• Home
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Staff
    • Board
    • Supporters
    • Recognition
    • Work with UP
    • Volunteer with UP
    • Contact UP
  • Media
    • UPdates
      • UP in the News
      • Tip of the Month
      • Bach Talk
      • Guest Blogs
      • Catch UP
      • Newsletters
    • Surveys
    • Studies & Reports
    • Share your story with the media
  • Recovery Help
    • Roadmap to Recovery®
    • Disaster Recovery Help
    • Claim Guidance Library
    • State by State Help
    • Sample Letters and Claim Documents
    • Professional Help Directory
    • Ask An Expert
  • Get Prepared
    • Roadmap to Preparedness
    • Buying Tips Library
    • WRAP Resource Center – Wildfire Mitigation Help
    • Dropped by your home Insurer?
    • Preparedness Handouts
  • Advocacy
    • Advocacy and Action
    • Amicus Library
    • Legislation
    • Regulation
    • UP at the NAIC
  • Community
    • Ask An Expert
    • Forums
  • Events
    • Program Events
    • UP to Good 2025
  • Support UP
United Policyholders logo
  • Log In
  • Ask An Expert
  • Forums
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Staff
    • Board
    • Supporters
    • Recognition
    • Work with UP
    • Volunteer with UP
    • Contact UP
  • Media
    • UPdates
      • UP in the News
      • Tip of the Month
      • Bach Talk
      • Guest Blogs
      • Catch UP
      • Newsletters
    • Surveys
    • Studies & Reports
    • Share your story with the media
  • Recovery Help
    • Roadmap to Recovery®
    • Disaster Recovery Help
    • Claim Guidance Library
    • State by State Help
    • Sample Letters and Claim Documents
    • Professional Help Directory
    • Ask An Expert
  • Get Prepared
    • Roadmap to Preparedness
    • Buying Tips Library
    • WRAP Resource Center – Wildfire Mitigation Help
    • Dropped by your home Insurer?
    • Preparedness Handouts
  • Advocacy
    • Advocacy and Action
    • Amicus Library
    • Legislation
    • Regulation
    • UP at the NAIC
  • Community
    • Ask An Expert
    • Forums
  • Events
    • Program Events
    • UP to Good 2025
  • Support UP
United Policyholders logo

Ask An Expert

  • Community
  • Ask An Expert
  • Meet our Experts
  • Forums
  • Account
Joel Gumbiner
Joel Gumbiner

Joel P. Gumbiner was admitted to the California Bar in 1983 after receiving his J.D., with honors, from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he received the American Jurisprudence Award, Law Review Comment of the Year Award, was a member of the McAuliffe Honor Society, and served as Articles Editor, USF Law Review, Volume 17, 1982-1983. For more than thirty years, Mr. Gumbiner has litigated cases involving insurance coverage and “Bad Faith,” real estate and property damage [including landslide, flood, earthquake, construction defect, transactional misrepresentation], and complex injury matters. He has extensive trial and appellate experience in these areas and has written and lectured on insurance-related issues for more than twenty years.

Mr. Gumbiner has represented commercial and individual policyholders in every type of insurance litigation since 1983 including trials, appeals, arbitrations, mediations. He has obtained many multi-million dollar results for clients and has litigated several major California insurance cases including the landmark California Supreme Court case of Garvey v. State Farm. Mr. Gumbiner has also represented insured clients in insurance disputes outside of litigation including coverage opinion letters, “examinations under oath”, insurance “Appraisal” hearings and direct claims handling and settlements with commercial and personal lines insurance companies. Mr. Gumbiner has also litigated and tried cases involving landslides, floods, personal injury, construction defect and employment discrimination cases in state and federal courts in California and Nevada.

Business Profile
Williams & Gumbiner LLP
Business Type:
  • Attorney, Legal Help
State:
  • California
Specialty:
  • Insurance Law
Contact Details
Community Activities
  • Forums
  • Ask An Expert
  • Questions(0)
  • Answers(8)
Insurer notified me that claim is closed – but there is still work to do!

Hello, I am a victim of the Eaton Wildfire in Los Angeles. My home was a total loss and I’m working through the claim process with my insure. I have an urgent questions and was hoping to get a response from UP quickly, if possible.…

Joel Gumbiner answered 3 months ago • General Question • California
222 views1 answers
Double homeowners coverage

We live in an HOA in Ventura County, CA. Last year, Farmers dropped us and our HOA insurance increased astronomically (17 fold). Homeowners are now paying a $7600 assessment, but we still only have about 40% of the coverage we need. I changed our State…

Sandra L. Moriarty answered 12 months ago • Coverage Question • California
585 views3 answers
Commercial general liability

I have a small construction business and I had an accident on the job site. I had to install a stone wall and  while I was taking a measurement, part of the stone broke off. The stone is the client’s property, but I claimed it…

Joel Gumbiner answered 1 year ago • Claim Denial • California
479 views1 answers
Flexibility in the use of the coverage payment

I have renter’s insurance and the house was recently damaged. The carrier is very helpful and has presented payment to cover the repairs. My question is: May I use the payment to make desired alterations or am I bound by their repair estimate. In other…

Joel Gumbiner answered 2 years ago • Coverage Question • California
603 views1 answers
California Renter’s Insurance Claim denial

Edit: I don’t know what happened to my property. I was told it would be sold at public auction and the proceeds would be put in my name with the County Treasurer within 30 days. It has been over 60 days and the County Treasurer…

Joel Gumbiner answered 2 years ago • Claim Denial • California
4700 views1 answers
Insurance company threatens dropping my HO policy after 3 claims filed in 4 years. What are my options?

I will try to keep this simple. I had a major house fire in 2018. Took over a year to rebuild–not wildfire related. I filed a claim in 2018 with my insurance company. First one ever in 26 years. Then in 2019 while NOT in…

Amy Bach answered 2 years ago • Cancellation / Non-Renewal • California
2552 views2 answers
Every Day We Serve People

Help us continue to be a trusted resource and a strong voice for people who simply want fair treatment from insurance companies and the financial security they've paid for.

Donate Now
  • Home
  • About
  • Media
  • Recovery Help
  • Get Prepared
  • Advocacy
  • Community
  • Events
  • Support UP
United Policyholders

© 2025 United Policyholders The material on this site is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal advice.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact UP
  • Log In
Powered by WordPress & Inti Foundation