Ms. Chihak received the prestigious Outstanding Trial Lawyer category from the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, former San Diego Trial Lawyers. In 1994 she was also honored as Outstanding Trial Lawyer of the year. In her many years of service to her clients, Ms. Chihak is known as a fierce fighter for the little people, who have been wronged by big corporations and the lawyers who represent them. Her reputation as a courtroom litigator is renowned in the legal community and beyond.
Ms. Chihak is one of only a few trial lawyers of California who handles Product Liability cases on a regular basis.
Product liability is the term used to describe damage claims arising from defects in products. It is one of the most common causes of personal injury litigation. Class action litigation is the name used to describe another type of tort lawsuit. This form of litigation is also quite common. With both types of lawsuits there are certain distinguishing factors between the two.
While Ms. Chihak began her legal career at Pepperwood College in Sacramento, she pursued a law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law.
There, she became a practicing commercial litigation attorney. Later, after working successfully with various large law firms in the western part of the country, she decided to return to college to pursue a degree in public policy. This led her to become a practicing civil litigation attorney in the state of California. As a result of her many years of experience as a trial lawyer and a paralegal, Ms. Chihak became a member of the San Diego Association of Consumer Attorneys and sat for the state bar exam.
As a practicing attorney, Ms. Chihak undoubtedly has vast knowledge and expertise regarding tort law.
In the case of a slip-and-fall case, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant was negligent in some way when it came to the alleged accident. It’s not enough for a plaintiff to merely assert that the defendant caused him or her injury. The plaintiff must have evidence to support that claim. In other words, to prove the case, a plaintiff must present evidence of negligence on the part of the defendant which could only come from the defendant’s insurance policy or from personal knowledge by a San Diego auto accident attorney.
Unlike the trial lawyer, the consumer attorneys of San Diego strive to obtain just compensation for their clients.
They generally do not undertake cases to the extent of winning every time. However, having a passion for justice and a strong commitment to building a better community is paramount to achieving the best possible result for a client’s case.
The state bar association boasts an outstanding list of highly trained and experienced trial lawyers.
Many are former trial lawyers who went on to teach at the California State University of Polytechnic. In fact, a large number of the practicing attorneys are former students of the university. Among them are Associate Professor Mark Goldring and Assistant Professor Robert Yorey. Both of them now practice law in the highly prestigious law firms of Goldring & Yorey, representing many plaintiffs’ rights cases.
Another outstanding trial lawyer award in San Diego is the one from Judge William Anderson, Jr. who made the well-known and noteworthy ruling in favor of the Four Wheel Drive Vehicle Safety Act (SBSA) in May of 2021.
The Court found that the mandatory, blind spot driving rule in most new cars and trucks was “discriminatory” and in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This decision, the Association of Personal Injury Attorneys noted, “cast a dim light on the insurance industry.” The ruling meant that insurance companies could no longer refuse to insure people because of their disabilities.
Another exemplary verdict in San Diego includes one from Judge James Warren O’Furno, which awarded a total compensation of $4.5 million to a man who suffered serious brain damage due to the negligence of a large supermarket chain.
The three-year old boy who died while playing at the center had been playing on a set swing set when a forklift operator slid into the area, struck his head, and then continued to move forward as he lay dying. The family settled their suit against the grocery chain for an amount less than the actual damages they sought, but the tragic accident remains a reminder that even when you’re doing everything right, there can be unexpected consequences. An outstanding trial lawyer award in San Diego may help make certain that your case receives the attention it deserves.
