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Bentley & More had the pleasure in being a vital sponsor of The Veteran Legal Institute’s (VLI) Annual Lawyers for Warriors Fundraising event last night at the Center Club Costa Mesa. There were over 250 Patriots who represent legal, medical, financial, military and other professional industries who came together for a great cause. Proceeds from the event help ensure veterans can receive free legal services necessary to thrive. The event honors hero advocates committed to providing pro bono legal services to Veterans. Congratulations to all the nominees who helped eradicate the barriers veterans face today.

LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR – Stephens Friedland, LLP

COMMUNITY PARTNER OF THE YEAR – Volunteers of America Los Angeles

VETERAN ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR – Judge Lon F. Hurwitz

ATTORNEY OF THE YEAR – David Price, Esq.

A special thanks to VLI for organizing such a special night. We were so honored to be a part of it.

Greg Bentley and Keith More of Bentley & More LLP and Kevin Boyle of Panish Shea & Boyle LLP announced at a Press Conference today the filing of two lawsuits against Allergan for the dangerous, defective, and recalled-worldwide Natrelle BIOCELL Textured Breast Implants.  Those implants pose a heightened risk of contracting a subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), which went undisclosed or was downplayed for decades by Allergan.  Ultimately, Allergan implanted hundreds of thousands of its flawed implants into women around the world. The Press Conference was covered by the LA News Media. For information regarding the lawsuit, CLICK the image below.

On December 17, 2018, Keith More received a finding of 100% disability after trying a Work Comp case involving a construction worker who was hit by a cement mixer truck.  The defense felt the injured worker was 90% disabled and that the injured worker could work. The defense vocational expert claimed the injured worker could install tile and work as a security guard.  The injured worker had a crushed pelvis and 3 discs in his low back fused.  He also walks with a cane.  The Court relied on Mr. More’s vocational expert and found the worker could not be retrained and was unable to compete in the open labor market. The Work Comp insurance company was ordered to pay over $100,000 in retroactive benefits along with ongoing permanent disability and medical treatment.  The total benefits paid were over 1.5 million dollars. On August 20^th, 8 months after the 100% Award the Workers Compensation insurance carrier settled the case for $1,718,974 in new money making the value of the WC case over 3.2 million dollars.  “This was a case that was highly contested by the insurance company, in the end our client was extremely happy and now had the ability to buy a new house for him and his family,” explained Keith.

We are proud to introduce Mr. Wyatt Vespermann as this week’s #FeatureFriday. Originally from Central California, Mr. Vespermann graduated from California State University, Chico, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science—Legal Studies and a Paralegal Certificate. Wyatt worked as a paralegal focusing in Elder law, helping to protect the rights of senior citizens.  He was in carge of handling conservatorships—which on two occasions involved fighting against frivolous conservatorships filed by estranged heirs seeking to abuse the judicial process to gain control over their inheritance. After working as a paralegal for two years, Mr. Vespermann attended Pepperdine University School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor in 2018 and graduating cum laude. During his time at Pepperdine University, Mr. Vespermann was selected for membership in The Order of The Barristers for his performance on the school’s Trial Advocacy Team. While on the team, Wyatt competed in the 2017 San Diego Defense Lawyers National Trial Competition in San Diego, CA, and the 2018 Student Trial Advocacy Competition hosted by AAJ in Santa Monica, CA under the mentorship of John H. Sharer, the former chair of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Litigation Department.

Mr. Vespermann clerked for Bentley & More during the Summer of 2017 and then joined the team full-time at the end of 2018 while awaiting his bar results.

This week we bring to you James F. Tierney from our Redlands Office. James joined our team at the back end of 2018 and we are so glad he did. We were ready for expansion and we couldn’t think of anyone better than to represent us up in the Inland Empire.
James F. Tierney, III, has spent decades residing in, and litigating throughout, the Inland Empire, providing him with a nuanced, experienced view of the particular circumstances presented by litigation in this part of Southern California. Although he has litigated on both sides of the Bar, Mr. Tierney has now spent the last 18 years exclusively devoted to fighting on behalf of injured individuals throughout California. Mr. Tierney serves as a Senior Trial Attorney with Bentley & More LLP and is the firm’s primary attorney in its Inland Empire office in Redlands, CA.

Mr. Tierney began his practice as an associate with a major Inland Empire insurance defense firm. In 1990, he became a partner in the firm of Stanfield & Warner, primarily practicing in the fields of insurance defense, as well as public entity defense and police civil liability defense for the County of San Bernardino. In 1996, Mr. Tierney’s firm merged with a leading Orange County defense firm, where he became the managing partner of their Inland Empire office. In 2000, he decided to devote his practice to representing plaintiffs, including consumers and injured individuals, after spending over 16 years representing defendants in personal injury cases.

Mr. Tierney’s current practice focuses on the representation of a wide variety of plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death cases. His extensive trial experience earned him membership in The American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), an honor bestowed on very few trial attorneys nationwide He was even the ABOTA San Bernardino/Riverside Chapter’s President in 2009. Mr. Tierney is also an active member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, the American Association for Justice, the San Bernardino County Bar Association, the California Bar Association, and the Joseph P. Campbell Inns of Court. He has volunteered as a Judge Pro Tem and has also worked as an Appellate Court Mediator at the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Riverside.

Mr. Tierney is AV® Preeminent™ rated by Martindale-Hubbell. This is the preeminent rating, achievable only after admission to the bar for at least ten years, indicating the highest level of legal ability and ethics.

Mr. Tierney has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America and has also been selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer for Personal Injury from 2012-2018.

Finally, Mr. Tierney has been a resident of the Inland Empire for well over 40 years, having grown up in the High Desert and then living and raising his family in the San Bernardino area for the past 25 years. He is active in the community and was recently named to the Board of Directors for Junior University, an organization devoted to developing and encouraging young musical performers to learn and practice their craft in presenting quality and professional summer programs in San Bernardino.