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: University of Southern California, 1998
College/Year: California State University, Long Beach, 1995
Bar Admissions
California; U.S. District Courts, Central and Southern, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Practice Areas
Aviation; Civil Litigation; Construction; Insurance; Product Liability
Major Cases
During my days as a defense attorney, I represented the target defendant (a fuel valve manufacturer) in the wrongful death claim arising out of folk singer John Denver’s fatal plane crash. As part of that case, I had the opportunity to work closely with Burt Rutan and Michael Melville at Scaled Composites, the company that later went on to successfully design and launch SpaceShipOne. As a member of Thorsnes Bartlotta McGuire, I have helped to obtain more than $105 million on behalf of our clients, including more than $17.5 million on behalf of a personal injury client, $3.3 million on behalf of children who lost their father in a helicopter crash, $4.7 million on behalf of a homeowner’s association for construction defects. Our firm continues to represent clients who lost their homes and businesses in the 2007 wild land fires.
Professional Background
My first exposure to complex litigation came when I worked for a sole practitioner who had a successful product liability practice. I had the opportunity to learn from a skilled trial attorney working on high exposure cases against automotive manufacturers such as General Motors and Honda. I then practiced with a Los Angeles defense firm representing clients like Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Cessna Aircraft Company, and Progressive Insurance in product liability, aviation law and insurance bad faith cases. For the past nearly nine years at Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire, I have had the pleasure of practicing with some of the best attorneys in town representing victims of catastrophic personal injury, insurance bad faith, aviation crashes, and construction defects.
Professional Affiliations
I am a member of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego and have been the editor of the Evidence column for the Trial Bar News since 2008. Writing and editing monthly columns is a great way to stay up on new trends in the law and to address vexing problems we face as trial attorneys. As I member of the San Diego Bar Association, I have been a presenter in their lunchtime lecture series. I am a master member of the Enright Inns of Court and have served as a group leader and presenter. These organizations provide an unequaled opportunity to meet and work closely with judges and attorneys in the community and to develop educational programs on interesting issues in our field.
Personal Background
I first flew a plane solo at 16 and later obtained my private pilot’s license with an instrument rating. I spent several years working as a cook and later as a chef in Newport Beach restaurants. I then worked in the construction field for several years with a friend’s window-and-door product company. My wife, son and I enjoy traveling and recently completed a 2-week trip in an RV visiting Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
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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