Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP Welcomes Seasoned Litigator Jerry Flanagan

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Nov 08, 2024, 20:12 ET

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

SOURCE Shernoff Bidart Echeverria LLP