James Geagan has been representing injured persons and their families in cases of wrongful death, personal injury and a wide variety of other claims for over 34 years. He has been recognized nationally and in California as one of the elite attorneys in his field. Mr. Geagan was selected as National Litigator of the month by the prestigious National Law Journal for his trial in a landmark case involving elder abuse by a physician. He has also been elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates, the premier association of trial lawyers in the country. His rating with a perfect score for both professional ability and ethical conduct by Martindale-Hubbell's Pre-eminent Lawyers of America indicates a high level of respect from both his colleagues on the plaintiff's side of the bar as well as his adversaries on the defense.

When you hire the Law Offices of James Geagan you will receive personalized service and will have a direct and consistent relationship with your lawyer. Your questions and concerns will be responded to immediately.

When someone needs a lawyer, it goes without saying that that need arises at a time of stress and upset. By entrusting the legal claims to James Geagan, a client can rest assured that his or her case is going to be handled professionally, aggressively, and ethically and that the claim will be resolved for it's full and fair value.

Contact the Law Offices of James Geagan today if you need legal assistance with any of the following:

If you or a loved one needs the help of an experienced Sonoma, California Personal Injury Attorney, call James Geagan today at 707-200-1299, or complete the contact form provided on this site to arrange your free initial consultation.

Professional Profile

If you or a loved one needs the help of an experienced Sonoma, California Personal Injury Attorney, call James Geagan today at 707-200-1299, or complete the contact form provided on this site to arrange your free initial consultation.

ADDRESS OF THE FIRM:
Law Offices of James Geagan
846 Broadway
Sonoma, CA 95476
Phone: 707-200-1299
Hours: M-F, 8:00AM-5:00PM

Attorney James Geagan

Jurisdictions:

• The Supreme Court of the United States
• California Supreme Court
• United States Court of Federal Claims
• US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
• US District Court Northern California

Education:

• University of Notre Dame (BA, 1969)
• University of San Francisco (JD 1976) (Mac Auliffe Law Honor Society)

Admitted To The Bar:

• 1976

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

Memberships

• American Board of Trial Advocates
• American Bar Association
• American Association for Justice
• Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
• Consumer Attorneys of California
• Sonoma County Bar Association
• Board of Directors
  • San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, 1982

Awards

• One of the top Attorneys in Northern California - SuperLawyers 2011
• One of the top Attorneys in Northern California - SuperLawyers 2010
• One of the top Attorneys in Northern California - SuperLawyer 2009
• One of the top Attorneys in Northern California - SuperLawyer 2008
• Litigator of the Month June 2001, National Law Journal 2001
• AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Languages Spoken:

• Some Spanish

Verdicts & Settlements

Products Liability (Monterey County)

In Kuhlmann v. Sprayway the firm negotiated settlements totaling $6,405,000.

The case alleged product liability as a result of the plaintiff's use of an aerosol spray product. When the plaintiff used the moisture-proofing product as it was intended to be used, she suffered severe pulmonary injury involving prolonged hospitalization and permanent lung damage. The manufacturer of the product was sued as well as distributors of the product and the manufacturer of components used to make the product.

The firm is supporting research and efforts to have the harmful component of the product, a fluoropolymer, banned, as these compounds present severe danger of injury if used in an aerosolized form.

Elder Abuse Verdict for Inadequate Pain Management (Hayward, Alameda County

In Bergman v. Chin, the plaintiffs received a jury verdict of $1,500,000 based on a claim of elder abuse of their then-deceased father during the last 8 days of his life. It was alleged that the defendant doctor committed elder abuse by failing to prescribe adequate pain medication to William Bergman while he was hospitalized at Eden Hospital for probable terminal cancer.

The verdict has been characterized by several commentators as a landmark case for a number of reasons. First, it is believed to represent the first verdict against a physician under the Elder Abuse statutes in California. Secondly, the verdict is the first in California to establish that a failure to provide adequate pain management may constitute elder abuse.

The verdict has attracted widespread attention in the medical community and has resulted in both heightened awareness in health care providers of the need to make pain management a high priority and in legislation requiring physicians to have regular training in pain management.

Attorney Malpractice/Stockbroker Liability/Breach of Trust (Confidential)

In an action brought against a Trustee of a Trust, the attorney who advised the Trustee and set up various legal vehicles for the trustee's use and the brokerage firm which held the trust assets, the firm negotiated a substantial settlement on behalf of the Trust. The allegations were that the brokerage and the attorney both knew or had reason to know that the Trustee was raiding the Trust for his own benefit, but failed to notify the Trust of that information and, in the case of the attorney, enabled the Trustee in that conduct by creating certain legal vehicles that facilitated that conduct.

The identities of the parties and the amount of the settlement were made confidential as a condition of settlement by the defendants.

Medical Malpractice Verdict For Improperly Performed Operation (San Francisco)

Kinura v. Regents of the University of California was a case in which a 45 year old pharmacist underwent surgery at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco for a large benign tumor in her thigh. It was alleged that the surgeon performed an improper surgery and that a different surgical technique should have been used. The result of the surgery was that the plaintiff had a permanent partial loss of function in her lower leg. She was required to wear a brace daily to assist her in walking.

The jury awarded the plaintiff $3,600,000.

Heavy Equipment/Automobile Wrongful Death Verdict (Napa County)

In Lowe v. Coalthard, the plaintiff was a 16 year old boy whose father had died when his automobile was struck in a collision with a large farm machinery vehicle on a public highway. The plaintiff did not live with his father, but saw him several times a week.

The Napa County jury awarded him $792,500.

Death of passenger at CALTRAIN Station

The firm represented the family of a 59 year old man who was struck by a protruding component of a locomotive at a train station in Millbrae, California.

The case settled for an amount which is confidential but included a guarantee of monthly payments for the support of the surviving spouse for her lifetime.

Elder Abuse: Failure to Provide Appropriate Pain Management for a Terminall

In a follow-up to the Bergman verdict (See above) the firm represented the surviving spouse and daughter of an 85 year-old man dying of mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer which is incurable. Despite the severe pain associated with this disease, none of the decedent’s caregivers made a serious attempt to manage his pain. Suit was brought under the Elder Abuse statutes against an acute care hospital where the gentleman was hospitalized, against the physician charged with his care there, against a nursing home to which he was subsequently transferred, and against the nursing home physician who was responsible for caring for him in his last days. The family argued that none of these caregivers responded to the dying man’s pain with the kind of around-the-clock consistent pain management which should be available to all dying patients. Unfortunately, the gentleman died in severe and unnecessary pain.

All of the defendants settled in amounts which are the subject of a confidentiality clause. One of the physicians was ultimately censured by the California Medical Board, the first such discipline as a result of poor pain management known to have occurred in California.

Misclassification Case (Napa County)

James Geagan represented four former employees of a large wine production facility in Napa County. The employees were classified by the Company as salaried employees not eligible for overtime. The employees stated that they were performing mainly production line duties and should have been paid overtime for their many hours of overtime work and should be compensated for missed breaks and lunches.

After a three week trial, the Napa County jury found for the employees on all counts, awarding them back overtime pay, penalties for missed breaks and lunches, other penalties, interest and reimbursement of their attorneys fees.

Medical Malpractice - Prescription Drugs (Alameda County)

James Geagan represented an unmarried man in his early forties who was prescribed the medication Trazadone for insomnia. The physician did not warn the patient of the possibility of priapism in men who take the medication. The patient did develop the condition, but had no idea what it was caused from or what to do about it. He suffered permanent erectile dysfunction.

The case settled against the physician for a sum which cannot be disclosed.

Medical Malpractice - Hernia Surgery Error (Santa Clara County)

The firm represented a man in his fifties who underwent a laparoscopic hernia repair. In the course of surgery, a trochar pierced several blood vessels, leading to a Code Blue and emergency surgery. The plaintiff was in an induced coma for over a week and endured a long hospitalization and ultimately lost a kidney.

The case settled for a sum which cannot be disclosed.