WALNUT CREEK, CALIF., May 1, 2008 – On April 23, 2008, Archer Norris partner Jon P. Tonsing won an appellate victory for our client, appraiser Chris Carneghi, MAI. The California Supreme Court denied a petition for review by plaintiffs/appellants in a case where our firm had successfully obtained a judgment of dismissal that was affirmed earlier this year by the Court of Appeal in Lambert v. Carneghi (2008) 158 Cal.App.4th 1120. Mr. Tonsing, who has represented numerous real estate appraisers, secured the favorable judgment in the trial court, and was assisted with the appellate work by partner W. Eric (“Ric”) Blumhardt and associate Kimberly Amick.
Carneghi was the party appointed appraiser for plaintiffs/appellants in a fire insurance arbitration. The plaintiff/appellant insureds were disappointed with the result of that arbitration, having been awarded $1.2 million against their fire insurance carrier, rather than the $3 million they claimed. They then sued their attorneys, their experts, and Carneghi. The trial court found that Carneghi was protected by arbitral immunity, and was hence not subject to suit. The Court of Appeal affirmed that result in favor of our client, and the California Supreme Court declined to review the Court of Appeal’s published decision.
Jon Tonsing primarily engages in civil litigation and administrative proceedings, with substantial experience representing clients in real estate, business, and construction litigation and transactions, as well as with malpractice defense, civil appeals, and employment issues. Tonsing is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, federal trial and appellate courts, United States Tax Court, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and all the courts of the State of California. He received his J.D. from Hastings College of Law in 1983 and was admitted to the California State Bar the same year. He received his B.A. with honors in Classical Liberal Arts from St. Mary’s College of California in 1980.
About Our Appellate Practice
Archer Norris has an experienced group of appellate lawyers with a proven track record of success in California’s appellate courts. The firm’s appellate attorneys have briefed and argued numerous cases before the California appellate courts, the California Supreme Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. They are experienced in both state and federal appellate procedure, with a successful history of identifying those issues in a client’s case that lead to the desired result from appellate justices. You may subscribe to our California Appellate Law Blog, www.caappellatelaw.com for a constantly renewing source of information and feedback based on recent appellate opinions.
About Archer Norris
Archer Norris, a Professional Law Corporation, is one of the largest law firms headquartered in Contra Costa County, with offices in Walnut Creek, Sacramento, Newport Beach and Los Angeles, Calif. The firm counsels clients in complex litigation, insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, health care, environmental, real estate transactions and discretionary approvals.
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