February 26, 2025 – Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal
Yukevich | Cavanaugh is pleased to announce that the firm’s achievements in the cases of Gardner v. American Honda Motor Co. Inc. and Solis v. Brake Parts were selected as “Top Verdicts of 2024” by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal. Partners James J. Yukevich, Cristina M. Ciminelli, Steven D. Smelser, and James J. Ostertag were honored by name in the issue for their outstanding work on these cases.
James Yukevich and Cristina Ciminelli were recognized by the Daily Journal for their success in Gardner v. American Honda Motor Co. Inc., a “precedent-setting” personal injury case involving an alleged defect in Honda’s seats that the plaintiff claimed caused him to sustain paralysis.
“For the first time in the last 15 years, a motor vehicle manufacturer was able to win a case alleging seat back failure without any evidence of the risks and benefits of the design,” Jim told the Daily Journal. “This case placed the burden of convincing the jurors of the safety of the seat in the hands of the defense attorneys, who had to convince the jury that an ordinary consumer would expect the seat to have performed exactly as it did,” he continued, describing his victory on behalf of Honda.
Additionally, the Daily Journal cited Steven Smelser and James Ostertag’s success for their involvement in Solis v. Brake Parts Inc., a $65 million lawsuit over the death of 57-year-old Sylvia Solis, who allegedly contracted peritoneal mesothelioma from asbestos material. After just one day of deliberation in the three-week trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the defense.
“This was an asbestos case, where Sylvia Solis was allegedly exposed to asbestos from the automotive work her husband and son did changing brakes, clutches and gaskets on large trucks and passenger vehicles,” Steven told the Daily Journal.
“Asbestos friction cases are difficult to win without an alternative source of exposure to asbestos and/or when claiming that the mesothelioma was not caused by asbestos at all,” Steven added. “Brake Parts, Inc., through its experts, argued that Mrs. Solis' peritoneal mesothelioma was not caused by asbestos at all and that genetic replication errors led to her cancer and had nothing to do with the limited asbestos exposure she may have had.”
James elaborated that the defense’s expert witnesses explained to the jury that the plaintiff’s cancer was not caused by exposure to asbestos, stating, “Furthermore, Brake Parts, Inc's brake boxes all contained strong warnings about how to handle asbestos-containing brakes and Leon Solis, Sr. and Jr., ignored those warnings.”
To read the Daily Journal’s full profiles of Yukevich | Cavanaugh in its “Top Verdicts” issue, click below.