When defending complex injury and business litigation, Richard W. Vanis, Jr. successfully utilizes the underlying facts of the case and the relationships of the parties to achieve favorable results for his clients. He heads our Los Angeles and Newport Beach offices.

Focused on Business and Individual Litigation

Rich provides cost-effective representation to insurance carriers, businesses, employers and private and high-profile clients across Southern California.

He counsels and litigates on multimillion-dollar law suits involving personal injury claims and business disputes with a focus on construction, product liability, public entities, earth movement and catastrophic injuries including wrongful death. 

Rich has considerable experience representing high-profile individuals in Los Angeles and Orange County involving their private disputes with property and personal matters.

Experienced in Construction and Personal Injury

He also represents developers, general contractors and subcontractors in various trades in both residential and commercial construction cases, premises liability, personal injury and real estate disputes. His previous experience at construction and medical malpractice defense law firms provides clients with an advantage in cases requiring technical, scientific and medical evidence knowledge.

Resolving Earth Movement Disputes

Landslides are a special area of practice for Rich. He represents property owners in law suits brought against them for loss of lateral support, nuisance, trespass and improper diversion of water. 

Overall, when defending complex and business litigation, Rich successfully manages liability, causation and contractual obligations of the parties to achieve favorable results for his clients. 

Catastrophic Injury and Premises Liability Litigation

Defending a wide range of personal injury cases, Rich successfully manages risk and minimizes liability to obtain the best possible outcomes for his clients. His previous experience defending medical malpractice claims provides clients with an advantage in cases requiring technical, scientific and medical evidence knowledge.

Product Liability

Rich defends manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and their insurers in a range of product liability actions to successfully minimize the high-stakes consequences of product liability litigation.

Customized Client Service in High-Pressure Litigation

Whether defending corporate directors in internal disputes or assigning accountability to responsible parties in high-demand matters, Rich uses his strong personal connection to clients to power litigation solutions to their legal challenges.

Rich Vanis’ representative matters include:

Business Litigation

• Represent companies, high profile clients and businesses of all sizes in disputes involving breach of contract, trade secrets, employment claims, business practices, lease agreements and related matters.

Complex Construction and Landslide Litigation

• Extensive experience representing developers, general contractors and subcontractors in litigation involving construction defects, delay claims, mechanics liens and other construction related issues.
• Represented multiple subcontractors in mechanics’ lien and collection actions to recover monetary sums owed for work performed following downturn in the economy and real estate developer’s abandonment of the residential developments.
• Represented general contractor in multimillion dollar construction defect action involving a high-end custom home in Orange County where homeowner asserted causes of action for negligent representation, fraud and breach of contract.
• Handle multiple cases involving landslides and other earth movement related damage claims. Rich represents clients defending them in claims involving maintenance of properties, diversion of water, road cut and vineyard construction in cases across Southern California, including in the Hollywood Hills, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Palos Verdes and throughout the Santa Monica Mountains.

Catastrophic Injury and Premises Liability Litigation

• Defended wrongful death action involving a collision between an automobile and Amtrak train.
• Represented concrete subcontractor involved in litigation related to a worker impaling his head on rebar at a Los Angles Unified School District site, leaving the plaintiff with profound developmental delays.
• Represented a major Southern California university in injury claims related to an alleged construction defect in its gymnasium, which caused one of the students to lacerate his arm. Rich successfully orchestrated a global settlement among defendants where his client was not required to contribute.
• Successfully defended and reduced risk exposure of a commercial subcontractor in a personal injury law suit connected to an ironworker’s injuries from a four-story fall down an elevator shaft.

Product Liability

• Defended a distributor, who was part of a multidefendant defective product action, against claims involving a head injury induced by a pool heater component. Rich minimized his client’s liability to a fraction of the original claim.
• Successfully represented a chainsaw manufacturer in a products liability case involving the scalping of a minor using the machine.  Plaintiff alleged that the chainsaw was defectively manufactured by failing to include the appropriate safety mechanisms. Rich achieved a nominal settlement on behalf of his client.
• Defended an employer in a case brought by an employee who lost several fingers while operating a punch press. Case dismissed on first day of trial.