Scheidemantle Law Group P.C.

Highlights from the month of February at Scheidemantle Law Group: Joshua Pollack attended the ABA Section of Litigation Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar in Tucson, Arizona, from March 1-3. Josh is a long-time member of the Committee and currently serves as a co-editor of its website. Los Angeles Master Chorale hosted a salon for twenty guests at the home of Mary Blodgett and Carlton Calvin, where David Scheidemantle performed on the violin alongside fe...llow musicians Catherine Leech, Cheryl Scheidemantle, and Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director Grant Gershon. Karine Akopchikyan acted as a presiding judge for the 2018 American Mock Trial Association’s Claremont Regional Mock Trial Tournament, where the undergraduate teams competed for a spot in the Opening Round Championships on February 25th. On February 15, David Scheidemantle and Karine Akopchikyan attended the Los Angeles Central City Association’s’ Technology Summit, sponsored by Stage Venture Partners. David Scheidemantle, by invitation of Chairman of the Board Chris Wadden, attended The Pasadena Angels Breakfast Evaluation Meeting on February 7, 2018. David Scheidemantle and Karine Akopchikyan have successfully concluded an insurance coverage dispute involving extensive property damage to a beautiful La Cañada residence. The insurer denied coverage, and the insureds retained Scheidemantle Law Group. We persuaded the insurer to reverse the denial, but the insurer continually undervalued the claim in a series of low ball offers. When it became evident that the assigned claims personnel would never properly value the claim, we wrote letters to the insurer’s Vice President of Insurance Claims and General Counsel, after which the insurer promptly paid the full amount of the claim, making the insureds completely whole. Check out our website for other firm updates: http://www.scheidemantlelawgroup.com/firm-updates/

Earlier this month, David Scheidemantle performed alongside the much sought-after Cindy Lam for the Charlemagne Fine Wines tasting event, held at the Annandale Country Club in Pasadena. Truffles exceptionally paired with Champagne La Grace d’Alphael Grand cru were enjoyed against a backdrop of Old Town Pasadena and the rolling hills of Annandale. We think it’s safe to say Vintner Karl Curran of Charlemagne inc is a true connoisseur of tastes and experience! (This wonderful ...image of a portion of Charlemagne's selection is from its website.) www.charlemagnewines.com #SLGPC #Annandale #Charlemagne #Pasadena

The Ninth Circuit in recent months ruled that an EPLI carrier must defend a policyholder against employment-related claims because the underlying wage and hour suit included discrimination allegations potentially covered by the policy. The case, PHP Insurance Service, Inc. v. Greenwich Insurance Co., is an important reminder that the duty to defend is broader than the duty to indemnify under California law. Policyholders should consult with experienced coverage counsel when faced with an employment claim. #SLGPC #InsuranceLaw

Annually at Gala Bel Canto, Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, recognized internationally for its agile bel canto sound and graceful excellence, honors committed artistic and philanthropic individuals who have impacted the Chorus and the community. This year’s artistic honoree will be Anne Tomlinson, who has served as Artistic Director of the Chorus for 22 years and soon will be concluding her final season in that esteemed role. Those who know Anne or have experienced the haunt...ingly beautiful sound of the Chorus under her direction will want to join in the celebration. Take a look at the Chorus’ website and Facebook page for more information regarding tickets and the event. We hope to see you there! https://www.lachildrenschorus.org/gala/ https://www.facebook.com/losangeleschildrenschorus/ Millennium Biltmore Hotel Wednesday, April 11, 2018 6:00 PM

Highlights from the month of February at Scheidemantle Law Group: Joshua Pollack attended the ABA Section of Litigation Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar in Tucson, Arizona, from March 1-3. Josh is a long-time member of the Committee and currently serves as a co-editor of its website. Los Angeles Master Chorale hosted a salon for twenty guests at the home of Mary Blodgett and Carlton Calvin, where David Scheidemantle performed on the violin alongside fe...llow musicians Catherine Leech, Cheryl Scheidemantle, and Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director Grant Gershon. Karine Akopchikyan acted as a presiding judge for the 2018 American Mock Trial Association’s Claremont Regional Mock Trial Tournament, where the undergraduate teams competed for a spot in the Opening Round Championships on February 25th. On February 15, David Scheidemantle and Karine Akopchikyan attended the Los Angeles Central City Association’s’ Technology Summit, sponsored by Stage Venture Partners. David Scheidemantle, by invitation of Chairman of the Board Chris Wadden, attended The Pasadena Angels Breakfast Evaluation Meeting on February 7, 2018. David Scheidemantle and Karine Akopchikyan have successfully concluded an insurance coverage dispute involving extensive property damage to a beautiful La Cañada residence. The insurer denied coverage, and the insureds retained Scheidemantle Law Group. We persuaded the insurer to reverse the denial, but the insurer continually undervalued the claim in a series of low ball offers. When it became evident that the assigned claims personnel would never properly value the claim, we wrote letters to the insurer’s Vice President of Insurance Claims and General Counsel, after which the insurer promptly paid the full amount of the claim, making the insureds completely whole. Check out our website for other firm updates: http://www.scheidemantlelawgroup.com/firm-updates/

With one week's time to recover from a ransomware attack, on January 25, 2018, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., a platform service provider for managing electronic health care records, was hit with a class action complaint. Plaintiff Surfside Non-Surgical Orthopedics, P.A., alleges Allscripts failed to prevent the SamSam strain ransomware attack. SamSam has been a known threat since March 2016, argues Surfside. Surfside, on behalf of the class, seeks to recover unspecified damages, restitution, punitive damages, injunctive relief, and attorneys’ fees. Case: Surfside Non-Surgical Orthopedics, P.A., et al. v. Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., case number 18-cv-00566, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. https://www.fiercehealthcare.com//allscripts-ransomware-la

For venture capitalists and their newly funded portfolio companies, here's a hack on not getting hacked. In its December 18 Cybersecurity Section, the Wall Street Journal quotes Patrick Coughlin of TruSTAR Technology, "From a startup who has just raised some venture-capital funding and a press release goes out, you’d better believe that they’re going to receive an attempt to compromise them through a fake business email, because hackers are squatting all over those announcem...ents. They’ll spoof the CEO’s email address and send it to another co-founder saying, 'Hey, can you wire me money?' Consider that in light of Thomas Koulopoulos' report in Inc. that 60% of companies that suffer a cyberattack fail within six months. If you are a venture capitalist or angel investor interested in a lawyer's perspective on guarding against cyber and legal risks, please comment or send a message, and we'll add you to our list for an upcoming presentation. In the meantime, investors beware! #VCLaw Here are links to these two excellent articles: https://www.wsj.com//the-c-suite-as-prime-target-for-cyber https://www.inc.com//the-biggest-risk-to-your-business-can

Filmmaker and Academy Award nominee Jessica Sanders’ latest film, End of the Line, is an unconventional story exploring themes of power. The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and David R. Scheidemantle was fortunate to attend a screening this month with the cast & crew. Although short, the film is far-reaching in meaning and long in memory. Jessica Sanders joins other young women directors on TNT and Refinery29’s Shatterbox Anthology in... an effort to shift the landscape of Hollywood, where women make up 7% of recognized directors in film. Themes of power is not a new subject to Jessica Sanders, whose Sundance debut was in 2005 for the documentary After Innocence, which followed the lives of seven men wrongfully convicted and sentenced to prison and later proved innocent by DNA evidence. http://www.latimes.com//la-et-mn-shatterbox-yara-shahidi-g

Think again? You think you are an additional insured on someone else’s policy. Or, you think you’ve properly named someone else as an additional insured on your own policy. You might need to think again. For the latest example of the traps and pitfalls befalling insureds and additional insureds alike, consider a case argued yesterday in the New York Court of Appeals. The Court heard from a construction company obliged under a contract with a financing company to name the... construction manager as an additional insured. The insurance policy extended coverage to any person or organization with whom you (the insured) have agreed to add as an additional insured by written contract. Since the insured’s obligation to name the construction manager as an additional insured arose under a contact with the financier -- and not a contract with the construction manager itself -- the New York Appellate Division had held that the construction manager was not an additional insured and not covered. We’ll keep an eye on whether the construction company fares better in the Court of Appeals. In the meantime, think again: read your policy and take other steps necessary to shore up status as an additional insured. Your coverage may depend on it. See more

This from the Los Angeles Times highlights the aggressive stance adopted by pet insurers to deny claims on the premise that your pet's illness is a pre-existing condition -- even when your veterinarian says the condition is new. Policyholders must protect themselves and not take no for an answer when it's the wrong answer.

#Litigation #InsuranceLaw