Settlements & Verdicts
ELDER ABUSE & PROBATE
$13.5 Million Settlement
A sibling dispute erupted over their late mother's estate, which included a landmark Los Angeles restaurant and several rental properties. The older brother had coerced the mother into leaving him nearly everything, excluding our client from the family business. After her passing, The Law Offices of Nigel Burns filed a probate action and an elder abuse lawsuit, placing liens on the properties and deposing over 15 key witnesses, establishing powerful evidence of systematic and increasing elder abuse. Through years of determined litigation, The Law Offices of Nigel Burns ultimately secured the return of the restaurant and properties to our client, recovering assets of significant value both financially and emotionally.
Wrongful Death
$5.6 Million Settlement
Nigel Burns secured a $5.6 million settlement in a wrongful death case involving a school teacher struck in a crosswalk by a driver who was road racing. Nigel Burns compelled the insurer to pay full policy limits through a demand letter without even filing a lawsuit. After the insurance company for the other driver delayed on tendering their limits of $25,000, Nigel Burns sued them for bad faith and had them pay $1,375,000 - twenty-five times the original policy limit.
BUSINESS FRAUD
$3.1 Million Arbitration Verdict
The Law Offices of Nigel Burns represented the former founder of the first ever Billion Dollar listed cannabis company who stepped down from the company in exchange for a complicated structured payment, which ultimately was never paid. Mr. Burns sued the company and proved in arbitration that it had committed fraud inducing the client to enter into the agreement, which is a rare finding in breach of contract cases.
PREMISES LIABILITY ASSAULT
$2.45 Million Settlement
Nigel Burns represented a man who asked to use the restroom at a national pharmacy store chain and got involved in a verbal dispute with a cashier and then a security guard stepped in and things escalated and the guard followed the man out and a fight ensued. Yet again, through extensive work-up by Mr. Burns and team, including deposing over 20 witnesses and employees, they proved that the area was prone to a lot of crimes and that the owners and operators of the mall and the store neglected providing sufficient security guards who were overworked and undertrained and also proved that in some cases they even falsified some training certificates for their guards.
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
$1.4 Million Verdict
Nigel Burns co-tried a medical malpractice case involving failure to diagnose leg clots, resulting in at below the knee and later an above the knee amputation. Despite there being no loss of earnings and a cap on pain and suffering of $250,000, Mr. Burns was able to take Defendant's expert and use their opinions to support additional care costs of over $1,000,000 resulting in a total Verdict of $1,400,000 after the initial offer on the case was zero.
PROPERTY INHERITANCE TRUST DISPUTE
$675,000 Settlement
Nigel Burns represented a man who was promised property by his elderly uncle in exchange for managing it and caring for it. Enter a greedy niece who took control of the elderly uncle and convinced him to renege on his oral promise to the nephew and the property was sold. Despite no written agreement and facing three opposing attorneys, Mr. Burns proved a Constructive Trust had been established and that the nephew had a legal interest and ownership of the property and its sale proceeds. The court awarded the nephew $675,000—far surpassing the last and best $30,000 offer, which Mr. Burns and his client were told they were insane to refuse, by a retired judge no less.
Elder Abuse
$650,000 Verdict
The Law Offices of Nigel Burns was retained by an elderly gentleman who had been sued by a woman half his age claiming he and his business owed her money. Mr. Burns and his team went on the offensive after learning how their client had been manipulated by this lady who had sought him out at a high end gentleman's clothing store and had started a relationship with him while at the same time draining him of all his assets including his home. Nigel Burns filed a counter-suit and after defeating the lady's claim for money against his client in a jury trial he then went on to obtain a verdict of $650,000 against the defendant who had hired a top law firm with over 1000 lawyers, three of which Mr. Burns took on, and he was able to secure and obtain this money even though the defendant had transferred almost everything out of the country to China. The result was considered a milestone and Mr. Burns was awarded the Orange County Trial Lawyers Top Gun Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2014.
PERSONAL INJURY TO MINOR
$300,000 Civil Verdict
Nigel Burns was hired by another attorney regarding a breach of contract with a HOA over a prior settlement involving mold damage and repair. Nigel Burns was able to prove that the Defendant HOA continued to operate in bad faith and had not complied with the agreement and received a jury verdict and award of $300,000 for his client in additional damages.
AUTO ACCIDENT
$500,000 Settlement
This t-bone collision was a disputed liability case where Nigel Burns represented an elderly passenger and her niece in a motor vehicle accident where the elderly driver sustained serious injuries and the defendant driver claimed that it was the elderly driver’s fault. Due to the significant injuries and exposure, Mr. Burns was able to secure a half-million dollar settlement for his clients.
AUTO COLLISION
$450,000 Settlement
This case involved an auto collision with two vehicles and moderate damage but most importantly, after an initial trip to the Emergency Room, Nigel Burns’ two clients did not receive any treatment thereafter for a year when one of his clients started reporting recurring pain and numbness, ultimately requiring epidural shots and a recommendation for surgery. Nigel Burns was able to establish through expert medical opinion that despite the delay in treatment that the injuries and treatment was related to the collision and the defendants paid $450,000 to settle the case and avoid trial.
Probate Settlement
$450,000 Settlement
After the decedent's passing in 2010, our client, who was an equal beneficiary under the Family Trust, sought an accounting but was being ignored by the Co-trustee, who began managing the decedent's finances in 2005. The Co-trustee failed to provide proper accounting and withheld key financial records. Although the Co-Trustee claimed a right to reimbursement and expenses for operating the trust, Nigel Burns was able to have all of those claims denied and obtained a full and proper distribution for his client as well as some additional money for attorney fees.
AUTO COLLISION
$345,000 Settlement
This case involved a disputed liability case with a disagreement over right of way and no witnesses other than the drivers of each vehicle. The Law Offices of Nigel Burns firm hired an accident re-constructionist and also found video footage by scouring the neighborhood and nearby businesses with video cameras. The defendant had claimed it was our client who was at fault and lied about a number of details, the Law Offices of Nigel Burns was able to secure a premium settlement of $345,000.
AUTO ACCIDENT
$335,000 Settlement
The defendant failed to stop and struck the back of our client's vehicle causing injuries and damage to our client's vehicle. After claiming that there was only minor property damage and soft tissue injuries, Nigel Burns and his team was able to establish permanent injuries and direct causation from the accident bringing the defendants from an initial offer of “$5,000 take it or leave it” to a settlement for $335,000.
MOLD DAMAGE
$300,000 Civil Verdict
Nigel Burns was hired by another attorney regarding a breach of contract with a HOA over a prior settlement involving mold damage and repair. Nigel Burns was able to prove that the Defendant HOA continued to operate in bad faith and had not complied with the agreement and received a jury verdict and award of $300,000 for his client in additional damages.
UNINSURED MOTORIST ACCIDENT
$225,000 Settlement
Our client was stopped at a red-light intersection where a defendant was driving immediately behind our client. The defendant was careless and negligent, failing to pay attention to upcoming traffic which was immobile at an intersection and resulted in defendant colliding into our client's vehicle. After the driver's insurance company paid their policy limits Nigel Burns and the Law Offices of Nigel Burns sought the additional remaining Policy Limit of $225,000. Under the client's own Underinsured Motorist Coverage and after initially being offered nothing more, Nigel Burns set the matter for binding arbitration and the insurance company folded and paid the remaining policy limits of $225,000.
PERSONAL INJURY AUTO ACCIDENT
$175,000 Jury Verdict
This personal injury case involved a serious collision at Culver blvd. and Lincoln blvd. in Culver City, CA. The defendant made an improper left turn in front of our clients, who had the right-of-way. While the defendant admitted fault, they contested the severity of the injuries. Sam Brown of the Law Offices of Nigel Burns co-tried the case and despite the defense suggesting that the maximum award should be $30,000, the advocacy of Sam Brown and The Law Offices of Nigel Burns convinced the jury to award a total of $175,000 to Plaintiff. The top offer prior to trial was $54,000.
PERSONAL INJURY AUTO ACCIDENT
$100,000 Settlement
This case involved a motorbike collision with a vehicle traveling at an unsafe speed. Although who had the right of way was contested in the case, Nigel Burns and The Law Offices of Nigel Burns were able to establish and prove that the vehicle was traveling too fast for conditions at the time. Through reconstruction of the accident and witnesses, Nigel Burns was able to obtain the policy limits of $100,000 for the happy client.
PERSONAL INJURY AUTO COLLISION
$100,000 Settlement
Nigel Burns and The Law Offices of Nigel Burns were hired by a gentleman who had been t-boned at an intersection. Glass from the driver's window flew into the client's face. These cuts were present for several weeks and then healed and faded completely, but because of the severity of the collision and potential permanent consequences, Nigel Burns had already forced the insurance company to pay the complete policy limits of $100,000..
DEFENSE VERDICTS
EMPLOYMENT & CONTRACT LITIGATION DEFENSE
Nigel Burns and the Law Offices of Nigel Burns were brought in to replace a nationally known law firm to defend the co-founders of MedMen Inc., at one time the largest marijuana company in America. The plaintiff, the former CFO of MedMen Inc., filed a lawsuit claiming that cofounders Bierman and Modlin conspired to induce him into an employment contract and later sabotaged its fulfillment to deny him significant compensation. After a five week trial, Nigel Burns and The Law Offices of Nigel Burns were successful in proving that his clients had done nothing wrong and the jury entered a complete defense verdict. Whatever side The Law Offices of Nigel Burns is on increases the chance of that side's success.
FRAUD AND CONTRACT CLAIMS DEFENSE
The plaintiff sued our client who was the widow of his former business partner, claiming she held a 50% community property interest in their company and the liabilities and sought $500,000 from the widow. The Law Offices of Nigel Burns stepped in and through the filing of expertly written motions and legal strategy were able to get the entire case dismissed.
PROPERTY DISPUTE DEFENSE
The Law Offices of Nigel Burns was contacted by a client who had sublet her apartment through AirBnB with her landlord who then sued her and tried to evict her. After Nigel Burns stepped in and filed a cross-complaint, the landlord agreed to dismiss her complaint AND was ordered to pay monetary sanctions to our client.
Gomez v Juarez
Gomez v Juarez
The case involved ongoing civil harassment, beginning with a violent attack where the respondent choked and struck our client, followed by a false police report accusing our client of assault. The respondent continued to escalate the situation by creating a hostile living environment, committing further assaults, making false allegations, and unlawfully entering private areas of the home. As a result, the court granted a Civil Harassment Restraining Order to protect our client and their family.
FAMILY LAW AND RESTRAINING ORDERS
CUSTODY KIDNAPPING
In a case that was remarkably similar to the movie "Not Without My Daughter" Nigel Burns and The Law Offices of Nigel Burns were hired by a client who had moved to another country with her husband who then kicked her out of the home and would not let her see their 7 year-old son. Nigel Burns worked with an East Coast firm and obtained emergency rulings and orders so that when the father traveled to the United States on business he was taken into custody and forced to return the now 10-year-old son to the loving mother after THREE years apart.
FULL CUSTODY ORDERED
Nigel Burns and The Law Offices of Nigel Burns were contacted by a desperate mother who was trying to get her son back from the Dad who refused to return him. Several other attorneys had told the mother that they could not help her. Nigel Burns stepped in and after the Dad and Dad's attorney refused to agree to a regular and shared custody schedule, got the mother full sole custody AND a restraining order against the Dad.
RESTRAINING ORDERS FLIPPED
When Sam Brown of the Law Offices of Nigel Burns was contacted by a very anxious client about temporary restraining orders that had been granted against him and that risked him losing his job, Sam jumped in on the case immediately and gathered evidence and witnesses to show that our client was actually defending himself and that the other party was the aggressor. The team at the Law Offices of Nigel Burns assembled a strong package of evidence and law showing that in fact our client needed a restraining order against the other party and the court agreed 100% and granted our request for a three year restraining order and dismissed the other.
DAD GRANTED SOLE CUSTODY AND AWARDED FAMILY HOME
Nigel Burns and the Law Offices of Nigel Burns were contacted by a schoolteacher who had been recommended by another happy client. The teacher's wife had left him and their children and was seeking spousal support. After Nigel Burns was hired, it was determined that because the Mom had left the home and showed no interest in having regular custody or contact with the children, therefore Dad would be entitled to child support. The Law Offices of Nigel Burns was able to get the wife to waive spousal support AND give up her 50% interest in the family home and our client was awarded sole custody and the home.
RESTRAINING ORDER GRANTED PLUS
The Law Offices of Nigel Burns was retained by a traumatized mother whose husband had been jailed for sexually abusing their kids. Although now protected from abuse they were without any income or support. Although typically something that cannot be awarded, Nigel Burns was able to convince the court to award the father's entire pension to the children as child support because of his actions.
FULL CUSTODY AWARDED PRO BONO
Nigel Burns and the Law Offices of Nigel Burns are big believers in giving back to the community and consistently and continuously are working on at least some cases pro bono to give back to the community and those in need, the more challenging the case and the more meritorious the cause, the more Nigel Burns is eager to take on the case. In this case, we were approached by a Mother who was being overwhelmed with big expensive lawyers by her husband who had all the money and all the power and who had primary custody and was seeking to take custody away. After The Law Offices of Nigel Burns stepped in, with Nigel Burns at the helm, they were able to build a case demonstrating that the rich husband and father was in fact controlling and abusive and the custody was completely flipped with no visitation except with the express permission of the judge or our client.
PROBATE
CONTESTED CONSERVATORSHIP GRANTED
In December 2015, a conservatorship was secretly initiated over our clients' mother, who had Alzheimer's, without notifying next of kin. Our clients only discovered this months later and learned the conservator had falsely claimed to have provided notice and had also painted extremely negative pictures of both clients, the sons. The conservator also sought a restraining order against our clients, which was denied after the Law Offices of Nigel Burns stepped in. Ultimately, the court denied the conservator's petition to control the estate and instead appointed our clients as Successor/sCo-Conservators of both the Person and Estate and Nigel Burns and team were able to get the judge to do a complete 180.
S Conservatorship
After discovering that the existing temporary conservator had been acting without proper authority—making unauthorized financial withdrawals, altering the home, and discarding personal belongings—our client filed a petition to protect his father’s interests. The conservator had been appointed without providing the required legal notice to the proposed conservatee. Recognizing these serious violations, the court granted our client’s petition and appointed him as the Temporary Conservator of the Person and Estate.
Russel Conservatorship (R Conservatorship)
R Conservatorship
The petitioner sought to place our client under conservatorship, claiming psychiatric issues warranted such control. However, medical evidence confirmed that our client was fully capable of managing his affairs. It became clear the petition was driven by an attempt to access our client’s Special Needs Trust for personal gain. The court terminated the conservatorship, restoring full autonomy to our client.