Steve Polak Was a Private Investigator in a Malpractice Case Where the Jury Awarded $1.7 Million to the Victim
Steve Polak, founder of Sunset Blvd. Investigations, Inc., was a private investigator in a malpractice lawsuit that recently resulted in a significant recovery for the plaintiff. Steve Polak was hired by the law firm Bienert, Miller & Katzman, who represented the plaintiff.
According to an article run in the Daily Journal, a woman was awarded $1.7 by the jury after she sued her medical malpractice lawyers for legal malpractice. The article states that the verdict brings closure to a case that “featured ‘holistic’ dentists, a lawyer impersonator and a settlement offer of lottery tickets.”
The plaintiff, Peggy Rinella, approached Michael Mastrovito for legal representation in a medical malpractice claim. Rinella claimed that two “holistic” dentists had removed part of her jaw and 12 teeth, leaving her disfigured. She also claimed that she had a blood disease which affected her cognition and made her more vulnerable to being taken advantage of by the dentists.
Mastrovito, together with Paul Stabile, settled Rinella’s case for $300,000 and took their attorney fees from that recovery. However, Rinella then filed a legal malpractice suit against Mastrovito and Stabile because Mastrovito had only been a lawyer in Arizona and had been disbarred two decades earlier. Stabile was held liable for breach of fiduciary duty, legal malpractice and negligence. Mastrovito was held liable for intentional misrepresentation with malice.
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