News Stories

On April 27, 2016 our client, a truck driver with EMPAR Corporation out of Whittier, sustained catastrophic crush injuries to his spine, stomach, urological systems, colon, pelvis & kidney. The defendant in this case continued to dispute the number of hours our client needs for Home Health Care. In an Expedited Hearing on June 19, 2019, a judge awarded our client the home health care he needs. Keith More, co-founder of Bentley & More LLP and his team made sure that justice was received for our client. “Home healthcare is so personal, I will fight any insurance company that denies this critical care.” – Keith P. More

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When you suffer injuries in a car accident, you may be eligible to collect compensation for accident-related damages through a personal injury lawsuit or insurance claim. However, the process of obtaining this compensation can be complex and lengthy, depending on the details of your case. Because the timeline to settlement varies, it is not possible to give a concrete answer to how long a car accident claim in Orange County takes to complete. ... Read More

Clare Lucich is a partner with Bentley & More whose practice includes product liability, insurance bad faith, catastrophic personal injury, and governmental claims. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine, in 2008, where she graduated summa cum laude and was selected for membership in Phi Beta Kappa. Ms. Lucich received her JD in 2012 from Pepperdine University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude and was selected for membership in The Order of the Coif.

Clare is passionate about practicing law and after working as a litigator at an AM Law100 firm, she joined Bentley & More LLP.

Clare serves on the Board for both OCTLA & CAOC. She is currently serving as Chair of the Membership Committee for OCTLA. She has been elected as Super Lawyers Rising Star for four straight consecutive years.

Ms. Lucich’s Experience Includes the Following:

• Lead of litigation team that recently achieved a $30 million settlement for a woman who was catastrophically injured as a result of a trucking company’s failure to properly maintain its fleet of vehicles.
• Lead of litigation team that obtained a $12 million wrongful death settlement against the City of Los Angeles on behalf of the family of Alice Gruppioni, an Italian newlywed tragically killed on her honeymoon when struck by a reckless vehicle on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. The $12 million settlement represents the largest wrongful death settlement reached by the City of Los Angeles. (Gruppioni v. The City of Los Angeles)
• Helped secure a $5.85 million settlement for a temporary worker who was severely injured while disassembling all-metal firework stands (Pinon v. American Promotional Events, Inc. dba TNT Fireworks and American Promotional Events, Inc. – West).
• Co-chair in a slip and fall trial that resulted in a $947,000 verdict, and overall recovery for the client in excess of 1 million dollars. Plaintiff, in her 50’s, slipped and fell in wet paint at a retail property. Plaintiff suffered shoulder and arm injuries, and was later diagnosed with Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a nerve compression disorder resulting in pain, numbness, and tingling.
• Helped secure a $3.8 million verdict in Orange County Superior Court on behalf of a young man who sustained a degloving injury to his dominant right hand while in metal shop class (Zavala v NMUSD). Ms. Lucich helped prove that the disc sander the student was using violated Cal OSHA safety guidelines and that the dangerous machine should not have been used in class.
• Obtained a $1.885 million jury verdict in Riverside Superior Court in a first-of-its-kind product liability case involving an e-cigarette device that exploded while charging (Jennifer Ries v. VapCigs et al.).
• Secured a $3.2 million verdict in a wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury trial in Bakersfield involving a motor vehicle accident (Rojas v HFS Enterprises).
• Lead associate of the litigation team that represented clients injured in a crosswalk when a driver, due to the public entity’s failure to install proper safety devices, failed to see them and struck the plaintiffs, causing life-long injuries. Combined settlement with the driver’s employer and the public entity resulted in a high-seven figure settlement.
• Obtained a settlement in excess of $2 million in a slip-and-fall injury case against a grocery store on behalf of a client who sustained a back fracture in the incident.

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If you are filing an insurance claim or lawsuit for personal injury, you need an attorney on your side to investigate your claim, guide you through the legal processes, and advocate for maximum compensation on your behalf. However, not all attorneys or firms will be a right fit for your case and your communication preferences. Finding the right Irvine personal injury lawyer can take a bit of research, but it could make a significant difference... Read More

Congratulations to Greg Bentley for being recognized as one of this year’s Los Angeles / San Francisco Daily Journal‘s Top 30 Plaintiff Lawyers! From all of us here at Bentley & More, we are proud of you! Well deserved!

 

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Bentley & More opened its doors last night for the 1st Annual Side Bar Summer Social. The event was attended by nearly 100 of Orange & LA Counties finest attorneys and legal professionals. Great fun was had by all and we look forward to our next one! A special thanks to The Sullivan Group Court Reporters for co-sponsoring the event.

Visit our Facebook page for the full Event Album

 

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Bentley & More’s newest intern Gardenia Montero joins the Team!

Gardenia Montero graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2015 earning her Bachelor Degree in International Development Studies and Anthropology with a Minor in Workplace Studies. She is now in her third year of law school in Western State College of Law. During her time in UCLA, Ms. Montero was involved with social justice projects like Latinas Guiding Latinas, Proyecto de Jornaleros, and North American Integration and Development (NAID). She also interned with Community Lawyers, Inc., JusticCorps, and California Pacific Neighborhood Immigration Clinic. She then went to intern for Assembly Member Jimmy Gomez and for the Governor’s Office and Planning Research in Sacramento.

During her first year of law school, Ms. Montero joined Western State College of Law Immigration Clinic as a Spanish translator. In her first summer, Ms. Montero was awarded the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award when she participated in Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps JD program and interned with Central American Resource Center (CARECEN). While interning at CARECEN, she worked with the VAWA/U-visa Team and Unaccompanied children team assisting individuals seeking immigration relief. Last summer, Ms. Montero was a judicial clerk for Judge Joe Perez at North Court Justice Center. As a clerk, she researched Prop. 63-Fire Arm Relinquishment proceeding, AB 1810 Mental Diversion program and Pre-Trial Diversion programs. This summer, Ms. Montero is participating in the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (OCTLA) Fellowship.

Ms. Montero has a strong interest in Immigration and Employment law. She aspires to one day open her own non- profit and provide affordable legal services for low-income families.

Welcome to the team Gardenia.  We’re so glad you’re here!

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