Dave Cheit is of counsel in DLA Piper’s Litigation practice, based in Sacramento.

Mr. Cheit handles civil litigation matters in a variety of areas including insurance, employment and real estate. He has represented insurers in coverage and bad faith litigation involving many types of coverages, and has represented employers in harassment and discrimination cases.

Before joining DLA Piper, Mr. Cheit was with Stevens, O'Connell & Jacobs and, earlier in his career, practiced law with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he handled a broad range of civil litigation matters. He also taught a class in sports law at the University of California-Davis law school.

Prior to attending law school, Mr. Cheit was a reporter and editor (news and sports) for the Berkeley Gazette and Richmond Independent.

Representative Matters

• Represented D.J. Nelson Trust (Fruitridge Vista Water Company) in appellate litigation over the validity of the transfer of a punitive damage claim stemming from MTBE contamination of groundwater. The claim was transferred as part of a change in the form of ownership of the client’s business from a trust to a corporation. The Court of Appeal held that the transfer was not a prohibited assignment, because the punitive damage claim did not contain a personal tort element and because the corporate form was a mere continuation of the client’s business. D.J. Nelson v. ExxonMobil Corporation (2009) 179 Cal.App.4th 633 (review granted, then dismissed after settlement)
• Defended Zurich Insurance Company in subrogation/indemnity claim brought by Home Insurance Company. Home alleged that it had paid an underinsured motorist claim due to a misrepresentation of policy limits by the attorney for Zurich's insured. Judgment of dismissal was affirmed by the Court of Appeal in Home Insurance Co. v. Zurich Insurance Co. (2002) 96 Cal. App. 4th 17
• Defended Travelers Casualty & Surety Company in a multi-party commercial insurance bad faith jury trial. The plaintiffs alleged that Travelers failed to pay benefits under a builder's risk policy; Travelers cross-complained for fraud relating to monthly payments advanced for alleged economic losses. Defense verdict on plaintiff's complaint and US$1 million verdict for Travelers on cross-complaint, plus US$550,000 in pre-judgment interest
• Defended the California Department of Education in three whistleblower/retaliation actions brought by current and former employees. All cases settled
• Defended Washington Mutual Bank in five related actions stemming from nonjudicial foreclosure of an Auburn Boulevard motel property. One action concluded by voluntary dismissal, two by involuntary dismissals and two by summary judgment