| • Premises liability |
• Slip and fall |
| • Automobile, motorcycle |
• Officer excessive force
(public and private) |
| • Products liability |
• Assault and battery |
| • Professional malpractice
(accountant, attorney, doctor) |
• False imprisonment |
| • Repetitive stress injury |
• Chemical or toxic exposure |
| • Massive tort litigation |
• Wrongful death |
| • Private security claims |
|
| The firm has obtained defense verdicts and/or successful
trial results in the following cases involving claims
of general injury, excessive force against police
officers, employment law and/or general trial practice: |
|
Schweitzer v. Various Defendants
12-0 defense verdict in a case involving a premises
liability claim against Southern California Edison
for alleged exposure to asbestos and/or toxic materials.
Following a four-week trial, the jury rejected plaintiff's
claim that the defendant's premises were such to
have caused exposure to plaintiff, allegedly resulting
in severe injury and ultimately death.
Thompson v. Soltek
Defense verdict after five week jury trial in the
San Diego Superior Court in an action brought by
four workers and the estate and heirs of a fifth.
The case involved alleged exposure to benzene and
other petroleum hydrocarbons while working on a
project in San Diego, with allegations of substantial
injuries, fear of cancer, and OSHA violations. Prior
to trial, plaintiffs rejected a settlement offer
in excess of $1.5 million, after which the jury
voted 12 to 0 for a defense verdict in favor of
the firm's clients.
Rommel Ash v. Various
Defendants
Defense verdict for a manufacturing client represented
by WFB&M in an asbestosis action.
City of Pomona v. John Michael Faull, et al.
Defense verdict won in environmental contamination litigation involving numerous chemicals. With less than 2 months before the start of a firm trial date, WFB&M was asked to represent the defendant. Plaintiff City of Pomona alleged that the Firm's client's 50 years of operating a bulk storage and distribution facility of hazardous chemicals resulted in the contamination of soil and groundwater on plaintiff's site and adjacent areas. Soil borings and groundwater logs detected significant concentrations of hazardous chemicals in all samples. With only three defendants remaining at the conclusion of trial, two being former owners of the Firm's client, the client was plaintiff's target defendant. After a hard fought bench trial, the Judge ruled that plaintiff did not prove a single cause of action against our client.
Bey v. City of Richmond
Defense verdict in civil rights, racial discrimination
and police brutality action following three week
trial.
Bowes v. Club Car
Defense of wrongful termination and sexual harassment
lawsuit resulting in hung jury (7-5 for defendant);
based on jury comments favorable to defendants,
case settled for confidential sum prior to retrial.
Cline v. Bastanchury
Defense judgment obtained in federal court case
brought against client for wrongful termination
and breach of contract.
Gardner Brown, Jr.
v. Various Defendants
Defense verdict by jury (11-1) in favor of insulation
distributor represented by WFB&M in a case involving
a mesothelioma plaintiff only 53 years of age with
two minor children. A compensatory damages verdict
of $2.1 million was awarded against the only other
defendant in trial.
Chuck Childress v.
Various Defendants
Dismissal with prejudice on behalf of a general
contractor defendant represented by WFB&M on
the day of closing argument in a case involving
fatal asbestos-related lung cancer.
Agustus Crowley v.
Various Defendants
Nonsuit awarded to defendant manufacturer represented
by WFB&M between phases in reverse bifurcated
trial.
James Bernard Duffy
v. Various Defendants
Nonsuit for defendant manufacturer represented by
WFB&M involving plaintiff with lung cancer granted
after plaintiffs rested their case in this all-issues
trial. The jury found against the only other defendant
remaining in the case and ultimately awarded plaintiffs
in excess of $2 million.
Hudnall v. Various
Defendants
Defense verdict (12-0 by jury) for WFB&M-represented
construction site contractor involving claim of
bystander exposure to asbestos by a career carpenter.
Roscoe McCrary v.
Various Defendants
Reverse bifurcated trial in which Phase II arbitrator
found in favor of WFB&M client on both negligence
and "substantial factor" grounds.
LaChapelle v. Various
Defendants
Defended multiple defendants in a case brought by
a Plaintiff
suffering from mesothelioma allegedly caused by
his exposure to client's
asbestos containing products. After a 4 week trial,
jury apportioned
only 10% fault to the firm's clients. Net result
after set offs for
prior settlements with other parties is that client
paid less than 2% of
the settlement demand through trial.
Lafayette McFadden
v. Various Defendants
Reverse bifurcated trial in which Phase I determined
medical causation and damages issues and Phase II
determined liability. Parties agreed to arbitrate
the Phase II issues before retired Judge Francis
Mayer who found against plaintiffs and in favor
of WFB&M-represented shipyard contractor on
both "substantial factor" and negligence
issues.
Daniel Mott v. Various
Defendants
Defense verdict by jury on medical causation grounds
for WFB&M-represented contractor in an alleged
asbestosis case.
Nagl v. Various Defendants
Defended client in case brought by a Plaintiff suffering
from mesothelioma allegedly caused by his exposure
to client's product. This matter was tried before
a jury in Portland, Oregon. Following a 4 week trial,
net result after set offs for prior settlements
by other parties at the commencement of trial is
that Plaintiff recovered zero damages from client.
George Schweitzer v. Various Defendants
Defense verdict (12-0) on behalf of a large premises
owner represented by WFB&M in a confirmed mesothelioma
case. The jury returned a verdict on behalf of the
client represented by WFB&M based on plaintiff's
failure to prove negligence against the premises
owner.
William Shawhan v.
Various Defendants
Defense verdict by jury for refinery contractor
represented by WFB&M based on "substantial
factor" defense involving 54-year-old undisputed
mesothelioma plaintiff.
Goodwin v. Ingersoll-Rand
Company
Defense verdict in a wrongful death case venued
in the Riverside Superior Court before the Honorable
E. Michael Kaiser after a six day jury trial. Decedent
was riding on our client's golf car and fell sustaining
fatal injuries. Decedent's spouse and children claimed
that our client failed to provide adequate warnings
regarding the use of the car and that it defectively
designed the braking system. Plaintiffs' expert
was Reuben Vollmer, a well known expert witness
on vehicle accidents who has testified in a number
of golf car cases. |
