Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP attorneys Brian Panish, Rahul Ravipudi and Deborah Chang have been named by Daily Journal as Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California for 2017. The legal publication recognized 30 lawyers across the state who brought single cases or multi-party actions in antitrust, labor & employment, environment, personal injury, privacy and data security, product defect and securities and financial fraud, using their legal skills to forge real and lasting change.
This is the third consecutive Top Plaintiff Lawyer recognition for Mr. Panish and the first for both Mr. Ravipudi and Ms. Chang.
Over his career, Brian Panish has obtained more than 50 settlements in excess of $10 million in personal injury, auto accident, wrongful death and business litigation cases which are often a catalyst for social reforms. A recent $23.5 million landmark settlement against Pupil Transportation Cooperative obtained on behalf of the family of Hun Joon “Paul” Lee is highlighted in the Daily Journal article profiling Mr. Panish’s work. Paul Lee, a non-verbal autistic student, died in September 2015 aboard a Whittier school bus after the driver abandoned him to engage in sexual relations with a co-worker. His body was discovered more than seven hours later in the aisle of the bus on one of the hottest days of the year.
As a result of Paul’s death, Governor Jerry Brown signed “The Paul Lee School Bus Safety Law” in September 2016 which requires all California school buses to be equipped with child safety alarms at the back of the bus that can only be deactivated by the driver.
Additional highlights in the article include a $32.5 million settlement prior to trial against the City of Beverly Hills for unsafe conditions and two cases which were granted for review by the California Supreme Court. Mr. Panish is believed to be the only plaintiff attorney in the state to have had review granted twice over a four-month period in 2015-2016.
Plaintiffs injured as a result of another’s negligence are deserving of adequate compensation and Rahul Ravipudi consistently delivers that message to defendants with impressive awards for his clients. A recent $8.25 million settlement obtained for Kristina Diamantoni is highlighted in the Daily Journal article profiling Mr. Ravipudi’s work. Ms. Diamantoni was severely injured when she was struck from behind by an SUV as she attempted to enter her own parked vehicle. The force of the impact caused the young actress to strike her head against her car before being thrown about 30 feet, suffering multiple pelvic fractures, head trauma and other injuries as a result. Prior to trial, Mr. Ravipudi rejected a $1.75 million offer from the defense to settle the case. The case settled on the first day of jury selection.
Additional cases highlighted for Mr. Ravipudi include a $20.5 million jury verdict for the mother of a high school student who was killed by a motorist while walking to a bus stop, and a $13.9 million jury verdict for a 19-year-old man who suffered serious orthopedic injuries when he was hit by a vehicle driven by an off-duty Los Angeles County public defender.
Deborah Chang is dedicated to seeking justice for her clients and an advocate for change. The recent $32.5 million settlement obtained on behalf of two clients who were catastrophically injured and two clients whose father was killed in two collisions on Loma Vista Drive in Beverly Hills, California is proof of her mission. Ms. Chang and her trial team took more than 70 depositions, and reviewed more than 545 million pages of documents produced by the defense and discovered what the city had known for more than 50 years: The roadway was too steep for too long with a sharp curve at the bottom — a design that violated engineering standards. Runaway trucks could not make the last curve, causing catastrophic damage, injuries and deaths. The case settled on the eve of trial and as a result, trucks over a certain weight are now restricted from using Loma Vista Drive.
In addition to the Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California distinction, Ms. Chang was recently recognized as a Top Woman Lawyer in California by Daily Journal for the second consecutive year. Additional cases highlighting Ms. Chang’s work include The Regents of the University of California v. Los Angeles County Superior Court which is set to be heard by the California Supreme Court later this year.
Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP was founded in 2005 and has become one of the leading Plaintiff’s law firms in the country. The firm’s attorneys have more 8-figure verdicts in personal injury and wrongful death cases than any other law firm in California.
Read the article on Brian Panish here
Read the article on Rahul Ravipudi here
Read the article on Deborah Chang here