EDITORIAL REVIEW

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Bidart blasted Aetna for not paying for care its own doctors recommended, and led the California pension system to expand benefits to breast cancer patients.


The health-care industry knows it has a tough adversary in Michael Bidart. The California lawyer, who leads his firm's HMO litigation practice, has fought to expand health-care rights for the public. In 1999, he won a $120.5 million jury verdict against health insurer Aetna for refusing to pay for treatment for a stomach-cancer patient, and the landmark decision intensified a national debate over HMO reform. In addition, his efforts have spurred the California Public Employees Retirement System to increase its health-care benefits for women with breast cancer. He also has waged a battle to force health-care plans to cover proton beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer patients.


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A PREEMINENT CONSUMER attorney whose impact on our healthcare system has been major, Michael J. Bidart leads the firm's HMO Litigation and Property/Casualty Departments.

Since joining the firm in 1986, Mr. Bidart has developed the firm's health insurance practice by successfully prosecuting bad faith disputes against insurers and HMOs.

His inexhaustible efforts culminated in 1999 with his landmark $120.5 million verdict against Aetna over its refusal to pay for care recommended by the health plan's own physicians (Goodrich v. Aetna). It was the largest jury verdict ever rendered against an HMO.

Mr. Bidart's dedication and expertise led to many earlier landmark decisions. In State Farm v. Superior Court (1996) he helped establish definitively that "unfair business practice" statutory liability applies to insurance companies in California. For victims of the 1994 Northridge earthquake he won more than $300 million. He was a key player in the California Public Employees Retirement System's decision to expand its health care benefits for women with breast cancer, and he leads the firm's effort to ensure that prostate cancer patients statewide receive proton beam therapy as a covered benefit under their insurance policies.

Mr. Bidart was recently named a Super Lawyer of 2004 by Law & Politics Magazine and Los Angeles Magazine. He has been profiled in the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer and California Lawyer Magazine, which recently recognized him as one of California's most influential lawyers. The Wall St. Journal noted in a recent article that Mr. Bidart's success in healthcare litigation helped to reignite the debate in Congress over whether patients should have the right to sue their health plans.

A well-known lecturer and keynote speaker on HMO litigation and bad faith insurance practices, Mr. Bidart has been a featured speaker for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Consumer Attorneys of California, American Conference Institute, The Rutter Group, the California Judges Association and many others.

Mr. Bidart currently serves on the Board of Governors of Consumer Attorneys of California and Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, on the Board of Regents of Loyola Marymount University and as chairman of the board of Visitors for the University of LaVerne Law School.

Mr. Bidart graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (B.S., 1971) and Pepperdine University School of Law (J.D.,1974).

Areas of Practice:

• Healthcare
• HMO Litigation
• Property/Casualty

(100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation)

Bar Admissions:

• California, 1974

Education:

• Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California, 1974; J.D.
• California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California, 1971; B.S

Representative Cases:

• Goodrich v. Aetna, (1999)
• State Farm v. Superior Court(1996) (.pdf)

Honors and Awards:

• Super Lawyer, Law & Politics Magazine, 2004
• Super Lawyer, Los Angeles Magazine
• One of California's Most Influential Lawyers, National Law Journal
• One of California's Most Influential Lawyers, American Lawyer
• One of California's Most Influential Lawyers, California Lawyer Magazine

Professional Associations and Memberships:

• Consumer Attorneys of California; Board of Governors
• Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles; Board of Governors
• Loyola Marymount University; Board of Regents
• University of LaVerne Law School; Chairman, Board of Visitors

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by Michael Bidart

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Published Works:

• Healthcare Litigation, Wall St. Journal

Classes/Seminars Taught:

• Lecturer, HMO Litigation and Bad Faith Insurance Practices
  
  
• Keynote Speaker, HMO Litigation and Bad Faith Insurance Practices<
  
  
• Featured Speaker, Association of Trial Lawyers of America
  
  
• Featured Speaker, Consumer Attorneys of California
  
  
• Featured Speaker, American Conference Institute
  
  
• Featured Speaker, The Rutter Group
  
  
• Featured Speaker, California Judges Association