Category: Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Recent reports of false checks issued by suspicious third parties using the DeRobertis & Waxman name alarmed our firm. We do not issue these types of checks or any kind of reimbursement installation checks. We are monitoring the situation and wish to strongly warn potential victims against this money scam and encourage them to report it to authorities.

Fake check scams have become increasingly common. (See this “Anatomy of a Fake Check Scam” from the FTC). In them, victims receive counterfeit checks in the mail that claim to have been issued as compensation for an offer, service, benefit, or even a settlement. Recipients are asked to deposit the check in their local bank. Scammers often pressure the unsuspecting victim to make the deposit quickly. Then the recipient must immediately spend or wire some of the newly available money and keep the rest as a prize or compensation. However, the fraudulent checks are returned to the bank as counterfeit or fake within a few days, leaving the recipient liable for funds they have already spent.

If you have received one of these fraudulent checks, contact the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, or state Attorney General or consumer protection office. Visit www.naag.org for a list of state Attorneys General.  If you are unsure if a check is fraudulent, call the issuing bank and your own bank to verify the account and availability of funds. Remember, if someone you don’t know sends you an unexpected check and asks you to send some of the money to another person you don’t know: It’s a scam.

Here are some common forms of the fake check scam:

• Some ask victims to wrap their car in advertisements, but part of the payment must first be wired to the wrap installation company’s bank account.
• Other victims receive a check for work-from-home employment and are asked to wire a portion of the money for office supplies to get set up.
• Still, others claim victims have received a grant, prize or settlement for a lawsuit, but they must return part of it in the form of a money order to pay for fees and taxes. At Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman, fees and expenses are always deducted before ever issuing a settlement check.
• Additional reports note some victims receive checks that must be spent purchasing gift cards while working as a “secret shopper.”
• These aren’t the only types of fake check schemes out there but are some of the most common ones.

Scammers are involved in many different practices to try and obtain sensitive information from and take advantage of everyday people. Avoid these dangerous types of scams by adhering to common sense privacy guidelines:

• Protect your personal information
  Be on the alert for anyone asking for your personal information — bank accounts, social security number, or otherwise. Keep in mind that email addresses and caller ID information can be misleading or even fake. If you have been contacted by a person or company you do not know, and share your personal information with them, you could become a victim of identity theft.
• Beware of “free money” offers
  Nothing comes for free. Remember this simple saying when you are ever offered seemingly “free” or no-strings-attached money. Whether it’s in the form of a prize, shopping spree, loan, or employment, these offers are most likely a scam.
• Never send or wire money to an unknown party
  Practice caution when wiring money—especially if you have been contacted by a suspicious or unfamiliar third party. If it is someone you know, get verbal confirmation first before completing the transaction. Promotions offering a prize or personal debt collection often request the wiring of funds. These are most likely scammers who are very skilled at stealing money from unknowing victims.

When you receive any type of request for information or action that you think might be fraudulent—whether via mail, phone, or online—remember to adhere to these guidelines, and always be extremely vigilant.

About Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman is a nationally renowned personal injury law firm. For more than 35 years, we’ve been a leading advocate for our clients in cases involving mesothelioma, asbestos-related disease, birth defects, pesticide exposure such as Roundup Weed Killer, child sex abuse, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, defective products and fraud on government contracts. To learn more about legal representation at Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman, or to have one of our lawyers provide a free consultation, complete our inquiry form or call us at 888.597.1441.

Galiher’s Partners Clear Legal Challenge Allowing Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman to Move Forward

HONOLULU – Richard DeRobertis and Ilana Waxman, longtime law partners of the late Gary O. Galiher, announced today that the Galiher estate has dismissed all claims regarding clients and assets and the law firm is moving forward as Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman.

As the one-year anniversary of Galiher’s death approaches next week, maintaining the firm’s legacy of service to Hawai‘i asbestos and mesothelioma clients is at the top of their mind.

Galiher, a pioneer in asbestos litigation, spent 38 years working as a leading advocate for victims of mesothelioma and other catastrophic injuries, both in Hawai‘i and nationwide. Sadly, Galiher died on November 15, 2016, in a helicopter crash on Molokai.

“Gary assisted thousands of Hawai‘i shipyard workers, construction workers, and Navy veterans who suffered from terrible asbestos diseases,” said DeRobertis, who practiced law with Galiher for 33 years. “These workers and their families initially didn’t know where to turn. Gary was a passionate advocate for his clients and helped them acquire the financial and medical assistance they needed. I am proud to have helped Gary represent asbestos clients since 1983.”

Since Galiher’s passing, DeRobertis and Waxman have faced unexpected claims by the Galiher estate, but these items were resolved on November 8 when the lawsuit was formally dismissed and all issues regarding the future of the firm were officially resolved.

“As our firm enters a new chapter, Rick and I are committed to holding corporations and insurance companies accountable and making sure the legal system in Hawai‘i continues to work on behalf of ordinary working people,” said Waxman, who has been practicing law with Galiher for 10 years. “Our entire firm remains committed to fighting for the people of Hawai‘i, representing workers, Navy veterans, and consumers who have suffered catastrophic illness through no fault of their own. Gary’s legacy of service will live on. Rick and I are very committed to that.”

The Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman law firm is located in The Mililani Building in downtown Honolulu.

820 Mililani Street, Suite 505
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone (U.S. Toll-Free): 1-888-597-1441
Email: info@GaliherLaw.com
Website: www.galiherlaw.com

ABOUT GALIHER DeROBERTIS & WAXMAN LLP:

Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman is a Hawai‘i-based personal injury law firm with more than 30 years of experience. It specializes in mesothelioma and asbestos cases and handles a variety of personal-injury cases. The firm has represented clients on every island in the state of Hawai‘i and in 40 states on the U.S. mainland, as well as several foreign countries. It has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements and has earned an outstanding reputation among its colleagues and adversaries alike for its tenacity and dedication to its clients.

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Contact:

John McNamara
CommPac
(808) 218-2482
jmcnamara@commpac.com

Above: Gary addressed an audience at the unveiling of a new mural at the Gary Galiher Law Building in 2016.

By Cynthia Davis, RN, Medical Legal Assistant at Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Those of us who knew and loved and appreciated Gary know that there will never be another Gary Galiher. He was a uniquely gifted man who gave the full measure of himself to his many endeavors. He lived for this firm and the clients it serves.

When I started work on June 1, 1983, I was not prepared for the journey I would take with Gary over the next almost 34 years. Together, we created the medical-legal department, and Gary was very proud of this creation. At the time, I knew of only one other RN working for a law firm, and it was a defense firm. She told me that it was probably much easier to come to work when you worked for the plaintiff, as nurses always want to care for people. And that is true.

Our clients, though plaintiffs in lawsuits, are also patients suffering with devastating illnesses and injuries. As a former nurse, I am always acutely aware of this, and I become well acquainted with their pain and suffering as we prepare their cases. Gary’s motto for his firm is “On Your Behalf,” and he was committed to making his clients as whole as possible again.

Gary was a man with eclectic tastes. He collected art objects and appreciated beauty. He created beautiful things with his hands. He was a carpenter who became a woodworker, a cabinet maker, and at one time he made pottery.

He loved classical music. He was a patron and a subscriber to the LA Philharmonic, a major U.S. orchestra. By his second season as a subscriber, he had become a folk hero: the “LA boy” who graduated from UCLA, moved to Hawai‘i, founded a law firm, commuted to his home on Molokai by helicopter, traveled all over the mainland, and attended their concerts! I asked his ticket concierge if they had other subscribers like him, and she said, “None.” He was, in the words of his concierge, “a cherished member of the LA Phil family.”

Gary loved the piano and he was my piano student. He wanted to play Pachelbel’s Canon, the Brahms’ “Lullaby,” and he loved Bach and Beethoven, and was discovering the other composers. Gary was eagerly learning the basics of the keyboard and notes. My last conversations with him were about music and his plans to seriously study the piano.

Gary seemed to be very happy. New horizons were opening for him. He had accomplished so much, but I can’t help thinking of the broken column, the symbol of someone who is cut off in the vigor of life. I will miss him always. I will never again hear the roar of his Ferrari or motorcycle under my window or the heavy tread of his footsteps in the hall outside my office when he came to visit, always calling me by my full name, “Cynthia Star Davis.”

His family and loved ones, especially his daughters and son, have my deepest sympathy. On the day Gary died, I had worked for him for exactly 33 years, 5 months, and 15 days. For all of us, the pain will eventually fade, to be replaced by memories that will light our days, and surely the days of those who are privileged to carry his work forward.

Inset: Cynthia and Gary at his admission to the New York Bar in Albany, NY, 2014.