The Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act, commonly known as MICRA, has been on the books in California since 1975. One of its provisions limits non-economic damage awards to a maximum of $250,000. You'd think that California courts would have determined all of the possible MICRA issues, but that's not the case. Just last month, the California Supreme Court issued a new decision regarding MICRA that I discuss in the video above.

Mediation, Arbitration and Referee Services

I help attorneys and their clients by serving as a mediator, arbitrator and referee with ADR Services, Inc. I handle cases in the areas of business, commercial, employment, insurance bad faith, insurance coverage, land use, landlord-tenant (commercial and residential), legal malpractice, medical malpractice, personal injury, real property and wrongful death. I also keep up with the new civil case law published in California. I offer Zoom services throughout California and also in-person services. I've...

In addition to my work as a mediator, arbitrator and referee, I help California lawyers easily keep up with the new case law in their practice areas by publishing California Case Summaries™. 

Below is a free sample of a new case summary from the newly published issue of my publication California Case Summaries Monthly™, with summaries of the 43 new California civil and family law cases published in January of 2022. 

California Supreme Court
Employment

 Lawson v. PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc. (2022) _ Cal.5th _ , 2022 WL 244731: The California Supreme Court, answering a question posed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, determined the proper method for presenting and evaluating a claim of whistleblower retaliation under Labor Code section 1102.5. Once an employee-whistleblower establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that retaliation was a contributing factor in the employee’s termination, demotion, or other...

Below is a free sample of a new case summary from the newly published issue of my publication California Case Summaries Monthly™, with summaries of the 32 new California civil and family law cases published in November of 2021.

California Courts of Appeal

Torts

Doe v. Lawndale Elementary School Dist. (2021) _ Cal.App.5th _ , 2021 WL 5578329: The Court of Appeal reversed in part, and affirmed in part, the trial court’s order granting defendants’ motion for summary judgment in an action for sexual assault of a minor student by a music teacher. The Court of Appeal concluded that school administrators have a duty to protect students from sexual abuse by school employees, even if the school does not have actual knowledge of a particular employee’s history of committing, or propensity to commit, such abuse. Therefore, it reversed the trial court’s order granting summary adjudication on plaintiff’s negligence causes of action....