Practice Areas
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Business Transactions
Construction
Employment
Healthcare
Insurance Coverage
Personal Injury
Products Liability
Professional Liability
Real Estate
Toxic Tort
Worker's Compensation
Our California Offices
Solving legal
problems for
our clients
since 1950
problems for
our clients
since 1950
PERSONAL INJURY
Co-Chairs:
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916.483.5181
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408.286.0880
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We defend clients in a variety of personal injury matters, including:
Premises Liability Claims: accidents at construction sites and other premises, including trip-and-fall and slip-and-fall claims
Vehicle accidents: auto, trucking, motorcycle and bicycle accidents
Contamination Claims: food poisoning claims
Business Torts: defamation, trade libel, copyright and trademark infringement.
Seminars
- Co-Chair Robert Gerhardt presents annual certification seminars for the Fair Claims Practices Act.
- Several practice group members speak on documenting complaints of food-borne illnesses, documenting circumstances of in-house injuries, and developing best practices for maintaining safe work environments.
Representative Matters
- Obtained a unanimous jury verdict for major national retailer in Santa Cruz Superior Court. The firm’s client was sued for racial profiling and assault and battery arising out of a shoplifting incident. During a scuffle with the retailer’s employees, the plaintiff sustained a head injury and suffered the complete traumatic loss of his sight in one eye. Ericksen Arbuthnot attorney was able to persuade the jury that the store acted reasonably in detaining the plaintiff pursuant to the shopkeepers privilege and found no evidence of discrimination.
- While defending a case arising out of a freeway accident that took the life of a truck driver, the jury awarded $300,000 to the surviving wife and two minor children. The plaintiffs' attorney had asked the jury for $500,000.
- Provided defense for a case involving an oil field explosion and fire, the jury awarded the two surviving minors $352,000, after the plaintiffs' attorney had asked them to return a verdict for $20,000,000. This verdict was even below the pre-trial CCP 998 offers, allowing the defendant to recover costs.
Articles
Sharon Hightower, Assistant Managing Partner of the San Jose office, has written "The Challenge to Hanif Deductions Continues." To read the entire article, visit the News section of the site.