News, Publications & Events

The Basics: Mortgage Servicing Compliance 101 – 2 Credits Everything starts with the fundamentals. Fitting for the professionals new to the industry or seasoned servicers for the reinforcement of basics learned long ago, this course offers the participants the chance to lay down a foundation of knowledge surrounding servicing and loan ownership transfers, account maintenance, escrow accounts, force-placed insurance, and… Read More

Michael B. Murphy spoke on “The Producing Broker’s Role in Response to Assured’s Report of Catastrophic/Mass Tort Event” at TechAssure’s International Members’ Conference, Baden, Baden Germany October 14-17, 2018. Read More

On Friday, October 5, 2018, Kristin Walker-Probst, David A. Berkley, and Scott J. Hyman presented “Current Developments in Automobile Finance Law” at the California Financial Services Association’s 78th Annual Convention in Laguna Niguel, California.  This is the 11th year that Severson & Werson has been asked to present at CFSA’s Annual Conference. Read More

Any person who “causes” an employee to be paid” less than the minimum wage set by state or local law is liable for a civil penalty as is any person who “causes to be violated” laws governing overtime pay.  The civil penalties can be serious:  for first time intention violations:  $50 or $100 per underpaid employee per pay period; for… Read More

On October 11, 2018, Michael B. Murphy will be presenting “California Wildfires and Inverse Condemnation” at the 8th Annual Bermuda Insurance Market Conference of the Bermuda Insurance Institute, Hamilton, Bermuda. Read More

Full article on Law360 here. "Law360 (September 25, 2018, 9:01 PM EDT) -- A split Eleventh Circuit has affirmed the dismissal of homeowner class litigation over force-placed insurance, saying the litigation violated a doctrine that prohibits challenges to regulator-approved rates. The appeals court on Monday affirmed, 2-1, the tossing of litigation filed by homeowners whose home insurance, mandated by their lenders,… Read More

Worldwide Effort Brings Together Volunteers from the Legal Profession to Support More Than 80 Community-Based Organizations Ford Motor Company’s Legal Alliance for Women (LAW) is launching an inaugural Global Day of Service on Sept. 27, focusing on servicing organizations who support the well-being of women and girls Severson & Werson employees will volunteer at Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden… Read More

On September 16-18, Severson & Werson was a sponsor of the 2018 Five-Star Conference and Expo in Dallas, Texas.  Specifically, Severson hosted the Servicing & Compliance Lab, and shareholder Scott Hyman moderated a panel of industry innovators speaking on the subject of Servicing Innovation, The New Mindset.  Severson members Jarlath Curran and Kerry Franich also attended the Conference. The Five… Read More

Ms. Walser-Jolly presented at “Employment Discrimination Investigation: How to Safeguard Business Against Discrimination Claims,” webinar on October 3, 2018.  She discussed the DFEH Investigative Guidelines and how to properly handle employee complaints of discrimination.   Click here for more information. Read More

On December 10, 2018, Rhonda will be speaking at the Women in Consumer Finance Conference on a panel entitled “Just Freaking Own it Already!”  in Baltimore, Maryland. Read More

On November 7, 2018, Rhonda will be speaking at the Women, Diversity & Change Summit on a panel entitled “Succeeding in Male-Dominant Environments.” Read More

The California Legislature enacted the Homeowner Bill of Rights (“HBOR”) in 2012 to provide protection for homeowners facing non-judicial foreclosure and to modify certain aspects of the foreclosure process. Many (but not all) HBOR statutes were scheduled to sunset on January 1, 2018. Of the statutes that were scheduled to sunset, many (but not all) were replaced by parallel statutes… Read More

On April 30, 2018, the California Supreme Court clarified the landscape for California employment law. The Court announced a new three-pronged “ABC” test which must be used to determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee. The impact of this new legal framework is immediately clear for the gig economy but its reverberations will be felt throughout… Read More

On August 29, 2018, Genevieve Walser-Jolly presented a live webinar with the Knowledge Group on emerging issues under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.  She looked at post-ACA Int’l developments on what constitutes an automatic telephone dialing system, contractual versus gratuitous consent, and recycled cell phone numbers. https://www.theknowledgegroup.org/webcasts/litigation-and-compliance-issues/ Read More

Severson & Werson Elevates Three OCBA Members Severson & Werson announced the elevation of six attorneys as its newest Members, three of whom are OCBA members David Berkley, Genevieve Walser-Jolly, and Matthew Garfinkle. Since joining Severson and Werson in 2012, Berkley has worked diligently in the Firm’s financial services group.  His breadth of experience is wide, including mortgage litigation, TCPA, FDCPA, and banking… Read More

View the SW Summer 2018 Newsletter Since its founding over 70 years ago, Severson & Werson has gained a reputation for providing specialized advice, legal services, and expertise to financial institution clients. The services we provide run the gamut from litigation to regulatory matters to client counseling, legislative affairs, and formulating and implementing nationwide strategies for consumer class action defense.… Read More

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers may invoke the so-called de minimus rule to avoid paying employees for up to 10 minutes of “off the clock” work per day.  Not so under California law, the California Supreme Court held in Troester v. Starbucks Corp., a decision issued on July 26, 2018. Troester holds that at least when an employer requires its… Read More

Severson & Werson is pleased to announce the elevation of six attorneys as its newest Members. This class brings a wealth of financial services, insurance, employment, litigation, and trial expertise. Duane Geck, the Firm’s Co-CEO, acknowledged the achievements of these new Members: “We recognize the promise of six outstanding attorneys from across our practice areas and offices. These attorneys represent… Read More

An Le was an infant when she and her family fled Saigon near the end of the Vietnam War. Despite major setbacks, she raised two kids as a single mom and became a successful attorney. Son TaeVeon will play football as a freshman at Stanford, and daughter Tiana, at age 15, is already a veteran actress on TV dramas. Continue… Read More

In Saunders v. Dyck O’Neal, Inc., No. 1:17-CV-335, 2018 WL 3453967 (W.D. Mich. July 16, 2018), defendant argued that its “direct drop” voicemails are not covered by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”). The court disagreed and denied Dyck O’Neal’s motion for summary judgment. Id. at *1. Continue Reading: Direct Drop Voicemails Covered by the TCPA Read More