Client Victories

A corporate truck failed to remain stopped at a stop sign and drove into a motorcyclist’s path. The motorcyclist succumbed to his injuries.

A nationwide trucking company failed to service a trailer. Two wheels separated from the rear axle and careened across the freeway. A car ran over one of the wheels, jolting the driver into the car ceiling. The driver suffered a brain injury and a neck injury that required surgery. The brain injury prevents the husband and father of two from returning to work.

A neglected jobsite featured several pieces of rusting iron. One of the pieces separated, fell more than 30 feet, and struck a worker. The worker suffered a traumatic brain injury. The case settled for $5,250,000 plus payment of all future medical care needs, which will exceed $5,800,000. The total value of the settlement exceeds $11 million.

A rental company failed to inspect a 15-passenger van before renting it to customers. One bench seat was not fully latched to the floorboard. The van rolled onto its roof during a highway incident. The bench seat collapsed, crushing a seatbelted passenger. He suffered a severe spinal cord injury, resulting in paralysis. The rental company settled for $5,000,000, the maximum amount of its insurance policy.

An ambulance driver failed to yield to an approaching motorcyclist, turned into the motorcyclist's path. The ambulance was returning to its station. The motorcyclist could not avoid the collision and suffered a severe injury to the nerves extending from his neck to his shoulder and arm.

After misinterpreting MRI images, a neurosurgeon performed two unnecessary brain surgeries on a 14-year old girl. The neurosurgeon committed multiple errors during the surgeries, including the removal of healthy brain tissue and failing to address an artery that he cut. The girl suffered permanent brain injury and now requires 24-hour supervision and care. The defendant paid $3,500,000 and will pay all future medical expenses, which will exceed $5,000,000.

A truck ran a red light and crashed into a car. A car passenger suffered a traumatic brain injury, broken jaw, fractured pelvis, and other injuries.

Nursing home staff knew a resident was wheelchair bound and had limited use of her arms due to a stroke. The staff also knew the resident was prone to falling asleep while smoking cigarettes and then dropping lit cigarettes. But, the staff routinely wheeled the resident to a patio and left her unattended while she smoked. The resident fell asleep while smoking, dropped a lit cigarette, and was consumed by fire. She was less than 50 feet from an unattended nursing station.

A delivery truck driver crashed into a woman's car on the freeway, bulldozing her car into other vehicles. The woman's car ignited and was engulfed in flames.

A car hit a pedestrian walking in a cross-walk. The pedestrian suffered a complex fracture to his knee that required knee replacement surgery and left him with permanent symptoms and limitations in his leg.

During a heart valve repair surgery, the surgeon used the wrong instrument. The surgeon ignored that all training, educational, and packaging materials for the instrument warned against using the instrument during this particular type of surgery. The instrument became entangled in one of the heart valves, causing irreparable harm to the heart and, ultimately, the patient's death. The case settled six weeks before trial for a confidential amount.

Security staff at an exclusive LA nightclub customarily checked patrons' bags and used metal detector wands. Unexplainably, security staff ignored those protocols when the club hosted an event for a famous hip-hop artist. Three men with a backpack passed through security without being searched. One of the men shot four patrons, including our client.

Social workers ignored reports of a teenage foster child's sexually deviant behavior and failed to inform a host family of those reports. After the teenager was placed with the host family, the teen sexually assaulted the host-parents' daughter.

A tow truck "T-boned" a car, causing life-threatening skull fractures and brain injury. The settlement was limited to $1,000,000 because the tow truck company was underinsured and had no other assets.

Pre-operative examinations and radiology studies identified a mass on a patient's testicle. Shockingly, the doctor surgically removed the other, healthy testicle. After the error was discovered, the distressed testicle was also removed.

A motorcycle police officer failed to see a pedestrian walking across a well-lit street at night. The officer admitted to exceeding the speed limit. Although the officer should have seen the pedestrian, the pedestrian also should have seen the approaching motorcycle. The pedestrian's comparative responsibility influenced the settlement amount.

The manufacturer of a French press coffee maker lowered production costs by using thinner, weaker glass in the cylinder. The cylinder could not withstand reasonably expected pressure and burst, sending scalding coffee onto the user's forearm.

A commercial truck ran a red light and T-boned a pick-up truck. The client required cervical fusion surgery. The case resolved for the maximum available insurance policy limits.

Violating California law, a crematorium dismembered and sold a woman's remains without her permission. Before her death, the woman prepared legal documents stating her wish to be cremated and scattered where her deceased husband's ashes were previously spread.

A contractor failed to install necessary components when erecting a large gate. The gate separated from its mount and crushed a woman to the pavement. The woman worked at the site and suffered fractured spinal vertebrae.

A gas station featured a permanent canopy structure near the air pump. Dangerously exposed wiring allowed electrical current to energize the structure. A customer leaned against a metal support pole and suffered an electrical shock. The shock injured vertebral discs in his spine and required spine surgery.

When injecting a local anesthetic, a physician pierced the patient's eye, causing loss of vision.

A freeway driver failed to look before changing lanes and crashed into motorcycle. The motorcyclist suffered broken ribs, a foot fracture, and other injuries.

A rideshare driver caused a T-bone collision. The rideshare driver's backseat passenger suffered back injury that required radiofrequency ablations for chronic back pain.

Before a Lasik surgery, the surgeon and technician failed to confirm the patient's identity and treatment plan. The patient received Lasik treatment intended for another patient. The patient's vision is now worse than before the surgery. The patient requires expensive, custom-designed contact lenses for the rest of her life.

An inattentive driver made a dangerous left turn, crossing into the path of an approaching motorcyclist. The motorcyclist suffered pelvic fractures and other injuries. The case settled for the defendant's maximum insurance policy limits.

A gas station failed to periodically inspect signs on its property. The mounting hardware became brittle and failed, allowing a sign to fall into the street. A motorcycle ran over the sign, slid, and crashed. The motorcyclist suffered a hip fracture.

An outdoor staircase featured a gap in a handrail. A pedestrian lost her balance and fell through the gap, causing a back injury. The handrail design violated building code requirements.

A property owner and the city failed to properly maintain and repair a broken, uneven, and dangerous sidewalk in a poorly lit area. An unsuspecting pedestrian tripped and suffered a complex knee fracture.

Furniture store staff knew a dining table chair was broken and unstable, but failed to remove the chair from the showroom floor. When a customer sat down, the chair collapsed. She slammed to floor and fractured her tailbone.

A rideshare driver failed to remain at a stop sign, failed to yield to an approaching motorcycle, and drove directly into the motorcyclist's path. The motorcyclist suffered a broken wrist and ankle injury.

A truck driver failed to pay attention on the freeway and crashed into a car. The driver of the car suffered a torn rotator cuff that required surgery.

Despite heavy rain, office building staff ignored standing policies and failed to place floormats on a smooth marble floor in the building lobby. Pedestrians tracked water into the building. Later, an office worker entered the building, slipped and fell, and injured her hands.

A utility company dug a narrow trench across a street and bicycle lane. When the company resurfaced the street, careless work left an asphalt bump—similar to an abrupt speed bump—in the bicycle lane. The city learned that the bump caused a bicyclist to crash, but the defect was not repaired. Months later, another bicyclist struck the bump and crashed, causing significant facial lacerations.

A restaurant failed to replace burnt-out exterior light bulbs and failed to turn on other lights, making a concrete wheel-stop hard to see. A customer tripped over the wheel-stop and suffered a shoulder injury.

A car failed to yield the right of way and turned into the path of a motorcyclist. The motorcyclist avoided a collision by “laying down” his motorcycle but was injured.

Gas station employees failed to periodically inspect gas pump equipment and failed to discover that a gas pump handle required repair. The gas pump handle malfunctioned, sprayed a customer with fuel, and caused a chemical burn in the customer's ear.

A hipster restaurant wanted cracked floors to add to its rustic decor. An uneven, cracked area tripped a customer and injured her knee.

A rear-end collision involving three cars caused neck injury to the driver of the middle car.

A plastic surgeon developed and sold skin products. He later sold the skin product business to another company. The surgeon and the later company both used a patient’s “before-and-after” photos without her knowledge or permission. California law prohibits using someone's photo, image, or likeness without their permission.

A pediatric critical care physician failed to properly respond when several symptoms and laboratory tests indicated that a hospitalized child was bleeding internally. The child did not survive.

Physician and surgical nurse severely burned a young girl while mishandling instruments during surgery. The burn required skin graft surgery and resulted in a large scar.

When hiring a respiratory therapist, a hospital failed to discover the therapist's history of sexual misconduct. After he was hired, hospital staff ignored warning signs that the therapist was sexually abusing several patients. One of the victims, our client, was a child whose disabilities prevented her from speaking.

After three punks attacked another patron at a sports bar, security staff intervened. Apparently, the bouncers knew the three idiots and simply asked them to leave. Other bouncers threw the victim outside. One of the bouncers then punched the victim, breaking his jaw. Luckily, responding police officers obtained video footage from the sports bar.

A dog bit a woman on the face, leaving a scar.

A dog owner failed to restrain her dog. The dog leaped on an elderly woman and bit her.

An inattentive driver lost control of her SUV, ran off the road, and struck a jogger. The jogger was hospitalized for broken ribs, a punctured lung, and other injuries.