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PHOTO BY CHRISTINA GANDOLFO
T
he family of personal injury litigators at Easton & Easton, LLP enjoys a challenge. Even when the odds seem insurmountable, the firm continually demonstrates that their knowledge of the law, family synergy, and stamina for years-long litigation is a combination for success in the competitive Southern California landscape. “We have a combined level of experience in the courtroom that many other small or boutique law firms do not have,” says founding partner Doug Easton. Doug began the firm more than 30 years ago and it has grown to seven attorneys, including his sons Brian, Matt, and Travis (who are all now partners). “Our 100 years combined litigation experience is a major advantage and the reason we can win important cases against some of the Goliaths out there.” This was exemplified earlier this year when the firm secured $20 million in a confidential premises liability settlement on behalf of a critically injured client. The firm spent three years litigating against the property owners, who vehemently fought the lawsuit. “After spending millions trying to defend the case, filing countless motions to dismiss, and taking more than 20 depositions,” Brian Easton says, “the defendants recognized shortly before trial that we were likely to prevail, and they requested a mediation.” Matt Easton adds, “In addition to the $20 million in damages for our client, we were adamant that the defendants agree to make substantial remedial modifications to their property as one of the settlement terms to ensure that an incident like this could never happen again.” In this way, the Eastons see much of their work as not just rectifying the wrongs committed against their clients but also helping to make the world a safer place for everyone. As the f irm continues to ma ke important strides in all areas of personal injury accident matters, they are often hired to succeed where others could not. Matt and Travis Easton were recently retained by a woman whose neck and back were severely injured in an automobile collision. After she experienced a rare complication due to an epidural injection, she required several intricate surgeries to repair the condition and resolve her pain. The client’s prior attorney focused his efforts on pursuing a misguided medical malpractice claim against the doctors that were trying to help her (which was ultimately dismissed by the court) and offered to settle her case against the auto defendant for $25,000. Fortunately, the offer was not accepted by the defendant’s insurance carrier and the client eventually dismissed her first lawyer after more than two years of dithering. In less than six months later after hiring the Eastons, they were able to obtain $1.25 million for the client’s injuries and treatment from the auto defendant’s insurance carrier—50 times what the first lawyer had offered to accept from the same defendant. “This case was a pretty stark reminder of t h e i m p or t a n c e of q u a l it y l e ga l
Matthew D. Easton, W. Douglas Easton, Travis R. Easton, Brian W. Easton
NO CHALLENGE TOO BIG Following its most successful year to date, Easton & Easton continues its streak of notable victories for California’s injured By Justin Smulison represent at ion ,” notes M at t Ea ston. “Thankfully, the insurance company didn’t accept the prior attorney’s ridiculous offer, and we were able to come in and get this poor woman the justice she deserved so she could start putting her life back together.” Easton & Easton also stands out among Southern California’s plaintiff’s firms in its understanding of how injury law intersects with the emergence of new industries and enterprises, such as the increasing number of vape explosion and ridesharing accident cases. Earlier this year, the Eastons were brought in to assist another law firm struggling to make headway against a major ridesharing company in a potential underinsured motorist (UIM) claim on behalf of the rideshare driver. He had suffered life-threatening injuries and incurred $200,000 in medical bills, but the rideshare company contended that there was no UIM coverage because he was not engaged in carrying a passenger at the time of the accident.
Once Easton & Easton was hired, they gathered evidence to prove that the client was on his way to pick up a passenger at the time of the collision, even though the rideshare service’s internal data disagreed. With this evidence, they were able to trigger $1 million in underinsured motorist coverage for the rideshare driver, which was tendered in full shortly thereafter. “We turned a terrible $15,000 third-party settlement into a terrific million-dollar settlement in a case that wouldn’t have existed five years ago,” notes Brian Easton. “Injury law continues to evolve, and our firm is nimble enough to evolve with it. We learn something from every case and take that with us as a group moving forward.” Doug Easton adds, “As a family of litigators, we are great at combining our collective knowledge and experience to build a special synergy for our clients, even in emerging and complex areas of personal injury law.” Their results this year stand as compelling proof. W W W.BESTL AW Y ERS.COM
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