Sigrid Irias

Representative Matters and Trials

• Three-week bad faith trial in San Francisco. Prevailed on behalf of defendant insurer in a case involving alleged bad faith invocation of a fire policy’s appraisal procedure.
• Two week medical malpractice jury trial in San Mateo County. Prevailed on behalf of defendant orthopedic surgeon in a case involving alleged negligence during orthopedic surgery and follow-up treatment.
• Three week court trial in San Francisco. Prevailed on behalf of directors of a nonprofit who had been accused of conversion, conspiracy, and Corporations Code violations.
•  One week jury trial in San Mateo (concluded via motion for nonsuit), defending a product manufacturer against claims that product defects resulted in burns.
• One week court trial in San Francisco County. Prevailed on behalf of a charitable hospital in a will contest.

Creative Resolutions

Prior to undertaking discovery, obtained dismissal of federal and state court claims against a health care facility in a case involving serious brain damage in a 43-year old marine worker, by using medical records to convince the plaintiff’s attorney that the health care facility was not at fault.

Extricated a small business tenant from protracted a multi-party commercial lease dispute via summary judgment, after taking the deposition of one key witness.

After deposing the two star witnesses for the plaintiff department store chain, obtained a voluntary dismissal and return of goods that had been repossessed, in exchange for a waiver of malicious prosecution claims arising out of a lawsuit in which the department store chain had sought over $300,000 for alleged breach of a revolving credit card agreement.

Obtained summary judgment on statute of limitations grounds in favor of an insurance company on a claim for over $7 million by establishing that the plaintiff had not acted reasonably in the face of publicly known facts concerning the fire loss at issue, and thus could not invoke the delayed discovery rule.

Arbitrations

Represented a Fortune 500 medical products company who was sued for $77 million for the alleged breach of a licensing and distribution agreement. Obtained a successful award after a seven-week arbitration.

Handled numerous personal injury arbitrations in cases involving product defect, premises liability, and auto liability claims.

Community Activities

• Appointed as settlement panelist for the San Francisco Superior Court in over forty cases, successfully resolving many of them. Completed a mediator’s certification course in 2003 through the University of California at Berkeley.
• Arbitrator for the City and County of San Francisco’s homeless shelter grievance program, providing pro bono alternative dispute resolution services.
• Master of the Edward J. McFetridge Inn of Court, and member of its executive committed.
• Superior Court settlement conference officer, appointed in 2012.
• San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association. President, 2012. General Counsel, 2014.

Teaching and Publications

Adjunct professor at U.C. Hastings College of the Law, 2010 to present.

Adjunct professor at St. Mary’s College of Moraga, 2003-2006.

“Commercial Insurance Litigation,” U.C. Berkeley School of Law’s International Executive and Legal Education Program. Taught course on insurance law for a visiting delegation of judges from Thailand.

“Refining our Efforts to Institutionalize Ethical Behavior,” Daily Journal, January 2011.

“Settling Early,” Daily Journal, August 2007.

Child Abuse Reporting Requirements for Health Care Providers, Chapter 5 of the Healthcare Liability Deskbook, West 1997.

Survey on California Environmental Coverage Law and Practice, 1996 CLE Conference, March 30-31, 1996, Washington, D.C. (T. Zuckerman and S. Owczarek).