Taylor Rayfield and Tobin Lanzetta | Delia Flores v. ConvergeOne, Inc. | $2.6 million verdict

This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Taylor Rayfield of Manly Stewart Finaldi (https://www.manlystewart.com/) and Tobin Lanzetta of Greene, Broillet & Wheeler, LLP (https://www.gbw.law/). 

 

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Episode Details:

California trial lawyers Taylor Rayfield of Manly Stewart Finaldi and Tobin Lanzetta of Greene, Broillet & Wheeler, LLP explain how they successfully represented their client Delia Flores after she was injured in a head-on collision caused by a driver whose employer was ultimately held responsible for his reckless driving. On a clear October afternoon in 2016, Delia was driving a Toyota Camry when she was hit head-on by an Audi attempting and failing to pass an 18-wheeler going 50 mph on a two-lane road. The Audi was driven by ConvergeOne, Inc. IT engineer Lewis Rocchetti, who was on his way home from work at 5:30 p.m. Because Lewis was a salaried employee who never officially clocked out and was expected to use his personal vehicle to respond to service calls, trial lawyers Taylor Rayfield and Tobin Lanzetta were able to utilize the vehicle-use exception to the Coming and Going Rule, holding Lewis's employer ConvergeOne, Inc. liable for Delia's traumatic brain injury and numerous orthopedic injuries. The defense countered that Lewis was not working or providing a benefit to ConvergeOne, Inc. at the time of the crash. In March 2019, a San Bernardino, California jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff, awarding Delia $2.6 million in damages, resulting in one of the top 50 personal injury verdicts in California in 2019.

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Guest Bios:

Taylor Rayfield

Taylor Rayfield is a seasoned trial lawyer who has dedicated her practice to championing the rights of survivors, obtaining substantial trial verdicts and settlements in the process. Before joining Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, Taylor made a name for herself by obtaining incredible results on behalf of victims across a wide range of areas, including sexual assault, many times in difficult cases against considerable adversaries. Her practice is focused on representation of victims sexual abuse across a broad range of areas, including those abused by coaches, teachers, family members, mentors, and religious personnel.

Never one to back down from a confrontation, Taylor obtained a $2,600,000.00 jury verdict for a woman who was severely injured after being involved in a head-on collision, after successfully convincing the jury that the employer was responsible for the acts of its employee under an exception to the “going and coming rule”.

Taylor also demonstrated incredible tenacity and negotiation acumen by obtaining a $1,650,000.00 settlement, on the verge of trial, for a student-athlete who was sexually abused by his Torrance High School wrestling coach. This resolution secured an important benchmark for nearly 30 other sex abuse victims who had lawsuits slated for trial against the same defendants. Taylor represented the high school wrestler, who was molested by his coach—Thomas Snider—despite prior allegations that Snider had sexually assaulted an 11-year-old boy on a camping trip. The Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) awarded Ms. Rayfield with the 2018 “Street Fighter of the Year Award” for her achievements in this matter—an award given to attorneys who achieve significant results in a difficult case.

Playing a pivotal role on the trial team, Taylor won a hard-fought verdict against a California ski resort on behalf of a woman paralyzed in a catastrophic ski accident. The jury awarded the plaintiff a gross verdict of $22,000,000.00 against Mountain High Ski Resort. In another heavily contested case, Taylor assisted the trial team in securing a $6,300,000.00 settlement on behalf of a 14-year-old girl who was badly burned by a defective product at a family barbeque. The lawsuit uncovered a widespread danger after reports revealed more than 23 similar burn injuries, across the country, from these unsafe products.

As lead trial counsel, Ms. Rayfield, representing a woman who slipped and fell while walking up the front stairs of her apartment, obtained a jury verdict in a personal injury trial that quadrupled the highest offer made by the defense. At trial, Taylor successfully convinced the jury that the entryway stairs were a dangerous condition due to the tile used and lack of protective measures.

Taylor also helped obtain a $1,400,000.00 jury verdict in a personal injury lawsuit against a San Diego production company for failing to maintain the safety of its studio. The case involved Hollywood actress Tippi Hedren, who suffered significant injuries after she was injured due to a faulty roof.

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Tobin Lanzetta

Tobin Lanzetta has devoted his career to fighting for public safety. His $100+ million in case victories have demanded accountability from corporate and governmental wrongdoers.   Tobin was named a 2016 California Consumer Attorney of the Year along with his colleagues Bruce Broillet, Scott Carr and Molly McKibben for their Erin Andrews v. Marriott $55 million trial result.

Tobin’s trial areas include catastrophic injury, wrongful death, brain injury, product liability, heavy machinery/trucking, train incidents, and government liability.  Recently, a Ventura County Superior Court jury awarded nearly $3.5 million to Tobin’s clients after a catastrophic forklift injury where the defendants took no responsibility.

In one of the defining cases of his career, Tobin played an instrumental role in the high-profile Santa Monica Farmers Market cases. After an elderly man mowed down victims at the weekly farmers’ market, the City of Santa Monica and other defendants paid $21 million to settle the lawsuits.  Importantly, these cases led to the installation of protective barriers which ensures that the weekly farmers’ market will be a safer environment for every person who visits.

Tobin is a partner and has been named a “Super Lawyer” 2014-2018.  He was also honored as a Super Lawyer “Rising Star” in 2005 and 2007-2013.

Tobin graduated from Santa Clara University, after originally attending Swarthmore College.  He received his law degree from the University of San Diego.

Before Tobin attended law school he played baseball for the Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations.

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Free Resources:

Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1

Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2