Steven M. Sepassi, Esq.

• Defendant made a left turn at an intersection, causing a collision when Plaintiff, who was in the opposite direction, struck Defendant's vehicle's right rear panel. Plaintiff sued for her injuries, alleging Defendant was responsible for causing the collision pursuant to Vehicle Code Section 21801(a). Defendant argued that Plaintiff was speeding through the intersection and was, therefore, either at fault or comparatively at fault for the accident. Defendant also argued that the treatment Plaintiff received was excessive (unreasonable) and unnecessary.
• Successfully resolved three-vehicle chain reaction rear-end collision matter where Plaintiff, the driver of the front vehicle, sued the drivers of both rear vehicles and Defendants disputed which of them was at fault.
• Driver and passenger of a vehicle rear-ended by a commercial delivery truck brought suit for personal injuries and emotional distress, having incurred medical expenses, including multiple cervical and lumbar facet joint injections. The case settled at mediation at approximately 10X the initial offers from the insurance carrier.
• Driver of a vehicle brought suit against a bakery alleging its delivery truck driver negligently pulled out of a parked position onto plaintiff’s path, causing the accident resulting in painful injuries to her necessitating medical care, including facet joint injections and Radio Frequency Ablation.
• Driver of an SUV brought suit against the U.S. government, alleging multiple injuries as a result of a collision where a postal truck failed to stop in time and rear-ended plaintiff’s vehicle, rendering it a total loss.

• Driver of a vehicle exiting an alley onto a major street brought suit against another driver, alleging that the defendant driver had made an illegal U-turn, causing the collision, which resulted in injuries.
• Passenger of a vehicle T-boned at an intersection brought suit against the at-fault driver for failure to stop at a red light, causing bodily injuries to the passenger.
• Worker’s Comp carrier brought suit against the at-fault driver to recover its lien for medical expenses and disability payments made to the employee driver as a result of a major collision.  At issue was the limited policy coverage for the at-fault driver and the division of the same between the Worker's Comp carrier and the employee.
• Driver of a vehicle who was the victim of a hit-and-run rear-end collision on a freeway brought a claim against the uninsured motorist coverage of his own insurance policy to recover for personal injuries suffered as a result of the collision.
• Appeal of a Jury verdict in favor of Plaintiff, which fell short of the Defense’s 998 offer, resulting in a judgment for money in favor of the Defense. Plaintiff claimed severe injuries in an automobile collision as a passenger in Defendant’s vehicle
• Occupants of a vehicle involved in a collision with a postal truck brought a claim against the government for injuries suffered, including back pain resulting in surgeries for the adult occupants
• Driver and passenger sued the driver of another vehicle for recovery of soft tissue injuries suffered in a collision
• Insured brought an Uninsured Motorist claim against her insurer for her injuries when she was involved in a vehicular collision with an uninsured motorist who made a left turn causing the collision
• Chain reaction involving multiple vehicles caused injuries to one of the drivers requiring shoulder surgery
• Plaintiff brought an action against a driver for injuries suffered. The other driver denied the collision with Plaintiff ever occurred
• Occupants of two vehicles brought cross-actions against each other for personal injuries suffered in a disputed liability intersection collision
• Driver and two passengers brought an action for injuries suffered, including tears in the shoulder, neck, and back sprain/strain, in a rear-end collision
• Driver and two passengers suffered injuries when another vehicle made a left turn on a green light in violation of Vehicle Code §21801(a)
• Division of policy limits of two vehicles involved in a collision in a rural area, resulting in the death of two people and injuries to other occupants
• Underinsured Motorist policy claim in a rear-end collision resulting in neck, back, and shoulder injuries with disc protrusions causing impingement and annular fissure/tearing
• Division of policy limits in a wrongful death case among competing interests of the estate of the deceased and his biological parents
• Division of policy limits in a case involving three deaths and competing interests of estranged parents of one of the deceased in a road race collision
• Driver of a vehicle claimed severe injuries to her neck, back, and head, as well as loss of earnings as a result of a multi-vehicle rear-end collision on a freeway
• Division of policy limits between three claimants, including two minors, in a vehicular collision on a freeway
• Underinsured Motorist policy claim in a rear-end collision case involving multiple collisions by a semi-truck, causing severe neck and back injuries to the occupants of the vehicle and requiring epidural injections for pain relief
• Driver alleged the rear-end collision caused him severe neck and back injuries, but more importantly, it reignited his pre-existing but controlled PTSD and depression
• Division of policy limits in a two-vehicle freeway collision with disputed liability among multiple claimants
• Two-vehicle freeway collision with disputed liability as to lane change resulting in injuries
• Injuries claimed in a two-vehicle collision on a freeway offramp when one of the vehicles encroached into the claimants’ lane of travel
• Driver brought an action for injuries suffered in a major rear-end collision on a highway caused by the other driver’s lack of attention due to the use of her cell phone
• Driver and passenger of a parked vehicle claimed the other vehicle side-swiped them as they were parked on the street waiting to join a funeral procession, resulting in injuries
• Driver and passenger brought an action for a rear-end collision that resulted in neck and back injuries
• Driver brought an action for injuries she and her minor child suffered in a disputed liability rear-end collision, where the defendant alleged plaintiff changed lanes and suddenly braked
• Division of policy limit among multiple claimants with large medical expenses in a major intersection collision
• Underinsured Motorist policy claim for injuries suffered as a result of a rear-end collision
• Underinsured Motorist claim for injuries suffered by a passenger in one of the vehicles involved in a major rear-end collision on a freeway, including disc protrusions and herniations
• Chain reaction rear-end collision on a freeway caused injuries to the driver of one of the vehicles, including cervical myospasms, cervicothoracic subluxation, thoracolumbar subluxation, thoracic myospasms, lumbosacral subluxation, and lumbar myospasms
• Driver brought an action against the driver of a vehicle that rear-ended her, causing injuries to her and her minor daughter
• Driver who rear-ended another vehicle brought an action against the driver of that vehicle for injuries suffered, alleging that the other driver stopped in the middle of the roadway for no apparent reason
• Driver brought an action against the driver of a vehicle that rear-ended him, causing injuries, including neck pain, bilateral shoulder pain, low back pain, chest pain, and headaches
• Motorcyclist passing traffic on the right side of the roadway suffered serious injuries when he collided with a vehicle making a right turn into a parking lot in the path of the cyclist
• Wrongful death claim for a motorcyclist who suffered fatal injuries when a utility truck made an illegal left turn in the cyclist’s path, also causing serious injuries to the motorcycle passenger
• Driver who became a paraplegic as a result of a rear-end vehicular collision brought an action against the automobile manufacturer for product liability claiming design and manufacturing defects
• Passenger who suffered catastrophic injuries in a two-vehicle collision brought an action against the automobile manufacturer for product liability, claiming design and manufacturing defects in the restraint system
• Motorcyclist brought a respondent superior action against a pizza shop for severe injuries suffered when the pizza shop’s delivery vehicle made a left turn in the path of the motorcyclist

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• Plaintiff, who worked for a franchisee inside a grocery store, slipped and fell in the freezer of the store and sustained hip injuries leading to surgery. Defendant grocery store denied liability and argued comparative fault by Plaintiff, and also cross-claimed against the franchisor for indemnity and contribution. The franchisor denied liability.
• Tenant of an apartment complex brought suit against the landlord for injuries suffered, including a fractured hip, when she tripped and fell on a car stop block in the garage area of the complex, alleging poor lighting.
• Plaintiff brought suit against the City for dangerous condition of public property when he sprained his ankle after stepping into a hole next to the roadway when he stepped out of the passenger side of a vehicle.  Plaintiff alleged serious injuries to his ankle, which eventually resulted in severe damage to his hip/lumbar region, necessitating a back surgery.
• Customer claimed an employee of a national retailer caused her injury when collecting and moving shopping carts, which collided with the customer
• Patron brought suit against a restaurant for injuries suffered when she slipped and fell on a floor being washed by employees

• Tenant brought a negligence action against the landlord for injuries suffered when he tripped in a pothole in a dark and unlit parking area of the premises
• Patron alleged exposed wiring on a game machine in an arcade caused her to trip and fall, causing injury to her ankle, knee, back, and neck
• Shopper at a department store alleged a portion of the floor was slippery, causing her to slip and fall, resulting in a torn meniscus
• Shopper at a grocery store alleged a wet floor near the flower section caused her to slip and fall, resulting in torn menisci in both knees, as well as back, and wrist injuries
• Shopper brought a claim against a department store for premises liability when she slipped and fell on a slippery surface caused by lotion from the perfume counter, resulting in severe hip and back injuries requiring epidural injections for pain management
• Shopper at a department store brought an action for premises liability when she tripped and fell on a hanger made of clear plastic left on the floor near a clothing display, causing injuries to her knees and wrists
• Shopper at a store tripped and fell because of a loose sign on the floor, suffering injuries to her left arm, elbow, wrist, and hand
• Tenant brought an action for facial and bodily injuries against the landlord when she tripped and fell from the stairs of the apartment complex due to dilapidated steps
• Spectator at a high school football game suffered an ankle fracture when she stepped on dilapidated stands, which gave way
• A volunteer parent at a school brought a claim for knee injuries suffered as a result of a slip and fall at the school
• A grandparent visiting the school brought an action against the school for injuries suffered when she fell from some steps, which were allegedly not compliant with the building code
• Parents of a young child brought a claim against a children’s play facility for a fractured femur suffered by the child when a larger adult participated in the play against the facility’s own policies
• Tenant brought an action against the landlord for facial injuries and fractured teeth suffered when she tripped on potholes and fell because of lack of suitable lighting while walking on the driveway of the apartment building
• Tenant brought an action against the landlord for injuries suffered, including a fractured femur requiring surgery, when she tripped and fell on parking/tire blocks in the garage because of a lack of lights

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• Adult survivor of alleged childhood sexual abuse brought an action against a school district for psychological harm and damage caused by the alleged sexual relationship initiated by the school principal when the claimant was a minor
• Parents of a student brought an action against the school district on the basis of Negligent Supervision for personal injuries suffered by their child in an altercation with another student (“Bullying”)
• Student brought an action against the school district for Negligent Supervision and failure to protect their daughter after she was attacked and choked by another student at school and received death threats (“Bullying”)
• Student brought an action against the school for injuries suffered during a rehearsal for a school play allegedly caused by another student participant
• Student brought an action against the school and the school district for injuries suffered by their child, including minor traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and facial injuries when she was struck on campus by a golf cart-style maintenance truck driven by a school district employee

• Student brought an action against the school claiming that her suicide attempt was due to the bullying she encountered at school, which the school allegedly did nothing about
• Student brought an action against the school for Negligent Supervision after he suffered a communited elbow fracture requiring surgery when another student pushed/pulled him during an altercation
• Student brought an action against the school and several students alleging psychological injuries as a result of racial harassment
• Student brought a claim against the school for injuries suffered when another student threw a pen to the claimant per his request, accidentally striking his eye and causing a deep corneal abrasion
• Kindergartner brought an action against the school for alleged bullying and physical attack by another kindergartner
• Elementary school student brought an action against the school and the school district for a fractured wrist when he tripped and fell on the school’s grass field during P.E. period
• Kindergartner brought an action against the school and the school district for a comminuted elbow fracture suffered when he fell from the playground slide onto an allegedly inadequately covered ground
• High school freshman brought an action against the school and the P.E. teacher when another student struck her face with a golf club during P.E. practice, causing a fractured eye socket, and minor traumatic brain injury
• Elementary school student brought an action against the school, the city, and the driver of the vehicle who struck her while she was running home from a weekend event sponsored by the school. The student suffered blunt head trauma, brain injury, skull fracture, femur fracture, blunt chest and abdominal trauma, and facial injuries
• Former student brought an action for assault and battery against the school when he was allegedly forcefully removed by the school security personnel from an open board meeting
• Kindergartner claimed that two other kindergartners physically and sexually abused and harassed him in the restroom
• Junior high school student brought an action against the school and the bus company, alleging that another student sexually attacked her on the bus while on the way home from school
• Kindergartner brought a claim against the school for injuries suffered when the glass shattered as he ran into an unmarked full-height glass door
• Elementary school student brought an action against the school alleging physical and psychological injuries when an after-school program teacher twisted her finger
• Kindergartner brought an action against the school after suffering a fractured elbow caused by a larger student falling on her during lunch recess
• Special education student brought an action against the school for negligent supervision after he severely lacerated his arms by striking and shattering a glass panel
• Special education student brought an action against the school after a teacher tied her to her chair to prevent her from leaving the classroom during instructions
• Elementary school student brought an action against the school and its administrators for battery, assault, and false imprisonment
• Elementary school student brought action against the school for negligent supervision after he fell from monkey bars fracturing his wrist during P.E. period
• Middle school student brought an action against the school for negligence after he was allegedly pushed by another student, which resulted in a fractured arm
• Elementary school student brought an action against the school for failing to safeguard the school gate, resulting in entry by an unauthorized individual who assaulted the student
• Middle school student brought an action against the school for negligence after suffering a severe eye injury when a female student he was harassing threw a pencil back at him hitting his eye
• Wrongful death action against a school after school staff restrained an intoxicated person and held him down until the police arrived, resulting in his death by asphyxiation
• Parent of a high school student brought a claim against the school, alleging the school college counselor’s letter of recommendation resulted in the student being rejected by his top college choices
• Elementary school student brought a claim against the school for negligent supervision after she suffered injuries during a fall from a second-floor stairway when she tried to slide down the handrail
• High school student brought an action against the district for injuries he suffered offsite at the hands of other students during an altercation at a nearby abandoned and closed school belonging to the same district
• Elementary school student brought an action against the school when he was showered by broken glass caused by other students who had gained unauthorized access to the second floor and had caused the glass window to break
• High school student brought an action against the school for injuries he suffered after being shot by a stray bullet outside of school premises during his lunch break
• High school student brought a claim against the school for psychological injuries after a police raid at his home allegedly initiated by unsubstantiated rumors at school that he wanted to harm other students
• Middle school student brought an action against the school and the P.E. teacher for knee injury resulting in surgery suffered during soccer practice
• Elementary school student brought an action against the school for negligent supervision when he lost a tooth and injured another one during an altercation with a classmate
• City brought a cross-complaint against the school and the school district for indemnity and contribution in response to a complaint filed by a student after she was struck by a vehicle as she was walking to the school
• Middle school student brought an action against the school for injuries suffered during an altercation at school with other students when the P.E. teacher stepped away from the class
• High school student brought a claim against the school for injuries suffered at the hands of another student in an altercation during the lunch break at the school’s lunch area
• Middle school student brought an action for injuries suffered, including a concussion, migraine headaches, and vision impairment, when he was struck in the head with a basketball during P.E. period
• Elementary school student brought a claim against the school for foot and toe injuries suffered when a play apparatus at school fell on her

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• Defendant cross-complained for battery and assault by plaintiff’s agents in response to the plaintiff’s complaint for collection of money owed
• A technician sued a homeowner for injuries suffered when the homeowner assaulted him and accused him of harassing his wife
• Plaintiff claimed bodily and psychological injuries when he and the defendant got into an altercation over a parking space

• Plaintiff sued her business partner brother for recovery of her portion of the rents and equity in two properties they allegedly jointly owned, despite the fact that the plaintiff was not on the title.
• Plaintiff, on foot, entered Hwy attempting to cross at point where 60' section of fence had been missing for 4 years, and was struck and killed. Claim against Caltrans for failure to replace fence and against driver for excess speed.
• Tenant brought action against her landlord for breach of the implied warranty of habitability due to multiple violations
• Tenant brought action against landlord for fraud, breach of implied warranty of habitability and move-out expenses among other damages; Landlord cross-complained for recovery of commission paid to tenant (who had acted as his own real estate agent when renting the premises)
• Landlord brought action against lessee and sub-lessee for recovery of unpaid rents for a commercial space

• Tenants brought action against residential landlord for rescission, breach of contract, etc., to recover their deposit, first month rent, and incidental moving expenses after they discovered mold and other problems with the premises prior to moving in; Landlord brought a cross-complaint against her agent for granting tenants full access to the premises prior to the start of the lease
• Tenant of a vacation property sought recovery of her deposit and other charges from the landlord when COVID-19 restrictions forced her to stay out of state and unable to take possession of the premises
• Landlord of a commercial facility brought action for recovery of unpaid rents against the widow of the tenant who had abandoned the premises
• Landlord brought an action for unpaid rents and breach of contract when a tenant operating a school vacated the premises, alleging mold contamination as a result of roof leaks after massive rains

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• Domestic partner claimed her partner had wrongfully transferred her property to his parents (Fraudulent Transfer)
• Joint owner of a duplex claimed that her mortgage payments to the other owner never made it to the lender, resulting in a foreclosure action by the lender
• Foreign finance company brought an action against the widow of a deceased debtor for recovery of funds allegedly borrowed by misrepresentation for land development in a foreign country
• Son sued parents to recover his portion of the property he claimed ownership of and recoup loan and tax payments he made for the property
• Property owner brought a claim seeking reimbursement of losses and expenses against her property managers for their failure to vet a tenant who caused damage to the premises fully

• Seller of property, who had taken a note and a second deed of trust from the buyers for a portion of the purchase price, sued buyers for breach of contract, and elder financial abuse, among other claims
• Mobile home park owner brought a petition to the city for substantial rent increases for tenants and owners of mobile homes
• Property owners brought an action against a real estate broker for recovery of sale proceeds of property in a foreign country
• Real estate investor/flipper alleged wrongful foreclosure when her private lender attempted to foreclose
• Purchaser of raw land with the intention of developing it brought an action against the seller for failure to disclose boundary line issues
• Partner in real property brought an action for partition and recovery of rents against the other partner many years after he had abandoned the partnership and its asset

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• Appeal of a multi-layered, multi-state, complex real estate matter with an outstanding claim for attorney’s fees
• Automobile dealership appealed a judgment in favor of a buyer who claimed the dealership had wrongfully repossessed his car
• Claim of non-discharge ability of money lent to the debtor in bankruptcy based on misrepresentation
• Partner’s claim of fraud and non-discharge ability against a partner in bankruptcy based on partner’s removal of partnership assets
• Debtor real estate broker brought a motion to request that a judgment omitted from his bankruptcy schedules be deemed discharged despite his omission

• Bankruptcy trustee claimed officer of the corporate debtor had wrongfully removed the estate’s assets
• Parents claimed money lent to their son for his business was, in reality, transferred to the son’s business partner, who took over the business and placed it in bankruptcy
• Band member sought recovery of instruments and assets in possession of the band manager
• Finance company sought non-discharge ability of its loan to the debtor in bankruptcy who provided a fraudulent check as a down-payment for the purchase of a luxury vehicle
• Trucking company sued multiple sellers and distributors for collection of hauling charges of personal protection equipment (masks, etc.) during the Covid-19 pandemic
• Homeowners brought an action against a storage facility alleging wrongful lien sale of their entire belongings they had stored there when moving from their home to another location
• Finance/leasing company brought collection action against lessee (a business) for non-payment of amounts owed for equipment leases
• Homeowners brought an action against the contractor and its alleged insurer for defective workmanship resulting in substantial cost to correct
• Sibling sued another sibling for recovery of money allegedly owed to him based on their partnership many years ago
• Golf course alleged trespass and damage to its trees by a neighbor; the Neighbor filed a cross-complaint alleging the golf course breached the view covenant
• Subrogation claim by an insurer against manufacturers of a kitchen faucet and water lines after the insurer paid for water damage to a condominium unit caused by the defective items
• An out-of-network physician brought suit against an HMO for failure to pay his fees for services provided to some of the HMO’s members
• Insured claimed her disability insurer breached their contract for payment of benefits
• Couple brought an action against the owner of the venue of their wedding for breach of contract and misrepresentation when the venue owner informed them shortly before the wedding that it did not have the requisite permit for hosting a wedding and that the wedding could not go forward
• Purchasers of a pharmacy brought an action against the sellers when they learned after the purchase that a large portion of the pharmacy’s income, based on which the purchase price had been agreed upon, was derived from fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medi-CAL
• National media company brought suit against a landowner for the removal of a billboard in violation of an easement
• Sibling brought suit against his sister and her corporations, claiming an ownership interest in the business of the corporations
• Buyer brought suit against the seller/developer of a newly constructed residence for construction defect because of major flooding caused by a defective water line, consolidated with a subrogation claim by the Buyer’s insurer, and cross-complaints against the manufacturer and seller of the water line
• Homeowner brought a construction defect claim against the contractor, the architect, and all of the sub-contractors, because of major water leaks in her residence after heavy rains

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• Purchaser of vehicle brought an action against the manufacturer based on lemon law claims
• Purchaser of the vehicle claimed the manufacturer failed to correct defects and failed to repurchase the vehicle
• Purchaser of the vehicle brought an action against the manufacturer for multiple defects based on Lemon law claims
• Claim against automobile manufacturer for multiple defects

• Disabled person brought claims against a national retailer alleging the heights of cashiers’ counters did not meet code requirements, thereby denying her access
• Disabled person claimed a shopping center and a retail establishment’s ramps did not meet slope requirements and therefore failed to accommodate her disability

• Plaintiff alleged that she was terminated because she tried to report a workplace injury she suffered. She also alleged that she was sexually harassed by her supervisor and other employees via demeaning comments and references. Defendant, a large corporation, denied these allegations and claimed that Plaintiff was discharged because of her behavior and failure to properly account for her time on the day after her alleged injury. Case settled via mediation.
• Employee brought an action against the employer for failure to pay prevailing wages and related penalties
• Former founder and employee of an entity brought an action for breach of contract and defamation after the entity attempted to prevent him from attending open board meetings
• Former high-level executives brought an action against their former employer for its failure to provide a retirement plan for them despite assurances that it would

• Plaintiff sued defendants for defamation after defendants wrote bad reviews for plaintiff on social media when plaintiff refused to return their deposit for an event that was canceled. Defendants cross-complained for the return of their deposit. The case settled months after the mediation session."

• Settled emotionally charged family dispute regarding division of shares of multi-million dollar corporation. As part of the complex settlement, shares were redistributed, property acquired by the corporation was placed in a trust, and potential tax issues were addressed, as well as indemnity issues and community property issues as to the spouses of the shareholders.
• Seller of gas station sued Buyer for unpaid amounts under sales agreement. Buyer counter-claimed that Seller failed to disclose various issues with the property and the business, and demanded her purchase money back. Mediated and achieved settlement through consideration of the potential risk associated with non-disclosure arguments.