Firm News

If you or a loved one has sustained an on-the-job injury in California, you should be able to receive workers’ competition. Unfortunately, there are times when workers’ comp insurance carriers or employers resist paying out the compensation work injury victims are owed. This can present significant challenges to injury victims. Here, we want to discuss some tips that can help ensure that your workers’ comp case is successful. We understand ... Read More

If you or somebody you love sustains an injury caused by the careless or negligent actions of another individual, business, or entity, you may be able to secure compensation for your losses. The process of recovering this compensation can be complicated. Often, this involves settlements with insurance carriers. However, this could also involve a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party. Sometimes, a plaintiff and a defendant are a... Read More

The vast majority of personal injury claims in California are resolved through a settlement with insurance carriers. However, it is often necessary for an injury victim and their attorney to send a demand letter to the insurance carrier asking for full payment of damages. Unfortunately, dealing with insurance carriers after a demand letter has been sent can be frustrating. Here, we want to discuss how long it can take for an insurance carri... Read More

If you or somebody you care about has been injured at work, you should be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits in California. These benefits are designed to cover an injured worker's medical bills, a significant portion of any lost wages, and even provide temporary or permanent disability benefits depending on the severity of the injury. However, we know that many employees are just focused on getting back to work as soon as possible.... Read More

Greg Bentley & Keith More, Co-Founders of Bentley & More LLP, were recognized in the 2021 Super Lawyers publication rated as Top 50 in Orange County & Top 100 in Southern California. Both Greg & Keith are  storytellers with a winning attitude and are true champions at heart. “One of the best ways to advocate for a client is to get to know them so you can tell their story. Our role is to guide clients through an uncomfortable period in their lives, often their darkest, get full compensation for their harm, and get answers as to what happened,” Bentley says. “We are a calming influence in a relationship-building process that lasts long after the case is over,” More adds.

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G R E G  B E N T L E Y

Greg is the leading litigator on E-cigarette explosion cases throughout the nation and recently obtained a confidential eight-figure settlement on behalf of a wide range of clients injured by alleged product defects with a variety of injuries. Greg knew from an early age that he wanted to be a lawyer.

“I ‘ve always chimed in when I saw something wrong. As I grew up and argued with my parents and other adults, and did so respectfully and convincingly, people would say that I should be a lawyer. I just knew it was something I wanted to do.”

Mr. Bentley’s track record reflects a career dedicated to protecting consumers. Mr. Bentley’s fight for consumers includes leadership positions in various organizations and in 2019 Mr. Bentley was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to serve on the Orange County Judicial Selection Advisory Committee.

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K E I T H  M O R E

K E I T H  M O R E

Keith has been practicing law for over 32 and still has the desire and motivation to take on the most challenging, life changing cases. He has been selected an unprecedented 4-times as the OCTLA Top Gun in Workers’ Comp.  in 2019, More arbitrated a Personal Injury & Work Comp cross-over case to the tune of 44.1 million dollars. Keith also knew from an early age that he would find a career in the law.

“I have always wanted to be a lawyer ever since I was eight years old. My parents went through a brutal divorce and from then on, I wanted to help people. I also used to stay up late and watch Perry Mason and that inspired me as well.”

Beyond the personal accolades, however, is a lawyer who cares about those he represents. For one 22 year old tetraplegic whose spinal cord injuries resulted from his unprotected fall through a sky light, attorney Keith P. More obtained a settlement of $14.7 million, the largest award in California workers’ compensation history. Over his 32 year career, Keith has taken on some of the largest corporations in the world. Besides the in court awards, Keith is most proud of his ability to connect with his clients. It’s not just about being the lawyer. It’s about being their voice and telling their story. Keith goes the extra mile.

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Gregory L. Bentley, Matthew Clark, Jaimi Groothuis and Farnaz Salessi of Bentley & More LLP obtained a favorable ruling on a motion for summary judgment/adjudication filed by Korean electronics giant Samsung SDI in a case involving an exploding e-cigarette Samsung lithium-ion battery. According to the complaint, Bentley & More’s client had purchased the Samsung batteries on the recommendation of an e-cig retailer, and used them without issue until April 14, 2018, when the Samsung battery exploded in his pocket, inflicting second- and third-degree burns on his left leg and genitalia, requiring a brutal skin-graft surgery, and leaving him with permanent scarring, discoloration, and hyper-sensitivity.

According to the lawsuit, Samsung had known since at least January 2016 that individual consumers were purchasing and using Samsung batteries for use in electronic cigarettes—a use that Samsung allegedly knew would subject consumers to potential harm. Instead of taking meaningful action to limit the risk or remove its batteries from the marketplace, Samsung ignored the problem, failed to even attempt to discern its scope, and instead placed profits over public safety by continuing to flood the market with hundreds of millions of its batteries—resulting in at least 88 cases filed against Samsung for similar battery explosion issues.  In the ruling at issue here, the Court denied Samsung’s attempt to summarily dismiss the case, and found triable issues of fact as to both Samsung’s liability for the explosion, and Samsung’s culpability for punitive damages, which are designed to punish and deter manufacturers from knowingly distributing harmful, dangerous products.

CLICK HERE for the full Press Release.

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Greg Bentley, Matthew Clark, and Farnaz Salessi of Bentley & More LLP reached a confidential 8-figure settlement on behalf of multiple homeowners who lost their homes in the October 2017 Northern California wildfires. Despite maintaining insurance with the same carrier for years, and despite the insurance company recommending and even selecting the policy limits, the devastating wildfires left the homeowners without adequate insurance to even begin rebuilding their lost homes.

 

This underinsurance problem—all too common in the property insurance industry—was instigated by insurers falsely promising to conduct detailed estimates of replacement cost value, falsely claiming they revised that estimate yearly to account for changes in construction costs, and by relying on software that knowingly underestimates the cost to rebuild insureds’ homes.  Despite the vast majority of homeowners believing they are adequately insured, these factors have combined to leave upwards of 80% of homes throughout the United States underinsured in the event of a total, catastrophic loss.  With natural disasters seeming to arrive ever more frequently, this underinsurance problem is sure to be magnified in the years to come.

 

Though the families can never get back the four years of struggle with their insurer, due to the efforts of Bentley & More LLP, this settlement will allow the families to regain some semblance of normalcy by rebuilding their homes and trying to move on with their lives.

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If you or somebody you care about has been injured or sustained property damage in a car accident in California, then you should be able to receive compensation for injuries and other losses. However, securing this compensation is not always straightforward, just ask our Riverside car accident lawyers. Insurance carriers and at-fault parties often put up a fight when it comes to paying out the proper amount to those who are harmed in the in... Read More

If you or a loved one are injured or sustained property damage in a vehicle accident that was caused by another driver, then you should be entitled to various types of compensation for your injuries and other losses. With an Orange County car accident attorney on your side, we can help you with insurance companies. However, the insurance carrier of the at-fault party is not likely to simply write a check for the full value of your losses. I... Read More

Bentley & More LLP attorneys Keith More and Michael McDonald recently obtained a $2,000,000 settlement on behalf of their client, the daughter of a 64-year-old bicyclist who was hit and killed by a motorist while crossing the street in a designated crosswalk.  Mr. More and Mr. McDonald claimed that the motorist was not only negligent in causing the incident, but that the motorist then fled the scene without providing aid or alerting the proper authorities.  Although the defendant disputed their client’s damages and filed a motion to stay the civil case while authorities investigated the incident, Mr. More and Mr. McDonald aggressively litigated the case, despite the recent court closures, and were able to obtain the seven-figure settlement within only a few short months.  Said Keith More, “we are so grateful to have settled this case and allow our client to grieve without the pressure of further litigation.”

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On June 16, 2020, Bentley & More LLP filed suit on behalf of Bernie Bischof, the owner of Old World German Restaurant in Huntington Beach, who was catastrophically burned over 40% of his body when a transformer bank at the restaurant exploded last October.  Bernie, who was hosting an Oktoberfest celebration at his restaurant the night of the explosion, has been hailed as a hero for clearing the patio of customers and employees in the minutes before the tragic explosion.  The lawsuit was filed against SoCal Edison, which the complaint alleges spent years ignoring basic maintenance, ignoring warnings from Bernie about previous problems with the transformer, and ignoring SCE’s own employee, who thought the transformer was a “death trap.”

 

Founding Bentley & More LLP partner Greg Bentley said: “SoCal Edison knew its equipment was failing as far back as 2010 but ignored the dangers.  This transformer explosion was completely preventable and was the result of a companywide policy of putting corporate profits and its own bottom line over public safety.”

 

The case is titled Bern Bischof, et al. v. Southern California Edison Company, Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. 20STCV22690, and includes as plaintiffs both Bernie and several of his family members who witnessed, and were injured by, the horrific explosion.

 

Click HERE for the full Press Release

 

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The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the way of life of most people in the US and throughout California. While this has first and foremost been a health crisis, the coronavirus has significantly affected businesses in this state. Many business owners have turned to business interruption insurance policies to try to gain coverage of their losses. While this type of insurance coverage is typically used after interruptions caused by n... Read More

This past Friday we had the pleasure of providing meals for the #FrontlineFighters of the Newport Beach Police Department. Our gratitude goes out to the entire department for their service to our community. Thank you for your unwavering dedication to keeping Newport Beach safe during these unprecedented times. We salute you!

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Keith P. More and Whit D. Bertch of Bentley & More LLP secured a $1.01M policy limits settlement for a fifty-five-year-old man who suffered catastrophic injuries when he fell 18.5 feet from a scaffold system on a residential development construction project in Irvine, California. He suffered numerous fractures including seventeen ribs, lumbar, sacrum, pelvis, clavicle, left mandibular angle, and right mandibular parasymphysis. He also suffered a grade III lacerated kidney, heart contusion,  respiratory failure, and traumatic pneumothorax. He was hospitalized for 29 days. After the fall, Cal-OSHA performed an investigation and determined that the scaffold system was negligently erected and identified forty-six (46) instances of violations of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations. It issued five (5) citations and proposed penalties exceeding $69,000.  Additionally, due to allegations of significant employer negligence the workers compensation lien of $404,000 was reduced to $50,000 and a waiver of credit rights in the work comp case. The firm is also representing him for his workers compensation case as he was on-the-job at the time of the fall working as a framing foreman for his employer.

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If your business has been forced to shut down operations due to an unforeseen event, such as a natural disaster or forced government closure, this will most certainly have a negative financial impact on your and your workers. However, many business owners obtain business interruption insurance to help them cover costs in the event a major shutdown in operations occurs. At Bentley & More LLP, our Riverside accident lawyers are here to help ... Read More

If your business has been negatively impacted by a major disaster or shutdown in operations, it is important to understand how your business interruption insurance policy works. This type of insurance is meant to restore a business to the same economic condition as it was before the interruption occurred. At Bentley & More LLP, our California business interruption insurance lawyers are here to help you through any situation, including prop... Read More

Bentley & More is beyond proud to announce that EIGHT of our elite team of attorneys have been selected to the Super Lawyers Southern California Rising Stars list. This designation is earned by less than 2.5% of attorneys under the age of 40 or in practice 10 years or less. Congratulations to Firm Partners Clare Lucich, Jaimi Groothuis & Matthew Clark and Trial Lawyers Allegra Rineer, Whit Bertch, Evan Grant, Michael McDonald & Nico Mamone. We are proud of the work you put in and your dedication to the firm’s success.

We also recognize Greg Bentley, Keith More & Jim Tierney for being named 2020 Southern California Super Lawyers.  Greg & Keith have held consecutive selections since 2010 & Jim since 2012. These guys are too legit to quit!

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Hotels depend on occupants. However, when a natural disaster or other major event occurs that stops the flow of people coming to a hotel, occupancy rates can decrease. This can include an event that directly impacts a hotel or one that stems the flow of people coming to the hotel. Hotels in most of the United States have seen a complete shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When events like this happen, business interruption insurance may be ... Read More

GEICO is perhaps one of the most well-known insurance agencies in the country, particularly when it comes to auto insurance. One of the first things that comes to mind when you hear about GEICO is the GEICO gecko commercials. The gecko seems friendly enough, but is GEICO going to be your friend in the aftermath of a crash? If you or a loved one have been in a car accident and now have to make an auto accident claim with GEICO, the process c... Read More

Those in the United States who have textured breast implants could be a risk of developing breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or BIA-ALCL. This is a rare cancer which, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is associated with breast implants that women receive after reconstructive or cosmetic surgery. Specifically, the majority of those diagnosed with BIA-ALCL received textured breast implants. Unlike... Read More