Staff Spotlight - Cindy Buhler

Ms. Cindy Buhler has been a part of Prentice|LONG PC Law Firm since September of 2017. When hired, Cindy was tasked with learning legal billing and routinely ran documents to the courthouse for filing.  Eventually, she added new responsibilities, to include the review of Firm healthcare benefits as well as administrative and banking tasks.  She now does billing for seven of...

Obligations of County to Release Personal Health Information re COVID-19

Question:  What information or obligation is the County under to release that person’s personal health information (PHI)? Response:   All of the “old” rules for disclosures, the laws and regulations governing public health, still apply.  In all scenarios, Counties must ONLY release the minimum necessary information for the disclosure. Also, an individual may provide authorization to disclose PHI. In that situation, Counties still...

Governor’s May 6, 2020 Executive Order Grants New Temporary Presumption of COVID-19 Disability Arising Out of and In the Course Of Employment

On May 6, 2020, Governor Newsom announced an Executive Order creating a temporary rule which applies to employees working between March 19, 2020 and July 4, 2020.   While the official order is not available yet, we want to provide the key highlights of the temporary rule:    1.  Creates a rebuttable presumption that employees who contract COVID-19 within 14...

Staff Spotlight - Stacey Woodard

Since the firm’s beginning in January, 2015, Ms. Stacey Woodard has effectively worked with the numbers: budgets, accounts receivable/payable, client billing and the all-important, payroll!  Originally a legal assistant, Stacey moved into bookkeeping to acquire a new skill set.  However, her tremendous foundation of how a law firm should function and operate has resonated throughout her time with Prentice|LONG PC....

Dependency Update: Drug Use is Not Always Drug Abuse (In Re J.A.)

Drug use while pregnant does not necessarily amount to drug abuse according to the Second District Court of Appeal.  The Second District Court of Appeal recently overturned a ruling by the Los Angeles County Superior Court, which held that a mother’s use of medical marijuana during the last four months of her pregnancy, resulting in her child testing positive for...

CalPERS Set To Adopt Precedential Decision Regarding Retired Annuitants

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) is considering making a precedential ruling requiring that a former public employee reimburse CalPERS in the amount of $56,244.46, which constitutes monies he received while working as a retired annuitant.  Assuming the ruling becomes precedential, it will be cited by CalPERS in subsequent retired annuitant cases.  Therefore, all public agencies need to understand...