Current Work

Harvey’s fight against injustices reaches from public education and legislation to lawsuits.

Insurance company overcharges and other rip-offs. Harvey authored California’s insurance reform law, Proposition 103, which regulates the rates and policies of auto, home and business insurance companies. The law prohibits insurance companies from engaging in abusive practices. Harvey organized the legal teams that defended Proposition 103 in the courts when insurance companies – or their allies in the Legislature – attacked the law. And he is the lead lawyer in numerous cases to enforce Proposition 103 and prosecute insurance companies that engage in illegal practices.

Patient Protection.  In recent years, HMOs, health insurance companies and “managed care” firms have reduced the quality of health care in order to increase their profits.  Following up on his work on liability insurance, Harvey drafted studies and legislation to protect patients against poor and often dangerous health care practices. He has also fought efforts by the health care industry to prevent injured patients from going to court.  And he has helped organize lawsuits on behalf of individual consumers and the public to stop abuses in the health care system.

Cell phone problems. Almost everybody uses a cell phone these days – and everyone knows how bad cell phone service can be.  Many cell phone companies mislead consumers, impose unfair and undisclosed charges and fees, and offer poor customer service, making it harder for consumers to get their problems solved. Harvey has organized teams of lawyers to prosecute cell phone companies that mistreat consumers.

Consumer rights.  American consumers are increasingly the targets of unfair and illegal practices by some of the largest corporations in the country. Sometimes just a few pennies are at stake. But that can add up to a bonanza for unscrupulous businesses.

There are three reasons why the situation is getting worse. First, government agencies, understaffed and all too often in the pocket of industry,no longer protect the public adequately. Second, many consumers are unaware of their rights. Finally, our current laws do not protect consumers against new rip-offs that are unique to the internet and high-tech era we live in. Outsourcing of customer service personnel to other nations has made it even harder for consumers to resolve these issues.