San Rafael California Insurance Law Firm

Prosecutors in California say that a former licensed insurance agent stole more than $100,000 from small business owners and general contractors by selling them bogus workers' compensation policies. The 31-year-old man faces a raft of felony counts, including insurance fraud, forgery and grand theft. Prosecutors say the man used the money to cover gambling debts and buy luxury items such as designer clothing and sporting equipment. He was released from custody after posting bail in the amount of $100,000.

The man allegedly told small business owners that their workers' compensation policies would be backed by major insurance providers. However, prosecutors from the Orange County District Attorney's Office claim he pocketed the money instead and provided his clients with no coverage whatsoever. Prosecutors say that he was able to avoid suspicion by issuing his clients with fake certificates of insurance.

A patent dispute is moving forward in the Southern District of California between two major technology corporations. The litigation between Apple and Qualcomm hinges on whether the latter's alleged monopoly on chipset technologies for mobile phones led to overpayments by Apple and other equipment manufacturers. Qualcomm has previously faced investigations by the European Union and Korean regulators as well as the Federal Trade Commission, paying billions of dollars in antitrust fines over its licensing process for its patents for mobile chipsets.

Qualcomm said that its patent license complies with government regulations that require it to be "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory," or FRAND. While the chipset company said its licenses were FRAND, Apple lawyers argued that the federal judge overseeing the case should not declare that Qualcomm's licenses meet the standard. They also accused Qualcomm of using the litigation as a tool in potential future negotiations with Apple over including the chipsets in its iPhones and other mobile devices. Apple attorneys argued that the company refuses licenses to companies that manufacture their own chipsets as well as charging exorbitant fees for its licenses that far exceed the competition. As a result, Apple argued that Qualcomm's licenses do not meet the FRAND standard.

Insurance companies in California typically have several advantages over policyholders because of their significant resources and negotiating strength. This is why many states have laws requiring insurance providers to act in good faith when dealing with their customers and handling claims. If an insurer acted in "bad faith," a policyholder might be able to pursue legal action. There are several elements that constitute what's termed bad faith insurance.

This type of insurance law can vary from one state to another, with some states broadly defining bad faith as being any actions considered unreasonable or without proper cause. Also, some states consider questionable claim-related behavior a breach of contract while others consider it a wrongful civil act (tort). In order to pursue a common law bad faith claim, a policyholder typically has to prove benefits for a valid claim were withheld and that the reason for doing so was unreasonable.

Regulators in California have taken over an insurance company that was unable to pay claims resulting from massive wildfires that destroyed more than 13,000 homes throughout the state. As a result, homeowner claims will now be paid by the California Insurance Guarantee Association. The largest fire in the state, which started on Nov. 8, almost completely destroyed the city of Paradise and many of the surrounding areas. There were also many losses in Ventura and Los Angeles County.

The insurance company is not expected to fight the takeover from the state. No other insurance companies who provided coverage for homeowners affected by the fire have reported insolvency as of the beginning of December. Not all damage has been assessed by insurers by this point, so it's not clear whether this will change in the future. Regulators aim to ease the suffering of impacted residents whenever needed.