Month: June 2016

Litigation Tip: Settlement vs. Trial

Author: David Nied

It has been almost eight years since the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies published “Let’s Not Make A Deal: An Empirical Study of Decision Making in Unsuccessful Settlement Negotiations.” The study compared verdict outcomes with pre-trial settlement negotiations in over 2,000 cases between 2002 and 2005. The results of the study support the conclusion that it usually is better to settle a case than to go to trial. In support of this conclusion, consider the following:

  • Plaintiffs recovered less at trial than they would have recovered by settling in 61% of the cases;
  • Defendants did worse by going to trial rather than settling in 24% of cases;
  • Both sides made the right decision to go to trial in only 15% of the cases (i.e., the verdict was between plaintiff’s last settlement demand and defendant’s last offer);
  • On average, plaintiffs who made the wrong decision to go to trial recovered $43,000 less than the defendant’s last offer;
  • On average, defendants who made the wrong decision to go to trial ended up liable for $1.1 million more than they had offered;
  • Plaintiffs were more likely to make “poor” decisions to go to trial in contingency fee cases; and
  • Defendants were more likely to make “poor” decisions to go to trial where insurance coverage was generally unavailable.

So, although defendants make fewer bad decisions to go to trial, a bad decision is much more expensive on average. Interestingly, the study also found that making the wrong decision to go trial has actually increased over time based on a study of trial outcomes over 40 years through 2004. (You can read more about the study in a New York Times article. You also can purchase a copy of the article at Wiley.)

We do our best to help our clients understand the risks of proceeding to trial. That includes explaining that no two juries are the same and that not all jurors will see a case the same way a client might see it. And, especially for plaintiffs, it includes the likelihood of making the wrong decision. In most cases, it is better to make a deal.

What to Expect When You are Going Through a Divorce

Author: Regina Franco

Divorce takes time.

Once you decide to file for divorce, the next thing you want to do is quickly move on to the next chapter of your life, but divorce doesn’t happen that quickly. There is a mandatory waiting period required by California law and no judgment of divorce can be entered sooner than 6 months from the date the Petition for Dissolution was served onto the Respondent.

While 6 months may feel like a long time, there is a lot of paperwork that needs to be done and taking the proper time to work through your case will oftentimes prove to be time well spent. Divorce can be complicated. A divorce is essentially creating two new families out of one. This requires careful thought in order to make sound decisions about support, property division, and custody.

Divorce is not easy and over the course of at least 6 months, divorce will consume you. It is important that you choose your attorney wisely as the right relationship will make a positive impact on you as you transition into your new life.

What is CCP 170.6, and How do Attorneys Use It?

Author: Brian M. Worthington
The situation involving embattled Santa Clara County Court Judge Aaron Persky took a new turn this week when the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office used California Code of Civil Procedure Section 170.6 to disqualify Judge Persky from an upcoming case. Some of our readers may be wondering, What is CCP 170.6?; When is it used?; and How do attorneys use it? We are here to answer those questions.

CCP 170.6 allows a party to a case (or the attorney representing that party) a one-time opportunity to disqualify a judge who is prejudiced against a party or the party’s cause. It applies equally to criminal and civil cases and has varying time restrictions depending on the type of calendaring system used in the County in which the case is being heard. A party can use CCP 170.6 to disqualify a judge assigned for all purposes, a judge assigned for a trial, or even a judge assigned for a specific motion.

The disqualification must be done in writing or orally under oath. The legal basis for a 170.6 disqualification (sometimes called “papering” a judge) is the bias against a party or cause. But in practice CCP 170.6 has almost unlimited applications—we have seen situations where a judge is disqualified due to personal conflicts with a particular attorney; where a judge has a blind spot toward a particular legal issue; or where a judge is perceived to have a habit of punishing too harshly or too leniently in particular criminal matters.

The ability to exercise a CCP 170.6 disqualification is a major tactical weapon for an attorney. For instance, if an attorney is handling a case where police misconduct is a major element of the defense, the attorney will want to avoid judges with strong law-enforcement ties or history of disregarding police misconduct. CCP 170.6 allows the attorney to do that. But an attorney must exercise great care in making the decision because the attorney can only choose which judge to disqualify, not the new judge assigned. On some occasions, the newly assigned judge may be just as bad on the particular issue as the original judge, or may even be worse on other issues that can come into play. Even using a disqualification and getting a great new judge is not always a cure-all for the client because if the new assigned judge is too favorable, the opposing party can turn around and disqualify the new judge. This leads to an interesting tête-à-tête between the opposing attorneys.

We hope this brief entry helps explain what CCP 170.6 is and how attorneys use to try help their clients. Thank you for reading.