News Stories

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.

Read More

Being involved in an accident with a large truck is not something anybody wants to experience. These accidents can be incredibly scary and confusing for a victim. Unfortunately, truck accident injury victims are often left going up against well-funded insurance carriers and trucking companies when trying to secure the compensation they are entitled to. Here, we want to discuss why you need to have an experienced Orange County truck accident at... Read More

If you or somebody you care about is injured in an accident caused by the careless or negligent actions of another driver, you should be able to recover compensation for your losses. However, securing compensation is not always as easy as filing a claim and waiting for the insurance carrier to dole out the money. In fact, it is rarely that simple. It may be necessary for a car accident victim to seek assistance from a skilled vehicle accide... Read More

If you or somebody you care about has been involved in an accident with a large commercial truck, you understandably have many questions about what happens next. Truck crashes can be incredibly scary, and the aftermath of these incidents is not going to be like the aftermath of a traditional car accident. Unfortunately, victims are likely to encounter significant opposition from aggressive insurance carriers and trucking companies when tryi... Read More

If you or somebody you care about has been injured in an accident caused by a careless or negligent truck driver or trucking company, you need to seek legal assistance as soon as possible. In general, you should be able to recover compensation for your losses. However, these cases can become incredibly complex. Here, we want to discuss how long it can take to settle a semi-truck accident in Orange County. A thorough investigation is necess... Read More

The last thing anybody wants to experience is an on the job injury. Unfortunately, work injuries are not uncommon, particularly in the transportation industries. Year after year, truck drivers are injured at higher rates than those in other industries. Many people wonder if truck drivers are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if they are involved in an accident. There is often confusion surrounding this issue, particularly if a truc... Read More

Bentley & More LLP is sponsoring a live webinar presented by Orange County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Thursday, December 17^th from 12pm-1pm. Join in as our very own Nico Mamone moderates the topic of substance abuse in the legal profession. David Mann of The Other Bar will provide a review of the brain chemistry of addiction and alcoholism, as well as a discussion of the behavioral and health consequences of the disease. He will share his insights into the personality traits of attorneys and the qualities of the legal profession that combine to make lawyers significantly more susceptible to addiction. You won’t want to miss it. Register online at ocbar.org.

Read More