In Southern and Northern California
Meet Our Team
Legal Representation for Accidents in Southern California
At Sharifi Firm, APC, our knowledgeable Los Angeles personal injury attorneys offer aggressive representation for accident victims and seek just compensation on their behalf. Founding attorney Jubin J. Sharifi has successfully represented thousands of injured victims and recovered millions of dollars in compensation from insurance companies, corporations, municipalities, and others for negligence and wrongdoing. Mr. Sharifi and the rest of our attorneys are passionate about helping those hurt on the roads, on other people’s property, or in the workplace due to other people’s negligence.
California Personal Injury Legal Standards
In California, most personal injury cases arise out of another person’s negligence rather than intentional misconduct. Most motor vehicle cases, for example, are the result of a driver that is distracted, fatigued, or otherwise impaired. If you are suing someone for negligence while driving, you will have to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant: (1) owed you a duty of care, (2) breached that duty, (3) actually and proximately caused the accident, and (4) actual damages.
Many accidents are the result of negligence not just by one person, but by two or more people. Our personal injury attorneys can guide Los Angeles residents through the nuances of these cases. California follows the doctrine of pure comparative negligence, in which a plaintiff’s damages are reduced by his percentage of fault. Unlike some other states, a plaintiff in our state can recover 1% of his damages if he is found 99% at fault. In a multi-vehicle case, for example, if Driver A is 50% at fault, Driver B is 40% at fault and Driver C is 10% of fault, and Driver C sues Driver A and B, the jury will first determine the total damages and then reduce the total award by Driver C’s percentage of fault. If the total damages are $100,000, then the plaintiff can potentially recover $90,000 from Drivers A and B.
What if Driver A is both insolvent and uninsured? California recognizes the rule of joint and several liability for economic damages (special damages) only. Economic damages are tangible damages that don’t vary based on the makeup of a jury and its subjective determination. For example, lost income and medical bills are economic damages. If $75,000 of the total damages are economic damages, Driver B can be held responsible for the full $67,500 of economic damages that represents both Driver A and Driver B’s proportion of fault. However, Driver B will only be responsible for 40% of the general damages, also known as noneconomic damages ($25,000), or $10,000. Driver C will not be able to recover the $12,500 in general damages owed by Driver A.
Consult an Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer in Los Angeles to Seek Damages for Your Injuries
Sharifi Firm, APC can develop and employ a strategy that allows you to seek the greatest amount of compensation possible, pursuing all parties responsible for your injuries. When necessary we can retain knowledgeable experts to assess elements of damage or in cases where the parties have widely diverging memories of what happened, reconstruct what caused an accident. Whether you have been injured in a car accident, slip and fall, or other incident in the San Bernardino area, our experienced accident lawyers can represent you through civil proceedings to pursue compensation for your injuries. Contact us at (866) 422-7222 or via our online form for a free, no-obligation consultation with a Los Angeles personal injury attorney. We also represent clients in Rancho Cucamonga, Temecula, and Riverside.