firms.
The U.S. Department of Treasury recently announced that it is delaying until 2015 the enforcement of the so-called “employer mandate” provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA” or “Obamacare”), which were supposed to take effect in 2014.
#1. Put all commission agreements in writing (Labor Code section 2751).
RJS Law is a full-service law firm that can help resolve your personal, small-business or corporate tax problems with the Internal Revenue Service and California state tax authorities.
As the practice of law adapts to meet the changing needs of clients and organizations, opportunities exist to develop partnerships between law firms and law schools. Together, firms and schools can prepare profession-ready graduates and meet the growing need for legal services. California Western School of Law, San Diego’s oldest law school, is poised to lead the way in this national effort.
The University of San Diego School of Law develops resources and clinics that offer practical training to law students while making it possible for them to give back to the community. With San Diego County’s estimated veteran population of 250,000 and more than 2 million veterans living in California, there is no doubt that many have and will benefit from the school’s Initiative to Protect Student Veterans.
California’s employers are burdened with a long list of onerous regulations, so it’s no surprise that many employers fail to recognize the daunting requirements of the California Labor Code -- until it’s too late.
Gomez Iagmin Trial Attorneys is a plaintiff's only law firm based in downtown San Diego, specializing in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, complex product liability and mass torts.
The attorneys at CaseyGerry specialize in serious personal injury and traumatic brain injury cases, and are at the forefront of the complex medical issues related to brain injury. These include chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease thought to be caused by repeat concussions or blows to the head, and second impact syndrome, a condition in which the brain swells rapidly after a person suffers a second concussion.
Ralph Nader has a new cause.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has declared that, at least when it comes to voting rights, the U.S. Supreme Court is guilty of wishful thinking. He is also showing both how difficult and how important it is to overcome that kind of thinking.
A federal jury in Oregon awarded $18.6 million to a woman who spent two years unsuccessfully trying to get Equifax Information Services to fix major mistakes on her credit report.
A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Cuomo administration over dairy farm regulations intended to bolster the state's growing yogurt industry, the groups announced Monday.
It was late at night on Feb. 27, 2001, and Penn State's then-president, Graham Spanier, one of academia's most prominent administrators, typed a brief email to two other top administrators as they debated how to respond to a thorny situation.
FedEx Corp., the world’s largest cargo airline, will pay $21.5 million to settle a lawsuit over claims that it overcharged customers by billing for deliveries to businesses and governments at higher residential rates.
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