If you have been unfairly treated by your insurance company, sustained a serious personal injury or have lost a loved one because of negligent or wrongful conduct and want legal representation in California by top rated, experienced lawyers and trial attorneys,
Los Angeles insurance lawyers, Jeanette L. Viau and Gary K. Kwasniewski who formerly represented major insurance and Fortune 500 companies, represent individual and small business policyholders in insurance bad faith cases in California who have been victimized by insurance company abuse.
We aggressively litigate insurance bad faith, personal injury, and wrongful death claims through trial and appeal on your behalf, bringing a unique understanding of the personal, legal, technical, medical and engineering complexities involved in these types of contentious and often very emotional lawsuits.
Most often, our Los Angeles insurance lawyers take California bad faith insurance and personal injury/wrongful death cases on a contingency fee basis, where you as a client do not pay any fees or costs until the case is resolved. Typically, there is no cost to you unless a recovery is obtained on your behalf.
Because our insurance bad faith lawyers and attorneys have worked on and understand both sides of bad faith insurance, wrongful death and personal injury litigation in California, we have a unique experience base, making us a formidable team on your behalf.
About Our Attorneys:-
Gary K. Kwasniewski, Esq.
Based in Los Angeles, Gary K. Kwasniewski is an experienced, pre-eminent lawyer who has practiced for over 17 years.
Mr. Kwasniewski has reached the heights of professional excellence. He is "AV-rated", the highest rating possible for legal ability and integrity by Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer directory (a rating that only about 12% of all lawyers nationwide achieve).
Mr. Kwasniewski Has Successfully Litigated Numerous Insurance Bad Faith Cases On Behalf of Individual & Small Business Policyholders
Since founding the Los Angeles law firm of Viau & Kwasniewski with his partner Jeanette L. Viau, Gary Kwasniewski has developed a strong practice in the area of insurance bad faith.
The law firm handles matters involving all types of insurance, including: Homeowner, Automobile, Motorcycle, Theft, Commercial Liability Policies, Truck Policies, Cargo Policies, Health Care Policies, Life Insurance Policies and Disability Policies. Viau & Kwasniewski has been very successful in cases involving insurance company refusals to pay, under payment of claims, refusals to defend, delay, and abuses of the appraisal, Examination Under Oath, and policy cancellation processes. Complex insurance dispute and insurance bad faith cases in California have become the primary specialty at the Law firm of Viau & Kwasniewski.
Gary Kwasniewski's Product Liability experience includes cases involving chemicals, explosives, guns, solvents, PCBs, EMFs, cars, seatbelts, insecticides, indoor air pollutants, caustics, solvents, fumigants, defective packaging, farm machinery, forklifts, industrial explosions, bottled gases, military ordnance, bicycles, climbing equipment, hydraulic hoses, high pressure gas hoses, medical devices, and other products and chemicals.
Mr. Kwasniewski Has Litigated Dozens of Cases Involving Heavy Earthmoving Equipment & Construction Accidents
These Construction & Heavy Equipment cases have involved bulldozers, wheel tractor scrapers, wheel loaders, track loaders, excavators, wheel dozers, motor graders, asphalt removers, loader backhoes, trenchers and skid steer loaders. Most of these cases have dealt with serious injuries such as extensive third degree burns, paralysis from spinal cord injuries, de-gloving injuries, brain injuries, respiratory injuries, amputation, fractures, and/or cancer from exposures to carcinogens.
In addition Mr. Kwasniewski has handled many cases involving wrongful death, toxic exposures and serious personal injury.
Gary Kwasniewski has tried cases in both California Federal District and State Courts in serious and complex matters.
Mr. Kwasniewski is admitted to practice in California State Courts, the Federal District Courts in California and the Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is also admitted to practice in New York and has a license to practice in Ohio (presently inactive).
Additional Background on Gary K. Kwasniewski
Mr. Kwasniewski graduated from Clarkson University in 1973, a very well regarded private engineering school in Potsdam, New York, with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering.
In July 1973, Mr. Kwasniewski joined the Procter & Gamble Company ("P&G") in one of its research and development divisions as an entry level engineer in Cincinnati, Ohio. At P&G he learned how to apply science and engineering in the real world as well as manufacturing, management and marketing in one of the largest and most successful international companies in the world. He was promoted to a group leader position and led teams of engineers and technicians in the development of large volume manufacturing processes that were transformed into multi-million dollar manufacturing plants.
Although the experience at P&G was positive, as Mr. Kwasniewski gained valuable experience as an engineer and manager, he felt that engineering was not what he was destined to do for the rest of his life. In 1985, he graduated from Chase College of Law. He passed the Ohio and California bar exams in 1986. After 14 years as an engineer, Mr. Kwasniewski left P&G and moved to Los Angeles. He began actively practicing law in 1988 at a medium sized law firm where he defended hospitals in medical malpractice and wrongful termination cases.
In 1989, Mr. Kwasniewski joined the large litigation and trial firm of Haight, Brown and Bonesteel, where he defended major corporations in serious personal injury, toxic exposure and products liability actions.
In 1994, Mr. Kwasniewski joined Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold in their Los Angeles office, where he continued his practice of defending large corporations in serious personal injury, toxic exposure and products liability actions. He was promoted to a partnership position in 1998 at Sedgwick. Although his experience in large trial law firms was that they are a great place to learn how to litigate and try complex cases, he felt that his true calling as a lawyer was to fight for the victims rather than the rich and powerful.
In 2000, Mr. Kwasniewski left his partnership position at Sedgwick to use everything he learned working for insurance companies and defending large companies for the benefit of individuals/plaintiffs. He started the Los Angeles law firm of Viau & Kwasniewski with Jeanette Viau, an experienced insurance bad faith litigator and represents individuals and small businesses in insurance bad faith matters and individuals in serious personal injury, products liability, toxic exposure and wrongful death cases.
Jeanette L. Viau, Esq.
Based in Los Angeles California, pre-eminent lawyer, Jeanette L.Viau has received the highest rating possible (AV-rated) by Martindale-Hubbell for outstanding legal ability and ethical standards, reserved for attorneys recognized as having the highest levels of skill and integrity.
For the thirteen years between 1985 and 1998, Ms. Viau represented and defended insureds in liability cases and insurance companies in coverage and breach of contract/bad faith cases. Ms. Viau has litigated more than 500 insurance cases, attended and/or taken hundreds of depositions including experts, has substantial trial experience and has more than 20 unpublished decisions or writs. In addition, Ms. Viau is an accomplished insurance coverage lawyer and has written more than 1000 coverage opinions in her career. She has handled numerous appeals and in addition to her unpublished writs and appeals, she has two published decisions.
Since 1986, she has focused on insurance coverage and insurance bad faith litigation, analyzing whether a claim against the insured was covered under an insurance policy. Her insurance practice has covered the full range of litigation. Ms. Viau has been offering her expertise and experience to individuals and small companies involved in insurance disputes since 1998.
Ms. Viau is admitted to practice in California State Courts, the Federal District Courts of California and the Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Additional Background on Jeanette L. Viau
Ms. Viau graduated from UCLA in 1982. After graduating from UCLA, she attended Loyola University Law School. At Loyola, she was on the National Moot Court Team, and on the Honors Board, Scott Moot Court Team. Ms. Viau worked for one year for Superior Court Judge Jess Whitehill, and researched and wrote his law and motion decisions.
In 1985, Ms. Viau joined the firm of Pachter, Gold & Schaffer (later Schaffer & Lax when Arnold Gold joined the Bench). During her first year at Schaffer & Lax, she practiced in the area of personal injury defense. She had a three-week premises liability jury trial in her first year, and obtained a defense verdict for her client. Starting in her second year of practice, she focused on insurance coverage and insurance "bad faith" defense, analyzing whether a claim against the insured individual or company was covered under an insurance policy.
While at Schaffer & Lax, Ms. Viau also handled numerous appeals, including the published decisions of Ahern v. Dillenback (1991) 1 Cal.App.4th 36 and Wilson v. Western Medical Review (1990) 222 Cal.App.3d 660.
In 1991, Ms. Viau joined the international law firm of Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold. While there, she handled many insurance coverage, "bad faith" and HMO cases on behalf of a diverse client base. She also handled an ERISA pre-emption case through appeal before the Second District Court of Appeal, where she obtained a successful appellate result for the client. In 1997, she was elevated to the position of Special Counsel.
Ms. Viau has authored numerous publications and articles on issues involving insurance coverage and "bad faith." She has given numerous seminars on the topics of insurance law and liability issues.
In 1998, Ms. Viau left her position at Sedgwick, and began representing insureds and injured persons. In 2000, she started her own Los Angeles law firm with Gary K. Kwasniewski. Viau & Kwasniewski represent insureds and plaintiffs in insurance coverage/breach actions, serious personal injury and wrongful death matters.
Los Angeles Insurance Bad Faith Lawyers - California Attorneys