Biography
With over 40 years of practical experience as Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Superior Court Judge, trial lawyer, and full-time mediator and arbitrator, Justice Stone has been involved at all levels of dispute resolution. His extensive knowledge of both products liability matters and catastrophic personal injury is enhanced by his physical sciences background. Justice Stone attended medical school before obtaining his Juris Doctorate from the University of California.
Representative Products Liability Cases Handled By Judge Stone Automotive
- Crashworthiness of vehicles including sedans, SUVs, and sports cars
- Seatbelt failure claims
- Airbag deployment
- Rollovers
- Tire failures including Firestone
- Axle and wheel failures
- Automobile seat design failures
- Effect of after-market modifications
- All manner of auto and truck collisions
Pharmaceutical, Chemical & Medical Devices
- Electronic implant devices including pacemakers and muscle stimulators
- Side-effects from prescription and over-the-counter drugs
- Insecticide and fumigation poisoning
- Mass toxic tort involving contaminated landfills
- Adequacy of warnings
- Medical malpractice including negligence claims involving diagnosis, treatment, surgery, birth injuries, and anesthesia
- Catastrophic injuries including permanent vegetative state, quadriplegia, brain injuries, loss of limbs, and death
Aviation
- Design defects of both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters
- Pilot error
- Inadequate maintenance
- Improper airport maintenance
Completed Virtual ADR training conducted by the JAMS Institute, the training arm of JAMS.
- Recognized as a Best Lawyer in Mediation, Best Lawyers in America, 2023
- Recognized as a Best Lawyer, Best Lawyers in America, 2020-2023
- Recognized as a Best Lawyer, Alternative Dispute Resolution Category, Best Lawyers in America, 2009-2019
- Recognized as a Top California Neutral, Daily Journal, 2012
- Selected as one of California's Most Sought-After Neutrals, Daily Journal Extra, 2002
- Trial Judge of the Year Award, Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association, 1980 and 1982
- Roger J. Traynor Appellate Justice of the Year Award by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, 1998
- Faculty of the Council on Judicial Education and Research and the California Judges Association teaching and training judges
- State Bar Board of Governors Special Task Force on Discovery
- "The Power of Pester," Daily Journal, ADR Profile, April 12, 2013
- Received comprehensive training in JAMS in-house Entertainment Law workshops including, but not limited to:
- "Net Profits and New Media: The Future of Entertainment Litigation"
- "Legal Issues and Developments in Video Game Law"
- Presiding Justice, California District Court of Appeal, 1982-1999
- Judge, Ventura County Superior Court, 1976-1982 (Supervising Judge, Law and Motion, 1977-1980)
- Private practice, Principal, Beach, Stone, Smith, Drescher & Romney, Santa Paula, CA, 1962-1976
- J.D., University of California, Hastings College of Law, 1961; Associate Editor, Hastings Law Journal
- A.B., Medical Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, 1958
Counsel Comments
- "Justice Stone was incredible. The process worked perfectly. There is nothing I could recommend that would have made anything better."
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Practice Areas
- Appellate
- Aviation
- Business/Commercial
- Construction Defect
- Employment
- Entertainment and Sports
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Intellectual Property
- Personal Injury/Torts
- Pharmaceuticals/Mass Tort
- Product Liability
- Professional Liability
- Real Property
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