The Law Office of Joseph A. Creitz, P.C., is a boutique law practice with specialized expertise in ERISA and employee benefits litigation (including disability, health, and retirement), insurance bad faith, and employment. Since 1992, Joe has successfully advocated on behalf hundreds of individuals, small businesses, non-profits, and labor unions. He has won many trials -- including both jury trials and bench trials -- in state and federal courts, and has prevailed on numerous state and federal appeals.
Joe Creitz is admitted to practice before the following courts:
California Supreme Court (California Bar No. 169552); Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals; Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals; United States District Courts for the Northern, Central, Eastern, and Southern Districts of California; United States District Court for the District of Arizona (pro hac vice).
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On February 15, 2012, the Daily Journal Corporation conferred its prestigious California Lawyer of the Year, or CLAY, award on Joseph Creitz for his successful work for the plaintiff in Cyr v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company. The award will be delivered by California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye at a ceremony in March 2012.
On August 26, 2011, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeal ruled in favor of my client Laura Cyr on all issues raised in the appeal taken by her long term disability Insurer, Reliance Standard. The order is short and sweet and can be read at the Ninth Circuit's website here. Cyr v. Reliance Std. Life Ins. Co., No. 07-56869, No. 08-55234, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 18010, (9th Cir. 2011) (unpub)
On June 22, 2011, a unanimous 11-judge en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Joe's client, Laura Cyr, reversed 26 years of Ninth Circuit authority, and held that insurance companies are proper defendants to ERISA benefits suits. Cyr v. RSL, 2011 WL 2464440 (9th Cir. 2011)(en banc)
In February 2010 Joe parachuted in at the eleventh hour to assist Kumin Sommers LLP by serving as first-chair on a jury trial before Judge Lawrence Appel in Alameda County Superior Court. Defendants had offered to settle the case for less than $300,000. After three days of trial and two days of deliberations, the jury returned a verdict in excess of $1,085,000.00. Stanton v. Chung, Case No. RG-06-283043
In 2009 U.C. Hastings added Writing Specialist to Joe's title as Adjunct Professor, and retained him to provide further instruction and support to the Legal Writing and Research Program.
In October 2009, Joe argued Cyr v. RSL in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal - a case that may powerfully impact most ERISA benefits suits brought within the Ninth Circuit.
In 2007 Joe obtained full recovery without the necessity of litigation for a participant in a pension plan the assets of which had been entirely invested in "philatelic assets" (i.e., collectible stamps).