Robert E. Hess

Robert focuses his practice on a wide range of disability, life, and health insurance litigation. He has litigated hundreds of cases, primarily defending insurers in cases involving insurance breach of contract and bad faith claims, as well as ERISA-governed cases involving employee welfare benefit plans. Robert also advises his insurer clients on ways to minimize their exposure to bad faith litigation. He practices at both the trial and appellate levels.

In addition to handling numerous cases in the United States District Courts of California, Robert has litigated several cases in the United States District Court in Nevada.

Prior to Maynard, Robert worked with a national law firm in Los Angeles.

• Zelhofer v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 2022 WL 525562 (E.D. Cal. 2022)
• Dioquino v. United of Omaha Life Ins. Co., 2021 WL 5178664 (UCSD, S.D. Cal. Nov. 2021)
• Rios v Unum Life Insurance Co. of America, et al., U.S. App. 2021 WL 6116635 (9^th Cir. 2021)
• Vitug v. AXA Equitable Life Ins. Co., 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 208783 (C.D. Cal. 2020)
• Western v. Unum Life Ins. Co. of America, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 8362 (9^th Cir. Cal., Mar. 17, 2020)
• Demko v. Unum Life Ins. Co. of America, 780 Fed. Appx. 537, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 31102 (9th Cir. Cal., Oct. 18, 2019)
• Pegues v. Raytheon Co., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 118416 (C.D. Cal. 2019)
• Kouladjian v. Unum Life Ins. Co. of America, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20326 (C.D. Cal. 2019)
• Pavel v. Unum Life Ins. Co. of America, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 209019 (S.D. Cal. 2018)
• Dorsey v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 139010 (E.D. Cal. 2017)
• Hecht v. Paul Revere Life Ins. Co., 168 Cal. App. 4th 30, 85 Cal. Rptr. 3d 18 (2008)
• Nieto v. Paul Revere Life Ins. Co., Not Reported in Cal. Rptr. 3d, 2006 WL 2106972 (2006)
• Rabinowitz v. Paul Revere Life Ins. Co., 91 Fed. Appx. 563 (9th Cir. 2004)
• Helus v. Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, 309 F. Supp. 2d 1170, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4360 (N. D. Cal. 2004)
• Scott v. Paul Revere Ins. Group, 23 Fed. Appx. 785 23 Fed.Appx. 785, 2001 WL 1580186 (9th Cir. 2001)
• Provident Life & Accident Ins. Co. v. John L. Henry, 106 F.Supp.2d 1002 (C.D. Cal. 2000)

• The State Bar of California
• American Bar Association
• Orange County Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)

• Co-Chair, Definitive Disability Conference, Boston, Massachusetts (biennial disability industry conference held in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019)
• "In The Hot Seat," 2016 Eastern Claims Conference, New York, New York, March 14, 2016
• "The Future of Disability," Eastern Claims Conference, New York, New York, February 2015
• "Defending FRCP Rule 30(b)(6) Corporate Depositions in Disability Insurance Claims,"ACI 17th National Advanced Forum on Litigating Disability Insurance Claims, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 2015
• "Navigating the Aftermath of Cigna v. Amara and U.S. Airways v. McCutchen," ACI 16th National Advanced Forum on Litigating Disability Insurance Claims, New York, New York, January 2014
• "The Death of the Self-Reported Symptoms Limitation?" Definitive Disability Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, May 2013
• "Legal Update: Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits," 2012 Western Claim Conference, Indian Wells, California, August 2012
• "How to Prepare For and Give an Effective Deposition," 2010 Western Claim Conference, Indian Wells, California, June 2010
• "Introduction to Disability Fraud," 2009 Western Claim Conference, Indian Wells, California, June 2009