The great Yankee baseball catcher Yogi Berra allegedly said: “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” This article will attempt to decipher the recent Supreme Court decisions which decisively protected the rights and interests of gay and transgender citizens and Dreamers (DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and struck down as […]
Policyholder lawyers in the USA are singing “La Marseillaise” after a decision last week in Paris holding in favor of a French restaurant group seeking insurance coverage for a COVID-related “administrative closure” of its four restaurants in Paris which caused lost profits and extra expense. This is an “order of civil authority” in our parlance. […]
I am writing this article both as a memorial to a dear friend of 50 years who just succumbed to COVID. And as a reminder to all that the coronavirus remains a clear and present danger to everyone. After eight weeks of hibernation, I am as stir crazy as everyone else, although I have the […]
I am pleased to share joint authorship today with my good friend, Attorney Jan Larson. Coincidentally, she and her husband, Rock Rockenbach, soon will be moving back to Montecito. Jan and I both represent policy holders against insurance companies. In this article, we discuss how first party property insurance policies should be examined to determine […]
This latest article in my series of legal columns is written to demystify our local Superior Court, which is where our significant Santa Barbara lawsuits will be filed. Judicial Disqualifications Q: Can you disqualify the judge that was assigned to your case for any reason or no reason? A. The surprising answer in California is […]
This week I decided to meander a bit further afield – to my Glory Days at Columbia Law School. I loved law school. I was at Columbia Law School during the era of the Beatles when 1964 seemed forever. In fact their years in the spotlight and my law school days overlapped. I missed the […]
The recent coronavirus outbreak has impacted all aspects of society: health, travel, and business. Although it is difficult to calculate the full extent of the damage that will be caused by this emerging pandemic, and how it will ultimately impact various industries, the virus has already led to business closures, suspension and cancellation of travel, […]
Many of us living here in Montecito have confronted actual or potential risk of loss to our homes in the last several years from the massive fires and mudslides that attacked our community. A question, critical to our economic well-being, is whether our homeowner’s insurance protects us against such calamities. We would hope that the […]