Litigation

Winning Strategies. Winning Cases.

For 100 years, local, regional and Fortune 500 companies have turned to Gresham Savage litigation for one reason: we win. The firm is widely viewed as Inland Southern California’s premiere choice for litigation services, and our attorneys achieve exceptional results.

We understand the serious impact major litigation can have on a company, and help our clients avoid it when it is in their best interest to do so. In such cases, our winning reputation enables us to negotiate favorable settlements on their behalf.

Recent examples of significant litigation successes include:

Favorable trial and arbitration results

Obtained judgment saving mutual water companies hundreds of millions of dollars in future infrastructure relocation expenses being imposed by a city
Secured landmark approval in both trial and appellate court for a 1.25 million-square-foot retail center, despite opposing claims of environmental damage
Obtained summary judgment and more than $300,000 in attorneys’ fees for a developer in a multi-million dollar lawsuit brought by a commercial tenant
Obtained a complete defense verdict and attorneys’ fees and costs in a multi-million dollar real property lawsuit brought by an adjoining landowner
In a landmark case before the Ninth Circuit, the Court adopted the “Birthday Rule” for the coordination of benefits and awarded client hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits, plus attorneys’ fees and all costs and expenses
Obtained a trial court ruling against the State of Iowa—the first law firm to do so—which overturned an administrative decision denying hundreds of thousands of dollars in reimbursement for health care services
Obtained exemption from land use regulation for a major interstate railroad in landmark appellate case
Successfully defended a union challenge to an employer’s right to unilaterally implement changes to its disciplinary system
Secured defense jury verdict for a large grocery store chain in an emotionally charged racial harassment, discrimination and wrongful termination case
Secured defense jury verdict for national manufacturing corporation in multi-million dollar breach of contract and fraud case
Secured separate defense judgments for national trucking company in cases involving race discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination
Secured defense judgments for national financial institution in cases involving wrongful foreclosure and fraud claims
Secured injunctions for financial institutions, manufacturing and construction companies in trade secrets and unfair business practices cases
Successfully defended a national manufacturing company and a national distributing company in separate trade secrets and unfair business practices (Business & Professions Code § 17200) litigation matters
Represented employers in employee death and serious injury cases, and successfully litigated the reduction of Cal/OSHA penalties from serious accident-related violations to regulatory violations
Secured a plaintiff’s verdict of over $8 million in binding arbitration in a contract dispute with a large U.S. defense contractor over a technology sale to India

Favorable client settlements

Obtained large multi-million dollar settlement in a trade dress and copyright infringement suit for software developer client
Successfully settled a $100 million construction and nuisance claim by dozens of homeowners against a national retail developer
Obtained large stipulated judgments before trial against former City Council persons accused of accepting bribes
Secured multi-million dollar settlement in a trademark and copyright infringement case for social networking game developer against large gaming software company

Mediated settlement of seven construction-related lawsuits on behalf of a local school district
Settled a complex breach of contract claim filed by a former board member against a client non-profit corporation
Successfully settled an employer’s claim for breach of a covenant-not-to-compete and theft of trade secrets case against former employees attempting to use a confidential customer list to their own advantage
Obtained favorable settlement for large international pharmaceutical company in a nine-figure patent infringement action related to the drug quinine

Areas of practice include, but are not limited to:

Antitrust
Appellate
Bankruptcy
Business and commercial disputes
Construction Litigation
Eminent domain
Energy
Environmental
Financial services
Healthcare
Insurance coverage
Intellectual property
Labor and Employment
Land use—public and private sector
        - CEQA and Subdivision Map Act compliance
        - Denials/approvals of land use entitlements, including zoning amendments
        - Exactions and conditional use permits
        - Inverse condemnation/eminent domain
Mining
Personal injury defense
Probate, trust and estate litigation
Product liability
Railroad
Real estate/development
        - Broker liability
        - Commercial landlord-tenant disputes
        - Complex construction law, including landslide, subsidence and property defect
        - Title insurance litigation
        - Toxic and environmental torts
        - Water rights
Real property sales transactions
Real property financing
Securities
Shareholder and partnership disputes
Tax
Trade secret and unfair competition