Great West Contractors, Inc. v. WSS Industrial Construction, Inc. , 162 Cal.App.4th  581 (Cal.App. 2008)  Defended surety against a claim by a contractor seeking payment under a statutory public works payment bond.  The Court of Appeal ruled that plaintiff's failure to comply with the strict licensing requirements imposed by statute on California contractors precluded the plaintiff from recovering in the action. Based upon the ruling, the surety had no liability to the plaintiff.

Nissho of California, Inc. v. Bond Safeguard Insurance Co., 220 Cal.App.4th 974 (Cal.App. 2013) Represented Amicus Curiae, a surety trade association, concerning a claim by a landscape contractor seeking payment on seven statutory subdivision map act labor and material bonds regardless of the scope of work delineated in the titles of the labor and material bonds. The Court of Appeal agreed with Amicus Curiae that the landscape contractor’s recovery was limited to the one bond for offsite landscaping. The trial court award to the landscape contractor was reversed and remanded with directions for the trial court to determine the amount of damages the landscape contractor could prove limited to the penal sum of the single landscape labor and material bond. The Court of Appeal further agreed with Amicus Curiae that subcontractors do not have a right to recover attorney fees under labor and material bonds issued pursuant to the California Subdivision Map Act, affirming the trial court’s judgment denying the landscape contractor’s motion for attorney fees.

 

Alliance for Children’s Rights - Provides legal representation to caregivers who are willing to care for minors whose parents cannot care for them and are not part of the foster care system, but are living with a relative caregiver. The legal representation seeks to establish legal guardianship via court-order granting the caregiver Letters of Guardianship, enabling the caregiver to make necessary medical, educational and other well-being decisions for the minor.