Genice was working for an animal rescue transport business. She was hired by Defendant City of L.A. to transport a Belgian Malinois from the City-owned and operated East Valley Animal Shelter to an animal rescue in Arizona. The dog was surrendered to the shelter by its prior owner after it attacked his teenage daughter unprovoked, requiring stitches.

At the shelter, the Malinois attacked a shelter employee, again unprovoked. It had documented instances of aggression. Rather than euthanize the dangerous dog, the City made him available for rescue through the New Hope Program. The rescue, HIT Living Foundation, requested the dog and hired Genice to transport the dangerous dog.

Genice arrived at the L.A. shelter to get the dog. Neither the rescue nor the shelter employees warned Genice of his vicious history or aggression. After Genice gave the dog a treat, the dog attacked and broke her ulna bone within three seconds, pulling her to the ground.

Genice suffered severe orthopedic injuries and permanent damage to her radial sensory nerve.

Genice argued LA City was the legal owner. That the City was strictly liable and should have euthanized the dog as a serious risk to public safety. Moreover, the City failed to warn Genice about the dog’s history of aggression.

The City of L.A. contended that the rescue organization, HIT, was the legal owner. The City denied it was negligent in any way and blamed the rescue organization for negligence.

Total medical bills were $105,225, and future medical bills were $1.8 million.

The jury awarded a verdict of $5,405,225 against the City.

Hon. Judge Theresa M. Traber, L.A. Superior Court, Feb. 20, 2026.

Lewkovich

Audits of All Types Are Popular Again

With national attention focused on billions stolen from Medicare, et al., by ruthless NGOs, insurance companies are expanding their resources to "find" fraud with chiropractic PI cases.

Why do some chiropractors get as many as 10 times the audits as their chiropractic neighbor across the street? Once audited, you can win, but at an enormous cost, time, and stress. Oftentimes, it is simply insurance harassment.

Lewkovich offers How Best to Prep. The document is called Becoming Audit Bulletproof. Here are some samples for you for free.

• When progress notes are missing or incomplete, you are an easy target. Here's why
• Watch out for unusual or "unapproved" procedures and modalities.....see Sam Collins.
• Routinely billing for a 99204/99214 level of examination when, in reality, the level of service does not meet the criteria.

And 35 more gems. This is the GOLD standard. Post this “Substantiation of Medical Necessity” on your desk. Ask yourself if you can provide the evidence for continued quality care. And Lewkovich’s form is free for the taking.



Email johntawlian@shawnsteel.com for your free 20-point Bulletproof copy.

Pre-COVID, Warren served as our law clerk. He excelled and earned a seat at Chapman Law School. After law school, he honed his trial experience, mostly by working for defendant insurance companies. He was successful. He had trials in San Diego, OC, and Los Angeles. Almost embarrassingly, he got three defense verdicts even though the insurance companies admitted liability before trial.

Warren is welcomed back with open arms. He clearly wants to serve by representing injured chiropractic patients against his former employers. His trial experience is recent. Eight trials from 2024, 2025, and this year.

He married up and now has four children. Warren lives in Orange County. He stated he is eager to return to the only Pro Chiropractic PI Firm in California, where chiropractors are treated with great respect and Shawn Steel Law Firm gets their PI bills paid in full. It's easy if you appreciate the work chiropractors do for their patients.

LICENSURES/ CERTIFICATIONS

• Active Release Technique Master's 2021
• Active Release Technique Nerve Entrapment 2018
• Spiritual Life Coach Certification 2018
• Selective Functional Movement Assessment 2017
• Active Release Technique Full Body 2015
• Acupuncture License 2014
• Chiropractic License 2013
• American Heart Association Healthcare Provider 2012
• Certification Therapeutic Massage (NCBTMB) 2007

Dr. Ernest Kim is a second-generation acupuncturist and a board-certified chiropractor who graduated with honors from Southern California University of Health Sciences. He received his bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado and is a graduate of Boulder College of Massage Therapy. He is also a certified Transformational Life Coach.

He has been featured on CBS and Showtime and has worked with professional athletes from the Los Angeles Lakers, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Padres, as well as Pro Boxers and AVP Volleyball players.

His Torrance office features 17 different practitioners with unique stales of multiple offerings of holistic care. His office is a leading source for the emerging interest in Peptides Therapy.

We will have a special discussion at our FALL PI EXTRAVAGANZA on whether PEPTIDES are useful for patients suffering personal injuries.

A note about Peptides....

BPC-157 (Body Protection Compound-157) is a synthetic peptide that is widely promoted for healing injuries, reducing inflammation, and speeding recovery. It has become popular in sports medicine and "biohacking" communities, but it's important to know what the evidence actually shows.

What people claim it does:

BPC-157

• Tendon and ligament healing
• Muscle recovery
• Joint pain
• Gut health (such as ulcers or inflammatory bowel disease)
• Faster recovery after surgery or injury