Wylie Aitken, by Staff, aitkenlaw.com, October 17, 2007

Wylie Aitken

By Staff
aitkenlaw.com
October 17, 2007

http://www.aitkenlaw.com/staff/wylie_aitken.html

Mr. Aitken is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and founding partner of Aitken Aitken & Cohn, inSanta Ana, California. He was the youngest president in the history of the State Trial Bar and served on the State of California Task Force on Court Facilities appointed by two California Speakers of the Assembly as well as the Federal Judicial Advisory committee member for the Central District under appointment of Senators Feinstein and Boxer which recommends the appointment of the Federal District Judges.

He was named among "The Top 100" California"s Most Influential Lawyers in 1998–2003; named as a "2004 Southern California Super Lawyer;" acknowledged in the OC Business Journal's "OC's Most Influential Business People;" featured in Best Lawyers in America, The Pre-eminent Lawyers of America, Who's Who in American Law and, 2004 recipient of Marquette Law School "Lifetime Achievement Award;" "98 recipient of ABOTA Trial Lawyer of the Year Award; OC Trial Lawyer Association "Business Trial Lawyer of the Year" Award; and, Anti-Defamation League of OC/LB "2003 Jurisprudence Award."

Mr. Aitken acts as board member or advisor to numerous professional legal organizations, including, as a major donor and member of the founding advisory board to the Chapman Law School Center for Lawyering & Advocacy Skills; ABOTA member of the National Board of Directors (1996-present); and, is a Trustee of South Coast Repertory.

He is a graduate of Marquette University (1965) where he was a St. Thomas More scholar and Associate Editor of the Marquette Law Review and recently appointed to the Marquette Law School Advisory Board. Before law school he attended Santa Ana College and Cal State Fullerton (then called Orange State).
As an author, his articles have appeared in Am Jur Proof of Facts, Trauma, Lawyers Guide to Medical Proof, numerous law reviews and other legal publications; and, served on the Jefferson"s California Evidence Benchbook Editorial Board. He has also been a frequent guest on radio and television programs such as the Michael Jackson Show, Inside Edition, Larry King Live, KABC Ronn Owens, OCN Prime Time, KOCE Real Orange, among others.

Mr. Aitken has been trial counsel in numerous significant tort cases involving bad faith insurance practices, aviation, automobiles, product liability, business tort litigation and actions involving wrongful death and major personal injuries.

As trial and appellate counsel, he has been involved in landmark insurance decisions such as Boicourt v Amex Assurance Company, 78 Cal.App. 4th 1390 (2000); Neal v. Farmers Insurance Exchange, 21 Cal.3d 910, 148 Cal.Rptr. 389 (1978) and Gourley v. State Farm, 217 Cal.App.3d 111 (1990). As an active participant on the Amicus Curiae Committee of the Trial Lawyers, he has argued numerous major tort actions to the Supreme Court.

Recent accomplishments include:

~ A wrongful death action for a 34-year old man and the severe disfigurement of his wife due to the dislodgment of a metal cleat on Disney's Sailing Ship Columbia. This high profile matter sparked a national debate and implemented changes in California law to ensure the safety of theme parks. Vuong v. Disneyland (Settlement Confidential);

~ A $6,500 000 settlement against a defendant driver of a "Bob-tail" delivery truck collided with vehicle driven by 54 year old husband and father, resulting in quadriplegia, Pennington v. Garcia;

~ $6,800,000 total damage award for plaintiff in an auto whodunit, Johanson vs Boaz;

~ $2,700,000 settlement in a wrongful death case, Curler vs Bithell;

~ $3,750,000 settlement involving world class amputee athlete rendered quadriplegic, MacLaren vs California Athletic Productions;

~ $17,000,000 dollar verdict in a fire insurance bad faith case including $15,000,000 in punitive damages, Schmid v. Federal Ins. Co. (Chubb);

~ $2,500,000 dollar bad faith UIM claim, Charlesworth v. State Farm;

~ A $1,000,000 bad faith verdict, Johnson v. Nationwide Ins. Co.;

~ pioneering judgment of $5,000,000 in the medical malpractice field, Chavez v. Altig;

~ $3,400,000 jury award with prejudgment interest for the death of a young adult on behalf of her parents in Hill v. Bear Automotive, (the then largest verdict of its kind in the history of California);

~ and the $2,100,000 award for Laura Small v. The County of Orange involving a mountain lion attack and the safety of public parks and has sparked national debate;

~ a $1,500,000 award for Botha v. Yaman involving a wrongful death of a father and a husband in a freeway auto collision.

As a consumer advocate, he developed bilingual consumer protection brochures, brochures on lawyer selection and he has served on college and charitable foundation boards and select commissions involving justice issues such as court congestion and justice facilities.

Tel.
866-434-1424
E-Mail
MPase@AitkenLaw.com