Irvine Firm Wins $4-Million Judgment

An Orange County jury has awarded the top two executives of the Irvine architectural firm more than $4 million in a judgment arising from a dispute with its insurance company.

Scottsdale Insurance Co. of Scottsdale, Ariz., was ordered to pay the judgment to LPA Inc. Chairman Leason Pomeroy and Chief Executive Officer Robert Kupper. The awards included $2 million in punitive damages, said Los Angeles lawyer Bill Conkle, who represented LPA.

LPA had sued Scottsdale Insurance in 1991 in Orange County Superior Court after the insurer failed to pay its legal bill on an unrelated lawsuit involving investment in a pension fund.