Get your sidewalk-fall case to the jury. Beat the trivial-defect defense

Six strategies to keep the trial judge from throwing out your case based on a finding that the defect was “trivial”

Clinton E. Ehrlich

From Issue: 2010 July

Flip the defense script

“Your client should have seen it – it is your client’s fault”

Brendan Gannon

From Issue: 2020 October

Don’t get tripped up in your next fall case

Defense verdicts are common and comparative fault is often substantial, but careful analysis of the venue and circumstances can lead to a convincing case for liability

Michael Gatto

From Issue: 2011 October

Case in Point — Dangerous Condition of Public Property Accident near a BART station

Thousands of CCSF students and their instructors used this dangerous walkway daily, until a serious accident focused attention on it

Mark Zanobini

From Issue: 2014 June

Applying res ipsa loquitur to premises liability fire cases

“The judge had been around for ages and never once tried a fire case involving res ipsa loquitur.”

Donna Bader

From Issue: 2007 August

Framing your premises case as a “special relationship”

Special relationships in premises-liability cases, especially between hotels and their guests

Marcelis Morris

From Issue: 2017 November

Don’t let the door hit you in the ….

If you suspect your client was injured by a defective door, here are some preliminary discovery tips

Michael Panish

From Issue: 2010 June

Don’t get beaten up by an assault case

How to decide whether to take on these challenging cases, and a game plan for when you do

Chuck Geerhart

From Issue: 2014 June

Can absentee landlords escape liability by claiming they never inspected?

Landlord neglect is not a defense to the affirmative duty to inspect

Daniel Boord

From Issue: 2020 October

A warning about your failure-to-warn case

The $10 million question: If you saw a warning, did you read and heed it?

Jessica N. Biernier

From Issue: 2012 August