May 2023 James I. Montgomery, Jr. answers questions from Gibbs Giden’s Meghan Behar. After 22 years James is leaving Gibbs Giden this month to start his new position as Superior Court Commissioner.    Where were you born?  I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky What was your first job? James: My first legal job was with the firm of Daniels, Baratta, & Fine in 1982. It was my introduction into civil trial work and where I learned to be a trial attorney. My very first job was working in a laundrymat/cleaners in the evening while in high school. How […]

  May 2023 In a new appellate case published on May 5, 2023 (Dua v. Stillwater Insurance), the California Court of Appeal reminded insurance companies that an insurer’s duty to defend is broader than the duty to indemnify — much broader. In California, the duty to defend and the duty to indemnify are two important obligations that insurance companies have towards their policyholders. The key difference between the two duties is that the duty to defend is based on the potential for coverage, while the duty to indemnify depends on the actual outcome of the claim or lawsuit. Generally speaking, the duty […]

April 2023 Sustainable Building Materials Presented at the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law Annual Meeting 2023 Download here  Sustainable Building Materials – Paper  For more information contact the author and presenter Theodore L. Senet, Esq (310)-734-3311 tsenet@gibbsgiden.com Theodore L. Senet is a partner of the firm. Since joining the firm, Mr. Senet’s areas of practice have been insurance, construction, environmental, and real property law. Mr. Senet has been involved in planning and construction of major projects, including high rise buildings, hospitals, airports, roadways, pipelines, power plants, refineries, and major commercial and residential developments. He currently represents private and […]

April 2023 Wage theft is undoubtedly a major issue in the United States.  According to a study by the Economic Policy Institute, wage theft could amount to $50 billion dollars per year owed to unpaid workers. To combat wage theft, California has passed onerous regulations and severe penalties for non-compliance.  These rules are often so burdensome that it can be difficult for even the most well-intentioned employers to comply with all requirements. The ramifications of non-compliance can be devastating to businesses as they may face crippling class-action lawsuits and Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) claims. There are, however, steps that […]

February 2023   Although Senate Bill 688 did not receive much attention, this new California law effective January 1, 2023 takes away a creditor’s ability to secure a Confession of Judgment. Specifically, SB 688 amends Code of Civil Procedure section 1132(a) as follows, in pertinent part: (a) A judgment by confession is unenforceable and may not be entered in any superior court. The law does not apply retroactively and does not impact those confessions of judgment obtained or entered into before January 1, 2023. But the new law does have significant ramifications for credit professionals and financial executives that have […]

  January 2023 It is common practice for an employer to round employer timesheets, usually in 5, 10, or 15-minute increments, to help simplify payroll.  In 2012, the California Supreme Court approved the use of rounding in See’s Candy Shops, Inv. v. Superior Court.  The Court held that rounding was appropriate so longer as the process was neutrally applied.  For example, if an employer rounds time in 10-minute increments, the employer can round down for any time less than five minutes and round up for any time over five minutes.  In theory, therefore, the employer and employee should equally benefit […]