CLAREMONT, Calif., Nov. 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Premier insurance bad faith firm Shernoff
Bidart Echeverria LLP announced that former Consumer Watchdog
Litigation Director Jerry Flanagan
has joined the firm in the Claremont office.
Mr. Flanagan, formerly the Litigation Director for the
non-profit Consumer Watchdog, has almost 30 years of experience
working in health care policy, legislation and litigation. While at
Consumer Watchdog he worked closely with the firm on a series of
high-profile health care class action lawsuits over the "narrow
network" epidemic – the practice of health insurers narrowing their
networks of participating physicians and hospitals, leading to
unexpected medical bills.
"We're excited to see Jerry bring his skill, his talent and his
experience to our firm," said managing partner Michael J. Bidart. "His amazing track record of
fighting to protect the rights of insurance consumers, and his
determination to fight for justice everyday is a perfect addition
to our firm."
Flanagan's 22 years with Consumer Watchdog also included a broad
range of cutting-edge consumer and good-government litigation.
Flanagan has spearheaded efforts to address discrimination
against those with HIV and other serious illnesses in the era of
the Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare"). Those efforts include a
case before the United States Supreme Court in 2022 where he
successfully represented plaintiffs living with HIV in a suit
against CVS for discrimination, including CVS's failure to provide
medically appropriate dispensing of HIV medications.
In the early 2000s Flanagan worked closely with founding partner
William Shernoff to expose the
illegal practice of health insurers retroactively canceling
coverage and authored a law journal article underscoring the need
for reform in health insurance rescission law, Healthy State of
Mind: The Role of Intent in Health Plan Rescissions, 43 Loy.
L.A. L. Rev. 291 (2009). An "intentional misrepresentation"
standard for coverage rescissions, advocated by the article, was
adopted in the Affordable Care Act.
"I am thrilled to join Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP. I am
incredibly lucky to count Bill
Shernoff, Mike Bidart, and
Ricardo Echeverria as friends and
colleagues. Not only are they phenomenal lawyers, they are good
people and I look forward to continuing to fight side-by-side with
them for patients and policyholders," said Jerry Flanagan.
Flanagan is an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School of
Los Angeles, where he has taught
health care and insurance law.
Prior to joining Consumer Watchdog, Flanagan drafted and won
passage of one of the nation's strongest HMO accountability
measures, which was signed into law in New Jersey in 2001.
About Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP
At Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP, we lead the nation in
protecting policyholders from insurance companies' refusal to pay
claims. The firm has been protecting the rights of insurance
consumers, both individuals and businesses, for over 40 years after
having set the legal precedent requiring insurance companies to act
in good faith. Visit us on the web at www.Shernoff.com
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SOURCE Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP