Archer Norris defended insurer against bad faith and breach of contract claims made by insureds, who were also lawyers, seeking reimbursement for time assisting in own defense. CA First District Court of Appeal upheld trial court decision for Sequoia.

Our client sought $9M payment due for building the City of Berkeley library. The City disputed payment, cited client’s failure to file a §910 claim. We won before 1st District Court of Appeal, overturned trial court decision and cleared Arntz to collect payment.

Represented real estate appraiser involved in fire insurance claim and related allegations of liability to parties involved in arbitration. We dismissed claims at trial with arbital immunity argument. Upheld on appeal and CA Supreme Court rejected review of case.  

Argued application of Privette/Toland doctrine for our contractor client alleged to have affirmatively contributed to subcontractor injuries. Won summary judgment and appellate court upheld decision in published decision.

We guided Peninsula Healthcare District through complex negotiations and public hearings leading to construction and operation of a new hospital in Burlingame. We managed a successful multi-front legal attack which included multiple appellate court decisions.

Archer Norris attorneys represented the Marin Healthcare District, and then Marin General Hospital, in the successful transfer of the hospital from Sutter Health to local community control.

Compass Product Design’s client terminated a contract and sought recovery hefty enough to shut it down.  In binding arbitration, we secured  contract payment, incentive bonuses and attorney fees, and eliminated the company-threatening risks.

Represented owners of a family-held regional solid waste company, acquired by a  publicly traded corporation, in a $100M+ deal.  We managed complex issues of next generation succession planning, financing and valuations while preserving family relationships. 

A  Northern California real estate developer was so saddled with hundreds of millions of dollars of guaranteed debt, his business halted. Archer Norris crafted a financial workout that ultimately allowed the developer to start a new business free of legacy debt. 

Benign auto accident injuring employee of auto part supplier turned into a Workers' Comp compounded by claims of Labor Code violations and threats of violence by employee. We secured police protection, restraining order and trial victory for employer. 

Archer Norris team negotiated separation agreement and amicable departure of former Jamba Juice CEO Paul Clayton. Negotiated with struggling company to resolve tax challenges. Equitable settlement included $525,000 severance and vested stock options and grants.

Archer Norris defended a leading stucco manufacturer in injury claims based on exposure to raw asbestos. Our trial experts disproved junk science in popular asbestos theories. We also used proprietary cost-containment technology. Jury delivered a defense verdict.  

We defended a LA office building owner against claims of injury from Legionella bacteria, mold and 17200 violations. Refuted causation theories, focused on science in six-month trial. Hung jury led to our winning request for directed verdict dismissing case.

Defended building owner/manager in allegations of mold from leaky roof caused plaintiffs' asthma. Presented compelling expert trial testimony debunking mold-illness causation, secured defense verdict. Case nominated for Trial of the Year in Alameda County.

Sequoia and the insured agreed that Sequoia would defend and indemnify only its named insured and the company President in a lawsuit.  After doing so, Sequoia was then sued because it did not defend and indemnify the President in his individual—non-insured—capacity.  The court granted Sequoia’s Motion for Non-Suit at the close of Plaintiff’s case.

Our client, Super Shuttle admitted liability in a fender bender injuring a pregnant passenger. She claimed premature birth among a slew of injuries and demanded $850K.  We whittled down her injury claims pre-trial. Jury awarded her $2K, we won costs for our client.

Our client, an insurer, denied a property owner’s claim for damage caused by a fallen brick wall. We tried the case and our engineering experts exposed the poor design of the wall and its weak foundation, which ultimately resulted in a defense verdict.

Client and sister disputed their father’s $1.5m trust. Claims of toward fraud and elder abuse made.  We eased tensions and untangled legal issues, including the sale of a residence, to reach a peace-making settlement on the eve prior to a probate court petition.

Following its return to community control and protracted arbitration over reserve funds, hospital clears procedural hurdles to receive larger award

Injuries from boating accident resulted in claims against several defendants including our client, the boat manufacturer. Obtained favorable court ruling that indemnity agreement did not prescribe for duty to defend; implications for Toyota recall cases

After getting the hospital back to its local community, we successfully regained lost funds taken during transition.

Town v. Gown on steroids. Berkeley residents’ drinking and nuisance claims became a first-ever class action lawsuit against a frat. Archer Norris defended group of 25 national fraternities and shut down the large-scale threat to Greek social traditions.

We opposed a borrower motion for a preliminary injunction enjoining a
lender foreclosure sale. Plaintiffs had borrowed $1M+, said foreclosure improper and obtained a TRO. We argued in federal court, got TRO dissolved and denial of Motion for Preliminary Injunction.

Plaintiff refused to accept CCP 998 settlement offer(s) in an admitted liability personal injury case.  Trial attorney successfully excluded evidence of future medical expenses and convinced the jury plaintiff was not as badly injured as claimed.  Because the jury award was less than settlement offers, our client is the prevailing party entitled to recover defense costs.

Archer Norris retried a case that previously resulted in a $20+M verdict for an injured decking worker. In our retrial, we emphasized subcontractor’s role and secured a verdict of $8M and dramatically reduced liability for contractor client.

Clients faced $2M in claims alleging conversion of corporate assets and taking corporate customers from former employer. We defeated Sunkist's $2M demand, counterclaimed and obtained $1M punitive damages verdict, upholding new company’s reputation and future.

Our client, Acevedo Trucking, was sued for negligence after a motorcyclist lost his leg in a traffic accident. Despite the odds and obtaining the case just before trial began, we were able to turn the case around and the jury unanimously returned a defense verdict, finding client not negligent.

Property owners brought action against several public entities, alleging their property was damaged as a result of a landslide. Experts demonstrated longstanding geological instability and that the other factors had no effect on slide area. In the face of a $2.5 million settlement offer, the jury returned the defense verdict in just two hours.

A contract rancher for Foster Farms was fatally injured when a tractor flipped over on top of her while trying to tow the defense's driver. Plaintiff argued our driver was negligent and submitted a settlement demand for $6 million before the jury verdict for the defense.

Our client was accused of providing tainted beef to a grinder, causing an eight-year old boy to contract a severe case of food-borne illness. The jury found our client's product was not defective, and their liablility was limited to another minor point in the amount of $71,040.

Our client was sued for negligence in an accident that killed a bystander. The jury found our client not negligent by a vote of 9-3, and stated that all 12 felt that the driver's negligence was not a substantial factor in the injury.

The plaintiff claimed a stadium slide was defectively designed, manufactured and installed, and that the slide was negligently operated. The jury found that the slide was not defective, but found both parties partially negligent.

Our client, a specialty chemical supplier, was accused of tainting 20 million cans of fruit, and claimed $5.6M in damages. Jury found for our client on 3 of 4 counts, and no net money owed on the fourth. Reversed trial court denial of attorney fees on appeal.

Owner-builder of custom home sued our client, CA Construction, for construction defect, breach of contract, negligence and contractor licensure issues. Damage demand was $750K.  We obtained a jury verdict in favor of our client on all actions. 

Despite approval by the City Council, our developer client found strong opposition to its plan to develop homes, commercial space, parks and trails on a 520-acre Kern River property. We led a strategic team that defused hostility into clearance for development. 

 Our client, a publicly-traded residential developer, was selling a 500-lot project and authorized us to inquire if another Archer Norris client, a privately-held developer, was interested.  The developers’ deal closed and underscored our role as trusted advisors.

Archer Norris represented local business interests when county officials and competing developers attempted to close a local airport. We worked with U.S. Congress, federal agencies, County Board of Supervisors and citizens' groups to keep airport open.

In our trial defense for Ford Motor Co. on Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act issues related to its Excursion  model, we obtained a jury verdict on five of six counts, and a judgment notwithstanding the verdict on the sixth.

Filed amicus brief in CA Supreme Court on behalf of building industry in case clarifying split on a hirer's breach of a nondelegable statutory or regulatory duty and application of  Privette doctrine. Court sided with our arguments on principle of delegation.