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42 The QUEE NS Courier • june 20, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com SCOTT BARON’S STAR OF QUEENS brought to you by SCOTT BARON & ASSOCICATES, P.C. Attorneys & Counselors at Law 1-866-WAS-HURT (866) 927-4878 718.738.9800 star OF queens Susan Shiroma Board of Directors - King Manor Museum Member - Comunity Education Council 26 COMMUNITY SERVICE: Susan Shiroma does a great deal in the Queens community. She is on the King Manor Museum’s Board of Directors, where she does a lot of work with public schools. She is a Queens Borough President appointee on Community Education Council 26 as well as a board member of the West Cunningham Park Civic Association. Shiroma also works as a senior librarian for the Foundation Center, a national philanthropic organization. Background: Shiroma grew up in Astoria before moving to Flushing. Her family is from Hawaii, and she described their history as a “classic Japanese- American immigration story.” Now living in Jamaica, Shiroma said that though she works citywide for her day job, she likes to focus on her hometown in her volunteer work, especially the public school system. “I worked for two years on the Citywide Council on High Schools,” she said. “The cool thing is that my mother was a schoolteacher in Hawaii, and everyone in my family went to public school.” Shiroma was the council’s president, and also served as the co-president of the P.S. 216 PTA. Favorite memory: “The Suzuki violin program at P.S. 107, a fantastic school in Flushing, is one of my favorite memories,” Shiroma reminisced. “It was one of the first schools to establish a Suzuki violin program. Public school is the reason I learned to play a violin free of charge!” She was one of the first students to learn to play violin under the Suzuki program, and played for a time with the Queensborough Orchestra. Shiroma studied at Skidmore College with the Philadelphia Orchestra. “That’s one of the reasons I volunteer,” she said. “These opportunities got me into a really good college.” Biggest challenge: Shiroma has a positive outlook on the outreach and community work that she does, saying, “It really isn’t a challenge. It’s actually an honor to work with so many of the great volunteers.” Inspiration: “Why do I spend so much time and money volunteering for King Manor? Because they’re really making an impact on the kids.” “That’s the cool thing about living in Queens, such a multi-cultural community,” she continued , “You see who lives so close to each other in Queens and it’s truly amazing.” BY LUKE TABET Our job is making sure no longer goes that waste to waste. Find out more at ThinkGreen.com Energy creation. Recycling programs. Closed-loop solutions. Those are just a few of the innovations we’re delivering for customers and communities alike. We live in a world where things can no longer go to waste. That’s why Waste Management is working to get the most from resources. It’s good for business and the environment. ©2012 Waste Management, Inc. Legally Speaking By: Scott Baron, Attorney at Law FAR FROM THE FIRE STATION Advertorial Q: After purchasing some property, we began construction of our dream home. An agent completed the insurance application for us. It turns out to have contained several errors, including a representation that the house was located five miles from the nearest fire department – whereas the actual distance was just over nine miles. I signed the application, taking no note of the error. The insurer issued the policy, and construction on the home began and ended. Then, my husband left his job, under acrimonious circumstances. We feared for our family’s physical safety and purchased property elsewhere. My husband and daughter went to live there, while I placed our existing home up for sale. While I was visiting family, it burned to the ground. Shortly after the fire, an investigator conducted several interviews with me. I have to admit that I misrepresented my husband’s whereabouts. These misrepresentations were merely part of my overall attempt to protect my husband from those who wanted to ‘take care’ of him and our daughter. My husband had not been in the area for one month prior to the fire, the fire was never found to be arson, and his location was ultimately provided, resulting in his examination both by the police and by the insurer’s attorney. You guessed it: the insurer denied our claim for loss. The insurer says that we were uncooperative and that the fact that the property was further away from the nearest fire department caused our property inaccurately to be classified as ‘semi-protected’. A: From what you tell me, it does not appear that either you or your agent ever intended to misrepresent the location of the fire department. It also is doubtful that the misrepresentation was material to the insurer’s deciding to issue a policy: coverage would still have been offered even if the distance had been accurately represented. As for your misrepresentations when asked about your husband’s whereabouts, your attorney will argue that, given your safety fears, you did not make these misrepresentations with an intent to defraud. Your deception, giving rise only to a brief delay, simply cannot be considered a material breach of your duty to cooperate. The law responds to changed conditions; exceptions and variations abound. Here, the information is general; always seek out competent counsel. This article shall not be construed as legal advice Copyright © 2013 Scott Baron & Associates, P.C. All rights reserved. 159-49 Cross Bay Boulevard, Howard Beach, New York 11414 1750 Central Park Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10710 718-738-9800, 914-337-9800, 1-866-927-4878


QC06202013
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