Experience

Los Angeles Cases

Yen, et al. v. Rolling Hills Park Community Association, et al.

A massive landslide destroyed a dozen homes and forced widespread evacuations in Rolling Hills Estates. We brought suit against the homoeowner associations.

Case ID Confidential

There was a large landslide on the Katy Perry estate in the Hollywood Hills. We sued the upslope neighbor and insurers agreed to pay for a complete slope repair.

Ekstein v. City of Los Angeles

Large settlement to repair a Pacific Palisades home damaged by a damaged City Sewer system.

Finkbeiner v. City of Diamond Bar, et al.

A catastrophic landslide involving five homes that were red-tagged in the City of Diamond Bar.  We sued the City of Diamond Bar for inverse condemnation and reached a favorable settlement more than sufficient to repair all the properties and pay attorneys and experts fees.

Johnson v. Global Contruction, et al.

Lawsuit against various contractors for land subsidence at the client's Manhattan Beach home. Full recovery.

Keenan v. Peter Thiel

Landslide case in Hollywood Hills for our client, a lawyer, who sued the upslope neighbor after multiple tons of earth destroyed his home.

Kin v. City of Los Angeles Dept of Water and Power

Land subsidence case for a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge whose home was damaged by a broken water main.

Meade v. Surfside, et al.

Lawsuit against various contractors for land subsidence in sandy soils at the client's Manhattan Beach home. Full recovery.

Manulife Insurance Co. v. City of Los Angeles, et al.

A $12 million land subsidence case against the State of California, City of Los Angeles, and County of Los Angeles.  Part of the case settled and part of it went to trial.

Mitzi Kapture and Bradley Kapture v. Lancer, et al.

An Encino landslide case on Estrando Drive, involving five neighboring homeowners, resulting in a $4 million hillside repair paid by insurers.

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Bridges v. City of Los Angeles, et al.

A landslide case against the City of Los Angeles, settled for $16,300,000, California's largest landslide award for a single family home.

Nazarian v. City of Los Angeles

City streets funneled storm water towards the clients' Westwood home causing land subsidence. We sued the City and the clients received funds to build a new home and pay the attorneys and experts.

Randa Haines v. Brad Silberling

A landslide destroyed the client’s Studio City home. Client recovered all losses from her insurance company and a tenant.

Paul Haggis v. City of Los Angeles

An inverse condemnation subsidence and landslide case against the City of Los Angeles. The Haggis home was completely destroyed by earth movement. This case was eventually appealed to the California Supreme Court.

St. Johns Medical Plaza v. Lincoln Electric, et al.

A lawsuit for the doctors who owned the St. Johns Medical Plaza, in Santa Monica, in their full-value $11 million recovery against contractors after earthquake damage to the steel moment frame office tower.

11978 Mayfield Condos v. SHZ Development

Represented a Westside homeowners association in a construction defect case with a full recovery against the developer.

Culotti v. City of Los Angeles

Inverse condemnation case in which City roads flooded the client’s storied 1920s Pacific Palisades mansion.

Client Confidential v. City of Los Angeles

An inverse condemnation case in which we compelled the City to admit its liability for continuous sewage back-ups damaging the clients' Pacific Palisades home.

Haywood v. City of Los Angeles

An inverse condemnation landslide case in the Hollywood Hills with full recovery in settlement.

Hubie Brooks and Nedjiin Brooks v. City of Calabasas, et al.

A landslide case involving loss of a home in Calabasas.  The case settled for a total of approximately $8 million from the HOA, insurers, neighbors, the City of Calabasas, the Las Virgines Water District and the County of Los Angeles.

Playa Del Rey Litigation

Represented 11 upslope homeowners in Playa Del Rey to recover more than $14 million for the repair of a sandy slope.

Karimi v. County of Los Angeles

Expansion of the 405 Freeway in Westwood damaged a home. We compelled the County and Caltrans to buy the home at its undamaged fair market value plus pay attorneys’ fees and more.

Katherine Helmond and David Christian v. Ezra Cohen

A lawsuit involving a landslide and collapsed rock wall structure in the Hollywood Hills, resulting property destruction, land surveying disputes, and slander of title claims.  Trial resulting in total victory for my clients on land ownership issues plus recovery of $1.2 million.

Myreon Hodur and Jennifer Hodur v. City of Culver City, et al.

Represented the Hodurs, both attorneys, in an inverse condemnation landslide case affecting five homes.  The case was brought against the City of Culver City following the destruction of the Hodurs’ home.  As a result of the litigation, the City agreed to buy the clients’ destroyed home for its undamaged full market value and pay attorneys and experts fees.

Matthew Kaplan and Penni Zier v. City of Los Angeles

An inverse condemnation landslide case against the City of Los Angeles.  The City agreed to buy the clients’ home and pay their attorneys fees and experts fees.

Phil Spector and Rachelle Spector v. City of Alhambra

An inverse condemnation case for the Spectors following a landslide affecting a large estate property. The City repaired the landslide and paid the Spectors' attorneys fees and expert fees.

Posner v. City of Los Angeles

An inverse condemnation landslide case.  A City fire hydrant burst and washed away the clients’ backyard on a Tujunga slope.  The City paid for a full repair plus attorneys and experts fees.

Rubalcava v. Budimer

Lawsuit between neighbors to fix a slope failure in the City of Burbank.

Torino v. City of Palos Verdes Estates, et al.

An inverse condemnation landslide case against the City of Palos Verdes Estates and Southern California Edison. After a 5 week bench trial, damages were awarded in favor of my client exceeding $5 million.

Thay Lee and Mr. & Mrs. Tom Bistline v. City of Dana Point

Represented two neighbors, in an inverse condemnation landslide case that went to trial against the City of Dana Point with a judgment in my clients’ favor that required the City to rebuild the clients’ slope.

Smith v. City of Los Angeles

Recovered more than $5 million to repair a landslide in Laurel Canyon.

Bay Area Cases

Ashmeade v. City of Sausalito and Caltrans

A rainstorm and some leaky pipes damaged the client’s Sausalito duplex in 2019. We got a $3.5 million settlement that fully compensated the client, a prominent San Francisco attorney.

Case I.D. Confidential

We recovered $5.5 million for a major retailer whose store sank into a San Mateo parking lot.

Pleasanton Landslide

Inverse condemnation landslide case involving six large luxury homes that were severely damaged in a landslide caused by erosion in a nearby arroyo owned by a public water agency.

Barillo v. To

Landslide in Daly City involving two next door neighbors. We recovered policy limits from insurance companies to completely rebuild and repair a large landslide.

Julian Milenbach

A construction defect case involving his El Cerritos home. Full recovery for the client.

Silla v. Caltrans

Caltrans cut into a hill in the 1950s to create Hwy 101 in South San Francisco. In the 2010s a landslide destroyed the client’s home upslope of that road cut. We convinced Caltrans to buy the client’s home for its undamaged fair market value plus pay the attorneys’ fees, experts fees, and more.

Inland Empire Cases

City of Fontana v. Sunrise Ford

Represented California's second largest Ford dealership in an eminent domain case arising out of a widening of the 10 Freeway in San Bernardino County.

Jimenez v. Confidential Insurance Co.

Lawsuit against the clients' insurer to obtain first-party coverage to replace the client's home lost in a San Bernadino landslide.

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California v. Domengoni Family

Two 6-week trials for the Domenigoni Family of Riverside County against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) in a complex eminent domain case that resulted in a jury verdict of $43,200,000 in our clients’ favor.  This was one of California's largest eminent domain verdicts.

Castillo, et al. v. Ahmadi, et al.

Represented six families in Corona, Riverside County, whose six separate properties were damaged by a catastrophic landslide caused by the downslope landowners’ negligent maintenance of their concrete gravity walls. Insurers paid for a complete repair.

Raceway Ford v. State of California (CalTrans)

Represented a large Ford dealership in an inverse condemnation case against CalTrans arising out of the State’s failure to comply with its own construction plans for the 60-91-215 Freeway Project in Riverside County.

San Diego Area Cases

Moore v. Hillside Patio Homes HOA

Landslide involving four homes and the homeowners association. Full repair recovered in litigation.

Orr v. Ruf

Full recovery for homeowners who suffered a landslide on Arroyo Lindo Ave., in San Diego.

The La Mesa Litigation

We represented the uphill owners who sued eight downhill owners for causing a landslide in a residential area of La Mesa. We obtained a multi-million dollar settlement from the downhill owners to fully repair the slope.

Mooney v. Fore

Landslide involving uphill and downhill neighbors in San Diego. Full recovery and repair obtained from insurance companies.

Eriksson v. Dinh

Landslide involving uphill and downhill neighbors in San Diego. Full recovery and repair obtained from insurance companies.

Nelson v. Smith

Landslide involving next door neighbors in San Diego. Full recovery and repair obtained from insurance companies.

O’Sullivan v. Chan

Full repair for homeowners whose properties were damaged in a canyon landslide on Arroyo Lindo Ave., San Diego.