Case Results

Led by principal attorney Paul Matiasic, the lawyers at the firm shattered all previous records for Lake County, California cases by procuring a $9,250,000 settlement on the brink of trial. This amazing result is 4.5 times larger than both the previous highest verdict and settlement in Lake County. Taking into account the future payments to the firm's client, the total recovery will exceed $ 10,550,000. The case stemmed from an unfortunate collision in 2017 when a gentleman within the course and scope of his employment with a commercial irrigation company had a fatal heart attack, causing his vehicle to cross the double yellow line and careen into the firm's client, a local resident riding his new motorcycle home from the grocery store. Esoteric legal issues abounded in the case, including the application of the sudden emergency doctrine, which clouded the liability landscape. After a vigorous investigation and robust discovery efforts, Paul and his team were able to effectively argue that the adverse driver's medical emergency and ensuing accident were entirely foreseeable, rendering the sudden emergency doctrine inapplicable. The firm further argued that the driver's employer had constructive notice of their employee's unfitness to operate the commercial truck he was driving at the time of the accident. The firm's client sustained catastrophic, disabling injuries ranging from numerous serious orthopedic injuries, to a severe degloving injury to his lower leg, raising the prospect of amputation. While the result is the largest ever in Lake County, it also represents one of the highest documented recoveries outside of the major metropolitan cities of California.

The attorneys at The Matiasic Firm recovered a $3,000,000 settlement on behalf of a 22-year-old woman for the wrongful death of her mother. The Decedent, a 51-year-old-off-duty postal worker, was broadsided at an intersection by a commercial delivery truck. The truck driver and his employer denied liability, claiming the truck driver had the right-of-way. The attorneys at The Matiasic Firm conducted an immediate and extensive factual investigation into the accident, that included: locating and obtaining written statements from all known witnesses; obtaining video-tape footage of the accident scene from a witness’ camera phone; locating and documenting the condition of both vehicles prior to any repairs; and obtaining a DMV “abstract” for the truck driver. As a result of The Matiasic Firm's investigative efforts, it was confirmed the truck driver intentionally accelerated through the intersection against a red traffic signal and did not possess a valid driver’s license. The settlement occurred at mediation, just one month after filing of the complaint. The evidence generated by the firm's investigation was provided to the local District Attorney’s Office to assist with the prosecution of manslaughter charges against the truck driver.

The firm garnered a $2.95 million settlement in a motorcycle versus automobile accident in San Luis Obispo County while in court on the cusp of trial. After relentless investigative and discovery efforts by our attorneys, we uncovered that the Defendant teenage driver was communicating with her mom via cell phone immediately prior to the crash. As a result of this devastating collision, the firm client's suffered a below the knee amputation.

The firm obtained a settlement worth north of $2,600,000 on the third day after the scheduled beginning of a trial involving the sexual abuse of a student at the hands of her elementary school teacher. The school district Defendant denied liability on the basis that it did not have the requisite actual knowledge of the teacher's propensity to engage in abuse and argued that the abuse Plaintiff suffered was relatively minor in nature. Paul was able to prove that the school district had actual knowledge of the teacher's propensities to engage in abuse and that the abuse Plaintiff suffered was much more substantial than admitted to by the district.

Family's 16-year-old son was walking home after an evening of skateboarding with friends when a motorist ("JM"), driving under the influence of alcohol and at an excessive rate of speed, struck and killed the 16-year old. JM had allowed his auto liability insurance to lapse, and was subsequently prosecuted for vehicular manslaughter. Through extensive investigation and discovery, The Matiasic Firm was able to develop evidence that JM worked as a waiter at a local restaurant; the restaurant's bartender would occasionally "comp" alcoholic beverages for wait staff after the close of business hours; after completing a dinner shift, JM was served 4 to 5 screwdrivers within a 2-hour period in the restaurant's bar; and JM was visibly impaired when he left the restaurant premises to drive home on the night of the incident. Based on the above evidence, The Matiasic Firm pursued negligence claims against JM's employer and was able to obtain a $2,500,000 settlement for the family of the 16-year-old. The result represents one of the highest reported settlements for the wrongful death of a minor in the Central Valley.

The Matiasic Firm secured a judgment worth $2,225,000 in San Mateo County Superior Court stemming from the inappropriate sexual battery perpetrated by an anesthesia technician on an anesthetized patient. The firm was able to convincingly argue that the while the Plaintiff did not have a contemporaneous awareness of the sexual abuse, the consequences, and damages of the sexual battery were no less profound. Specifically, the firm posited that this lack of contemporary awareness of the abuse, while it happened, occasioned even greater damages given that Plaintiff was subjected to the unbridled imagination of his mind's eye in envisioning the harm perpetrated upon him.

In 2011, the firm obtained what is believed to be the highest wrongful death verdict in the history of Madera County. Specifically, following a five-week-long dangerous condition of public property trial, a Madera County jury awarded Mr. Matiasic's clients over $2,000,000 in finding that a portion of State Route 41 constituted a dangerous condition of public property. The State of California, by and through the Department of Transportation, vigorously defended the case at trial.

The Matiasic Firm lawyers obtained $1,550,000, in what is believed to be the highest settlement of its kind involving sexual assault and battery by a holistic therapist. The case involved egregious acts of sexual assault and battery upon a client who was particularly vulnerable to such predatory behavior by virtue of the environment in which the therapy was being performed.

The firm procured a $1,457,500 settlement in a case involving a collision between a SUV and motorcyclist in the City of Woodland located in Yolo County. The complex case involved multiple Defendants each of whom denied liability. The Matiasic Firm lawyers were able to demonstrate that a roadway sign installed as part of the development of residential subdivision adjacent to the roadway was placed at an incorrect height. The height of the signage created a visibility obstruction leading to the collision and Plaintiff's catastrophic injuries.

The Matiasic Firm obtained a $1,120,000 settlement a mere couple of days before the commencement of trial in a vigorously defended motor vehicle negligence and dangerous condition of public property case. The case arose out of the tragic wrongful death of a 12-year-old girl who was riding her bicycle home from school at the time she was struck by an SUV. The traffic collision report concluded that the bicyclist was primarily at fault in the collision. After conducting a substantial amount of discovery, the lawyers at The Matiasic Firm and their team of forensic experts were able to conclusively prove that the traffic collision report was erroneous and that the negligence of the SUV driver combined with the dangerous condition of the roadway led to the collision.

The firm secured a $900,000 settlement arising out a fatal collision between a tanker truck hauling highly flammable jet fuel and big rig towing several tons of produce on the infamous Grapevine in Southern California. While the initial investigation conducted by law enforcement attributed fault to the deceased relative of the firm's clients, the lawyers at The Matiasic Firm were able to establish that accident was actually caused by the negligent driving of operator of the big rig hauling produce. Specifically, through the firm's forensic analysis and deposition examinations, it was able to demonstrate that the adverse big rig driver was inexperienced and unable to change gears on the inclined portion of the roadway, leading the big rig to stall-out, roll backwards a few feet, and thus create the visual perception of a parked vehicle on the side of the road, which ultimately led to the fatal collision.

The lawyers at The Matiasic Firm were recently able to obtain a $800,000 settlement on behalf of an adult who was sexually abused as a child by her stepfather and then subjected to a sexual battery by the same perpetrator as an adult. The case was stridently defended and posed unique challenges due to the death of the perpetrator and the evidentiary impediments posed by the temporal gap between the childhood abuse and initiation of the lawsuit.

S.C. had a history of lupus that, with the exception of a few flare-ups, was effectively managed with medication. During a flare-up, S.C. underwent a series of diagnostic lumbar punctures to test for the presence of meningitis. To alleviate the spinal headaches associated with lumbar punctures, a Stanford Physician prescribed Equetro (a medication typically used to treat seizures and bipolar disorder conditions) for the apparent "off-label" purpose of alleviating the spinal headaches. The Stanford Physician failed to provide any warning that the medication could cause severe and even fatal dermatologic reactions; that S.C. has a member of the ethnic population at highest risk for developing such side effects; and that genetic testing was available to determine S.C.'s susceptibility to such side effects. The medication prescription was filled at a local Target Pharmacy. The Target Pharmacist dispensing the medication provided a "consult", but failed to advise of any of the sides effects and risks of harm associated with the mediation. S.C. took the medication and immediately developed a near-fatal dermatological reaction to the medication known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Despite claims that severe dermatological reactions were exceptionally rare, and that disclosure of the risk of developing Stevens-Johnson Syndrome was not required, The Matiasic Firm recovered for S.C. a $400,000 settlement from the Stanford Physician and an additional $201,000 settlement from the Target Pharmacist.

Rivota was operating a loaded cement mixer truck and attempting to navigate the Colorado Street extension on-ramp to southbound Interstate 5 in Glendale, CA, when his cement mixer rolled over onto its driver's side, resulting in severe injuries to Rivota. Investigating officers concluded that the sole cause of the rollover was unsafe speed for conditions in violation of Vehicle Code section 22350. Added by a team of retained experts, The Matiasic Firm was able to develop evidence that the on-ramp utilized a compound curve design (also known as a "broken back" curve) that was disfavored in the 1950's when the onramp was initially designed and created a risk of rollover for vehicles with a high center of gravity. Although the onramp’s accident history did not include a single vehicle rollover (with approx. 3 million vehicles using the onramp each year), The Matiasic Firm was able to obtain a $450,000 settlement on behalf of Rivota.

The attorneys at The Matiasic Firm recovered a $200,000 settlement on behalf of a client who fell on a property in a dilapidated and dangerous condition. The Matiasic Firm's client was visiting the Lake Tahoe area with her children when her leisurely weekend was abruptly cut short by the fall. The property owner immediately denied liability prior to the firm's involvement. The firm's investigation of the accident revealed that the subject property was inadequately maintained and the paths of ingress and egress were compromised. Further investigation indicated that the subject property had also been red-tagged by a local government agency as a result of its dangerous characteristics.

The vehicle occupied by Mr. & Mrs. Doe was struck head-on, in their own lane of travel, by an oncoming vehicle. The Matiasic Firm's investigation into the accident indicated the accident was caused by the other driver (operating a high-performance, all-wheel drive, Subaru WRXi equipped with a video-camera on the rear deck) who was engaged in a "drifting" maneuver. "Drifting" is a racing technique whereby the driver intentionally causes his vehicle to lose traction, then slides the vehicle around a corner, while the front tires are pointed in a direction opposite of the turn. The Matiasic Firm was successful in obtaining a confidential settlement from the other driver's insurance carrier for the maximum policy limits available, and then recovered an additional $75,000 from the Does' own insurance carrier under their underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage.

The Matiasic Firm's clients were crossing an intersection, lawfully in the cross-walk, when struck by a limousine driver attempting to make a left-turn. The limousine driver and his insurance company initially denied the claim, arguing The Matiasic Firm's clients were crossing the intersection against a red light. The firm's investigation of the intersection determined the limousine driver could not have been telling the truth given the timing and sequence of the lights. The investigation further determined the limousine driver was unfit for operation of a commercial vehicle. The Matiasic Firm obtained a confidential settlement for its clients totaling approximately five times the combined medical bills.

On the eve of trial, Paul obtained what is believed to be the largest settlement ever for a 99-year-old personal injury Plaintiff. This premises liability case arose out of a malfunctioning automatic door which knocked the Plaintiff down, resulting in serious orthopaedic injuries.The case resulted in a large mid-six-figure settlement.

The lawyers at The Matiasic Firm secured a MICRA-limit maximum six-figure settlement on behalf of the family of a young man misdiagnosed by emergency room physicians. Specifically, the young man presented to the ER complaining of debilitating chest pain, but despite identifying the potential fatal cardiovascular event as a possibility in their differential diagnosis, the ER physicians failed to order a simple diagnostic to rule out the potentially fatal condition. Several hours about being released from the ER, the young man passed away in his home.

Plaintiff was enjoying the shade under a canopy of trees at the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park (“Park”), when a large seed pod fell from above, striking Plaintiff in the head, causing a traumatic brain injury. The trees in question were an exotic species (Araucaria Bidwilli) native to Austria and rarely found in the United States. Park Staff were aware that the exotic trees periodically produced large seed pods (weighing as much as 10 to 15 lbs.) that would fall to the ground, yet failed to provide any warnings to Park visitors or to prevent Park visitors from congregating beneath the trees. The Defense was buoyed by the absence of any other injury incidents involving the trees during the Park’s 50-year existence and that Plaintiff was “homeless”, had not been employed for more than 15-years, and had a lengthy history of alcohol abuse. Ultimately, The Matiasic Firm recovered a 7-figure confidential settlement for Mace.

Cheung, a 76-year-old retired Physician from China, was attempting to cross 8th Street in San Francisco, at its intersection with Natoma. At the time, the intersection was not controlled by any traffic control devices and did not have a striped pedestrian crosswalk, despite being a well-known location for pedestrian crossings. As Cheung was attempting to cross 8th Street, she was struck and seriously injured by a vehicle operated by Nishiyama traveling southbound on 8th Street. The incident occurred during the congested morning commute hours, and the intersection was partially obstructed by a window washing crew that was servicing an adjacent building. The Matiasic Firm represented the injured pedestrian, asserting negligent driving claims against Nishiyama; dangerous condition of public property claims against City of San Francisco for failure to provide any traffic control devices or a pedestrian crossing at the intersection; and negligence claims against the window washing crew for not implementing sufficient traffic control measures around their job site to ensure the safe flow of vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Despite damaging evidence that the pedestrian was technically "jaywalking", did not exercise caution by looking both ways before attempting the crossing, and failed to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic on 8th Street, The Matiasic Firm was able to secure settlements from each of the three Defendants, with a combined value well into the 6-figures. Additionally, City subsequently installed both a traffic signal and a pedestrian crossing at the intersection of 8th Street and Natoma to improve pedestrian safety.

The firm procured a confidential six-figure settlement on the eve of trial on behalf of the family of a 21-year-old UC Santa Cruz who was tragically killed riding home from class. The expert-intensive products liability case involved one of the largest manufacturers of bicycle-related equipment in the world and the failure of its helmet to meet the "consumer expectations" test in the event of a fall.

A 6-year-old girl fell while riding a scooter, striking her right elbow on the ground. The Radiologist and Orthopedist that treated the girl both diagnosed a hairline fracture of the elbow, but failed to identify a dislocated radial head requiring a closed reduction. The girl's arm was set in a long-arm cast to treat the elbow fracture. 4-weeks later when the cast was removed, the Physicians belatedly realized that the girl's radial head was dislocated. The delay in diagnosing and treating the dislocated radial head made treatment efforts much more difficult, requiring multiple open reductions (i.e., surgeries) to restore proper alignment of the radial head. Despite the Physicians' claims that the occurrence of such radial head dislocations was extremely rare and difficult to identify, on the eve of trial The Matiasic Firm was able to secure a confidential 6-figure settlement from the Physicians.