Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorneys

Kiesel + Larson LLP is a nationally recognized consumer litigation firm specializing in complex litigation, class action, catastrophic injury, consumer fraud, pharmaceutical and medical device injury, unfair business practices, construction defect, truck accident and environmental litigation.

Jenni Rivera Plane Crash Lawsuit Filed

Kiesel + Larson has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the families of those who perished from the crash of the plane that was carrying Jenni Rivera on a flight from Monterrey to Mexico City on December 9, 2012.

Paul Kiesel announced at a press conference held in Los Angeles that his firm represents the families of Jennie Rivera's publicist, Arturo Rivera; makeup artist, Jacobo Yebale; lawyer Mario Macias and hair stylist, Jorge Sanchez. The grieving families want answers to questions including why their loved ones were flying on a 43 year old Learjet with a long history of maintenance problems and prior substantial wing and airframe structural damage.

The families also want to know why the plane was being flown by 78 and 20 year old pilots who were not properly licensed. Paul Kiesel told the packed press conference "We intend to fully investigate these and all other questions our clients have, and to ensure that the corporate entities who were responsible for this tragedy are held accountable."

Paul Kiesel speaking at the press conference held in Los Angeles.

....Complaint for Damages....

Vance Owen, an experienced personal injury and wrongful death litigator with offices in Corpus Christi, Texas, will act as co-counsel on behalf of all plaintiffs.

Ground Breaking Decision Reached by Jury in Trial

Paul Kiesel and Thom Peters of Kiesel + Larson LLP, won a major victory for clients Nathaniel T. and Gary R. when their two week trial concluded with a first in the nation decision by the Superior Court jury in Riverside, California. The 12 person jury unanimously decided that a magazine clearing house, Atlantic Circulation Inc., was the employer of Nathaniel and Gary, who traveled from town to town knocking on doors selling magazines for the exclusive benefit of the magazine clearing house. This finding is believed to be the first verdict in the history of the industry where a clearing house has been found to be the employer of the sales personnel.

Prior to this trial, magazine clearing houses in California and across the country enjoyed all the benefits of the employee/employer relationship without any of the responsibilities of the relationship. These magazine clearing houses employ thousands of young men and women working up to 12 hours a day exclusively selling magazine subscriptions on behalf of the clearing houses. In the case of Atlantic Circulation, Inc., the company decided where the sales people could sell, decided which magazines they could sell, decided which sales pitch would be used, and prohibited sales of competitors' products.

Riverside Superior Court, location of trial

Atlantic Circulation Inc. greatly benefited from this employer/employee relationship, but when Nathaniel and Gary were seriously injured during their work for Atlantic Circulation, injuries that resulted in multiple compound fractures and devastating permanent brain damage, the company refused to provide any benefits, medical or otherwise, to these two young men. Instead, Atlantic Circulation insisted that the young men were, at most, independent contractors who were not entitled to any compensation at all.

"Atlantic was convinced that no jury would find our clients to have been Atlantic's employees because the boys had signed independent contractor agreements," said Thom Peters, "but when we put all of the evidence before the jury, they concluded that Atlantic was indeed the boys' employer, with all of the obligations that relationship entails. "

"Thanks to the outstanding decision reached by this jury, magazine clearing house corporations will be held accountable when young men and women are injured during the course and scope of their employment for that company", according to Paul Kiesel. "This is not only a big, life altering decision for our two brave clients, who were so seriously injured, but is a victory for all people who were, until now, in a relationship with corporations where the company held all the control and benefits, without any of the potential liability to those who worked for them".

Hip Replacement Lawsuit Verdict

The final verdict was announced in the first DePuy ASR lawsuit in the nation to go to trial. The plaintiff, Loren Kransky, a retired prison guard who received a DePuy ASR XL metal-on-metal hip implant in 2007, was awarded an $8.3 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson, DePuy's parent company, for injuries, pain, emotional distress, and medical expenses he incurred as a result of his defective hip device. The verdict was announced after the jury saw and heard evidence of Mr. Kransky's injuries, including metal poisoning, dislocation, and the need for a complicated revision surgery. There are over 10,000 additional personal injury cases that have been filed against DePuy alleging similar injuries.

DePuy Orthopaedics announced the recall of the ASR hip implant devices in mid-2010, after data from the National Joint Registry of England and Wales revealed that one out of every eight patients who had received the devices had to undergo painful and expensive revision surgery. It is estimated that over 90,000 people have received the ASR hip implant worldwide. The ASR hip system consists of a metal ball and socket which are susceptible to heavy wear, leading to the release of metal ions and debris into the patient's bloodstream. As a result, many metal-on-metal hip implant recipients suffer metal poisoning, or metallosis, which may cause pain, tissue death around the implant, and loss of cognitive function. Oftentimes, however, patients experience no physical symptoms at all until it is too late. Therefore, if you have received a DePuy hip implant, it is important you contact your doctor to evaluate the possible release of metal ions in the bloodstream.

Kiesel + Larson, LLP works tirelessly to achieve just compensation for our clients who are suffering injuries related to their metal-on-metal hip implants. We are currently prosecuting cases against several manufacturers of these devices, including DePuy, Wright Medical Technology, Stryker, and Biomet. If you have been implanted with a DePuy ASR device, you may be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering. For a free consultation and case review, please contact our attorneys today.

DePuy ASR Hip Implant

Wright Conserve Hip Implant Litigation

Biomet Hip Implant Litigation

Zimmer Hip Implant Litigation

K+L represents consumers who have suffered as a result of the failure of DePuy ASR, Wright Conserve, Biomet and Zimmer Hip Implants.

Several studies have determined that the DePuy ASR™ implants have been failing for various reasons such as cup loosening, metallosis and high levels of cobalt-chromium ions in a patient's body. The ASR devices were formally recalled on August 24, 2010. The DePuy recall letter noted revision rates of 13% after 5 years, which were already higher than industry standards. New data presented at the British Hip Society Annual Conference in March 2011 revealed a failure rate of 21% at 4 years and 49% at 6 years! This means a patient with an ASR device has an almost 50% chance of needing a revision surgery to replace it after only 6 years.

The Wright Medical Conserve® Cup features a similar design to the DePuy ASR™ Cup. The Wright Conserve® Hip Implant System is a metal-on-metal design, which consists of cast cobalt chromium molybdenum that provides the receptacle for the cobalt chromium molybdenum femoral head. The metal femoral head rotates within the metal monoblock Conserve® Cup, without a liner, resulting in the release of metal particles that can cause metal toxicity in the blood, soft tissue and bone. This can result in metallosis, tissue necrosis, pseudotumors and other serious health problems.

Dedication of New Kiesel Advocacy Center

Whittier Law School held dedication ceremonies for the opening of the Kiesel Advocacy Center, a new 4,400 square foot courtroom that contains a spectator gallery of 134 seats, a jury deliberation room and judge's chamber.

The dedication of this state-of-the-art facility was presided over by California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye.

The courtroom was funded by donations, including a major donation by Paul Kiesel, a partner in the law firm of Kiesel + Larson LLP, Beverly Hills. Kiesel graduated from Whittier Law School in 1985, and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Law in 2005.

Paul and Dana Kiesel at cutting ribbon ceremony

"From its planning stages, I intended the Kiesel Advocacy Center to create greater engagement between Whittier Law School and the entire legal community," said Kiesel. "Whittier has a very rich tradition of training advocates who represent those who would otherwise be without a voice. I hope the Center inspires future generations of advocates."

LOS ANGELES ARCHDIOCESE RELEASES FILES

Level of Cover-up Far Surpasses Worst Fears

After eleven years of litigation and a six year battle over the release of files, the more than 600 victims of clergy sexual abuse have finally secured the confidential files which reveal a painful history of cover-up and betrayal by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The confidential files were turned over Thursday evening to the victims as part of global settlement wth the Archdiocese. What's contained in the files is "chilling," Raymond Boucher said.

"Every bishop and every vicar of clergy has been so indoctrinated with the view of protecting the church from scandal that they allowed heinous crimes to be committed," he said.

"That's the irony in all of this. In their vain attempts to protect the image of the church, they've tarnished it beyond repair."