PSBR attorneys Brian Panish, Rahul Ravipudi and Deborah Chang have been recognized by the Daily Journal as three of the Top 100 Lawyers in California for 2017. The annual publication features 100 attorneys doing cutting-edge legal work in The Golden State.
With more than 100 verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million, Brian Panish has been consistently recognized each year as a Top 100 Lawyer in California. His Daily Journal profile in the 2017 edition features a recent eight-figure settlement for a man severely burned and disfigured following an explosion with an energized electrical panel in a school chemistry lab. In April 2013, Plaintiff was working as an electrician in a college chemistry building where he was instructed to connect electric ovens to a spare circuit breaker. He switched off the main circuit breaker, believing it would, disconnect electrical power to the building where he was working. However, the circuit breaker had been improperly bypassed without warning, and when Plaintiff inadvertently touched the energized electrical panel it resulted in an explosion, causing him to sustain second and third degree burns to his face, neck and hand. Plaintiff underwent reconstructive surgery, skin grafting and remained hospitalized for 12 days following the explosion that has left him with severe facial disfigurements.
Also highlighted is Mr. Panish’s ongoing claims against Olympus America Inc. over CRE Superbug infections linked to defective duodenoscopes, including the first CRE case which was brought on behalf of an 18-year-old man infected by the bacteria. The firm is now handling more than 30 claims against the manufacturer.
Firm partner Rahul Ravipudi has spent his legal career handling catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases involving commercial vehicles, pedestrians, industrial and construction accidents, as well as dangerous conditions of public and private property. New to the list this year, Mr. Ravipudi’s Daily Journal profile highlights a recent landmark $160.5 million jury verdict for a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a vicious beating by security personnel for a nightclub. Plaintiff , a business professional, spent several hours at a nightclub entertaining and socializing with friends. After paying his bill and preparing to leave, he was stopped by a manager and security personnel who claimed that he had not paid his bill. Plaintiff was then taken to another area of the building and beaten and held against his will by security before being released. As a result of the attack, Plaintiff suffered a traumatic brain injury that resulted in the loss of his livelihood.
Throughout her years of practice, attorney Deborah Chang has been recognized for her involvement in numerous landmark cases and is honored to include Top 100 Lawyer in California among her accolades. A recent $32.5 million settlement against the City of Beverly Hills is highlighted in her Daily Journal profile, obtained on behalf of two clients whose father was killed and two clients who were catastrophically injured in two collisions on Loma Vista Drive in Beverly Hills, California. On May 2, 2014, plaintiff Eric Johnson was seriously injured when his loaded cement truck lost its brakes while driving down Loma Vista Drive, causing him to crash into parked vehicles to stop his runaway descent. Only one week later, on May 9, 2014, LAPD Detective Ernest Allen, Sr. was killed when a cement truck operated by Plaintiff Brandon Cascio on Loma Vista Drive lost its brakes, ran off the road at a sharp curve, and rolled over on top of Detective Allen’s pickup truck. As a result of his injuries, Mr. Cascio is now in a persistent vegetative coma.
Earlier this year, Brian Panish, Rahul Ravipudi and Deborah Chang were also recognized by the Daily Journal, having been named as three of the Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California by the publication. The coveted West Coast ranking was received by only 30 lawyers across the state who brought single cases or multi-party actions in antitrust, labor & employment, environment, personal injury, privacy and data security, product defect and securities and financial fraud, using their legal skills to forge real and lasting change.
Ms. Chang was also named among the Top Woman Lawyers in California for the second consecutive year, a distinction recognizing women lawyers who have made a difference to their clients, their firms, and their profession.