"Similarities between the insurance bad faith case in which Hiepler represented his sister and John Grisham's Rain Maker have created the widespread perception that Mr. Hiepler was the model for the fictional attorney. NBC News did a feature on Mark Hiepler calling him the real "Rain Maker." Hiepler takes the insurance organization and those who cause catastrophic injuries to task and his profile is high enough to land him on the front pages of newspapers, magazines, as well as tv screens."
- National Law Journal
Many attorneys will tell you they know what you're going through. Most of the time this only means that they've had other clients that had the same injuries or were injured by the same products as you were. At Hiepler & Hiepler we can honestly tell you that this firm grew out of a very personal legal struggle.
OUR BEGINNINGS
Although Mark Hiepler has recently been named one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the United States by the NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL and one of the 20 most influential attorneys under age 40 in California by CALIFORNIA LAW BUSINESS, his beginnings weren't motivated by a desire for publicity and recognition. He began this firm with his wife. His climb into the public light was fueled by his desire to represent his sister in a fight against her HMO to obtain a life-saving bone marrow transplant when he realized no one else would help her. This resulted in an $89.3 million jury award, a record for a wrongful death suit.
The case he pursued for his sister didn't just affect his life-it's affected this firm and the kinds of cases we are willing to take. We frequently find ourselves taking cases, not just as representatives of a single client, but as a voice for a cause that has too frequently been swept under the rug.
"Admits one insurance executive, 'Mark is a savvy attorney who recognizes there is leverage to be gained by winning in the court of public opinion, as well as the legal system.'"
-California Lawyer
At Hiepler & Hiepler, we have learned that for many, being stricken with a serious illness or a hit by an inattentive driver, isn't always the end of being victimized. It is sometimes just the beginning. Wait until the insurance companies start in. You pay your premiums. You send them in on time. If you're like most people, you hope you never have to use your coverage; but if you need it, you're glad you took the steps you did. Then you make a claim only to find that, naturally, the loss isn't covered.
When you need your insurance, it is the legal obligation of the insurer to see that your claim gets paid if it meets the contract of insurance they sold you, regardless of whether it means they may lose money. When an insurance company refuses to pay a legitimate claim, it is called "bad faith." The law provides stiff penalties for bad faith.
The family doctor used to be one of the most trusted individuals in the country, right up there with your minister or the parish priest. Thanks to managed care programs, you may not have a family doctor--it may just be whoever is in the clinic the week you make your appointment. The structure of the clinic might require the doctor to see one patient every 15 minutes. Every 15 minutes! That means that you may be trying to explain your physical problem to the doctor and he or she is still thinking of the last patient, the next patient, or just how overworked he or she feels.
In any event, as a result, your diagnosis may be wrong, you may get the wrong medicine or no medicine, you may not get the right tests or blood work. If this can happen at a clinic, just think what goes on in an emergency room, intensive care unit or operating room.
PRODUCTS LIABILITY
Companies used to take pride in the products they manufactured. Nowadays, they seem to be only concerned with beating another company to the marketplace and reaping the first sales. Some companies actually decide how safe to make their products based on how much they think a few lawsuits would cost them. As a result, the economy is flooded with everything from dangerous pharmaceuticals and so-called "safe" diet drugs (with lethal consequences) to dangerous power tools, faulty automobile safety products, environmentally hazardous pesticides, and a whole host of other things.
As a law firm, we believe people and businesses with these attitudes should be held accountable. We are dedicated as attorneys to using the skills we mastered to improve the situations of our clients and, where possible, to see that the same abuses don't happen to someone else.
If you live in California and have been victimized by catastrophic injury, insurance bad faith, medical malpractice, or defective products, contact attorneys who understand your struggle and strive to make a difference. At Hiepler & Hiepler, our attorneys strive to make a difference.