Jay N. Hartz, Partner

Practice Areas

Jay N. Hartz is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, P.C.  He is a trial lawyer. He served as chairman of the firm’s Litigation Department for approximately 15 years. He graduated from the University of Chicago Law School (1973), and Duke University (1970). His practice has focused for over 30 years on the representation of health care providers. He has represented most types of health care providers, including hospitals, hospital districts, medical groups, IPAs, physicians, skilled nursing facilities, pharmacies, home health agencies, physical therapists, dentists, and a variety of licensed professionals.

Mr. Hartz has substantial trial experience, including jury trials in California and federal courts, appeals before the California Courts of Appeals and the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, civil and criminal trials, administrative hearings, and arbitrations. He has also demonstrated an ability to achieve favorable settlements of both complex and emotionally charged disputes where appropriate, and has extensive experience in mediation.

He has successfully represented clients in a wide variety of commercial and health care cases including disputes involving breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair business practices, partnership disputes, employment disputes, wrongful terminations, interference with contract or prospective advantage, breaches of agreement not to compete or to solicit, breach of the prohibition against the corporate practice of medicine, elder abuse claims, and claims against health plans for non-payment.

He has also successfully tried cases, and settled cases, involving disciplinary actions brought by licensing agencies, including California Department of Public Health (involving health care facilities); disciplinary actions against professionals by the Medical Board of California, the Pharmacy Board of California, the California Board of Registered Nursing, California Board of Psychologists, California Board of Behavioral Sciences, California Dental Board; de-certification actions by Medicare and Medi-Cal authorities; and actions by government agencies to impose financial penalties or receiverships against providers.

He has served as a hearing officer at medical staff hearings and has been trained as an arbitrator and mediator.

He has many years of experience with bioethics issues including the withholding and withdrawing of life support. He actively participated in the creation and counseling of bioethics committees within health care institutions, including a bioethics committee specific to the neo-natal intensive care unit of a major metropolitan hospital. He served as the co-chair of the Joint Committee on Bioethics of the Los Angeles County Medical Association and Los Angeles County Bar Association at a time when that committee published guidelines for physicians concerning life support issues. He served as a member of the Editorial Board of the Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, and has written and spoken extensively concerning bioethics issues.

He is a member of the California Society of Health Care Attorneys and the American Health Lawyers Association.