Top Settlement in Northern California 2016 Secured by Rouda, Feder, Tietjen & McGuinn

Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn has been recognized by Leaders in the Law for achieving the highest settlement of the year (2016) in Northern California. In a complicated car accident case, law firm partner Timothy Tietjen was able to secure a $24 million recovery for their client.

Ms. Forkey was driving along the I-680 when an Acura swerved towards her, forcing her vehicle off the road. She suffered spinal cord injuries rendering her an incomplete quadriplegic in the resulting rollover accident. The Acura driver claimed he was trying to avoid a Toyota that was driving erratically.

Indeed, it was found that a nearby Toyota was driving recklessly, and that the driver of the Toyota was impaired by prescription medications Attorney Tietjen filed Ms. Forkey’s lawsuit against the Acura driver and the impaired driver. By digging into police 911 call logs, Tietjen was able to find that a 911 dispatcher warned the Acura driver to stay away from the Toyota. In his failing to abide by this simple-to-follow advice, the Acura driver and his sudden swerving ended up being the direct cause of the accident.

Tietjen asserted that the Acura driver was actually an employee of an Acura dealership in the area. By filing the lawsuit against him, Tietjen took on not just the individual driver, but the dealership. The dealership tried to escape responsibility for the Accura driver’s negligent conduct by arguing he was an independent contractor. Undeterred, Tietjen pressed the issue. When a $17 million settlement was offered, he and his client rejected it, recognizing that while the offer was sizeable, it was not enough considering the harm, pain, and suffering Ms. Forkey had experienced. Ultimately the case settled for $24 million.