Practice Areas: Insurance Coverage
Licensed in California since: 2008
Education: University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2024 - 2025 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2019 - 2022 Merlin Law Group
2049 Century Park EastSuite 650
Los Angeles, CA 90067 Phone: 213-374-0416 Email: Derek S. Chaiken Visit website
Details
Derek S. Chaiken is a trial attorney at Merlin Law Group’s Los Angeles offices, who tirelessly advocates for justice on behalf of his clients. He has dedicated his practice to representing insurance policyholders when their claims are unlawfully denied or underpaid. He has represented 1,000 of homeowners and business owners in matters against their insurance company, including Fortune 500 businesses, hotels, product manufacturers, schools, churches and celebrities.
Derek attended the University of Michigan and University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law. In law school, he served as a clerk for the Honorable Bernard A. Friedman in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
First Admitted: 2008, California
Professional Webpage: https://www.merlinlawgroup.com/attorneys/derek-s-chaiken/
- United States District Court for Central California, 2008
- Combined recovery from insurance companies for business and homeowner clients at trial, arbitration and settlement exceed $10million, in both state and federal courts., 2023
- Recovered more $5 million in settlements, arbitration, mediation and trial awards for clients, 2022
- Various settlements totaling millions of dollars with many different insurance carriers for first party property claims on behalf of business and homeowners, 2019
- Settlement with product manufacturer $4.5 million, 2018
- Insurance Bad Faith Settlement with Mercury involving minors. Contractual dispute $40,000, but carrier paid $420,000 to resolve bad faith claims., 2018
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/former-nfl-player-antonio-gates-and-wife-suing-property-insurance-company-over-burglary-claim-301205574.html, 2021
- Hotel Owner Sues Safran & Associates For $15M (therealdeal.com)https://therealdeal.com/la/2022/06/16/neighbor-hits-safrans-hollywood-arts-collective-with-15m-suit/, 2022
- https://www.law360.com/articles/1282268/actress-sues-lloyd-s-for-wildfire-coverage-under-9m-policy, 2020
- Presenter of CLE Program, Handling and Litigating Wildfire Claims in California, Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), Attorneys, Insurance, 2022
- A Personal Property Loss Expert Is Born! Derek Chaiken Knocks It Out of The Park in California | Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog, https://www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/blog/a-personal-property-loss-expert-is-born-derek-chaiken-knocks-it-out-of-the-park-in-california/, 2023
- Speaker regarding the topic of insurance claims for property contents claims, Keynote Speaker at 2023 CAPIA Spring Conference, Litigating Contents Claims in California, Insurance, 2023
- Speaker on topic of Appraisal Under Insurance Policies in California , Speaker, Appraisal in California at NAPIA First Party Claims Conference, 2023
- Speaker on the Use of Drones in Property Claim Adjusment , Speaker, Speaker/Lecturer at American Bar Association, Property Division, Insurance, Legal, 2019
- Discussion of drone usage and liability during claim adjustment and preparation for litigation, Speaker, Speaker at First Party Claims Conference Annual Convention (Warwick, Rhode Island), Insurance, Legal, 2019
- Insurance
Office location for Derek S. Chaiken
2049 Century Park East
Suite 650
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2024 - 2025
- Rising Stars: 2019 - 2022