Alan J. Pecherer v. Sawyer, Cook & Company
Published: Sep. 14, 1996 | Result Date: Aug. 2, 1996 | Filing Date: Jan. 1, 1900 |Case number: 749049 – $0
Judge
Court
Orange Superior
Attorneys
Plaintiff
Defendant
Daniel J. Buckley
(Signature Resolution)
Experts
Plaintiff
Elliott C. Rothman
(technical)
Defendant
Wallace P. Clark
(technical)
Facts
On Nov. 7, 1994, plaintiff Alan Pecherer, a 40-year-old businessman, opened a furniture and art showroom by the name of Peter J's Laguna Showcase in Laguna Beach. Previously, in May 1994, the plaintiff had requested and obtained general liability, fine arts contents, business interruption and workers' compensation insurance from defendant Sawyer, Cook & Company for Peter J's Laguna Showcase. On Jan. 4 and Jan. 10, 1995, heavy rains flooded Peter J's, damaging both the inventory and the showroom. The plaintiff allegedly attempted to locate investors to help him repair the damage and restock the showroom, but he was unable to do so. As a result, Peter J's went out of business in April 1995. The plaintiff insured brought this action against the defendant insurer based on a broker negligence theory of recovery.
Settlement Discussions
The plaintiff made a C.C.P. º998 settlement demand for $97,391, which was lowered to $75,000 before trial. The defendant made a settlement offer for $15,000 approximately three weeks before trial, with an indication of more.
Damages
The plaintiff claimed approximately $100,000 in damages for the loss of contents and investment in the business.
Result
SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE: A settlement conference was held on March 15, 1996 before Judge Brenner. It did not resolve the matter.
Other Information
The verdict was reached approximately one year and one month after the case was filed.
Deliberation
40 minutes
Poll
9-3
Length
3 days
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