Caiafa Professional Law Corp. v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co.

This is an appeal by the Caiafa Professional Law Corporation from an order denying a petition to compel arbitration and staying further proceedings in the matter. We affirm.

Facts and Proceedings Below

Attorney Douglas Caiafa, practicing law as “Caiafa Professional Law Corporation” entered into a written agreement with State Farm Fire & Casualty Company (hereafter State Farm) to represent Burdett Streeter as independent Cumis counsel (San Diego Federal Credit Union v. Cumis Ins. Society, Inc. (1984) 162 Cal.App.3d 358 [ 208 Cal.Rptr. 494 , 50 A.L.R.4th 913 ]) counsel in a series of lawsuits in which Streeter was a defendant. Initially, State Farm paid the monthly bills submitted for Streeter’s representation. Subsequently, it made only partial payments and finally it refiised to make any further payments on Streeter’s billing statements.

Approximately two and a half years after State Farm ceased paying the bills submitted by Caiafa for the Streeter representation, State Farm filed a civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) action against Caiafa and numerous other defendants in the United States District Court for the Southern District of…