Experience

For over two decades, Ed Dudensing has been at the forefront of advocating for victims of elder neglect and abuse through his dedicated law practice. As the founder and lead counsel of Dudensing Law, Ed has exclusively represented these vulnerable individuals since 2003, achieving unprecedented jury verdicts in elder abuse cases. His expertise and relentless pursuit of justice have resulted in him securing three of the largest elder abuse verdicts in the Sacramento County area, totaling over $100 million in jury verdicts for his clients.

Ed is actively engaged with organizations dedicated to safeguarding the rights of older Americans and frequently educates his peers in the legal community about the intricacies of laws related to elder abuse and neglect. With his extensive background, Ed is often asked to provide his legal expertise on current affairs related to elder law, and is frequently quoted in national, legal, and local publications. Ed is a current member of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform and the American Association of Justice’s Nursing Home Litigation Group.

Before founding his firm, Ed clerked for the Honorable Robert C. Broomfield, Chief Judge of the Federal District Court in Arizona for two years, followed by three years at the international law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Transitioning to public service, Ed spent four years as a Deputy District Attorney in Sacramento County, leading high-profile criminal matters, including murder and rape cases.

Ed graduated with highest honors from the University of California (the equivalent of magna cum laude), Davis School of Law in 1994, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif for academic excellence and the Order of the Barrister for his prowess in oral advocacy. During this time, Ed served as the Executive Editor of the UC Davis Law Review and head of Trial Advocacy for the law school’s mock trial teams. Prior to law school, he earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Notable Jury Verdicts In Which Ed Was the Lead Trial Attorney

• Sam Rios, Jr., et al. v. Pine Creek Care Center, Plum Healthcare Group LLC, et al.: Jury verdict of $30.9 million (2023)
• Barbara Lovenstein, et al. v. Eskaton Fountainwood Lodge, et al.: Jury verdict of $42.5 million (2019)
• Family and Estate of Frances Tanner v. Horizon West Healthcare, Inc. and Colonial Healthcare, Inc.: Jury verdict of $29.1 million (2010)

Notable Appellate Cases in Which Ed Was Lead Appellate Counsel

• Valentine v. Plum Healthcare Group, LLC, 37 Cal. App. 5^th 1076 (2019)
• Hutcheson v. Eskaton Fountainwood Lodge, 17 Cal. App. 5^th 937 (2017)
• Goldman v. Sunbridge Healthcare, LLC, 220 Cal. App. 4^th 1160 (2013)

Ed in the News

• As some nursing homes cry poverty, what can be done about increased staffing requirements? – Los Angeles Times – 4/28/24
• California needs to take ‘walkaway deaths’ and senior care oversight more seriously (op-ed) – CalMatters – 3/25/24
• Oakland nursing home faces lawsuit alleging rape, neglect and fraud after ‘hiding problems’ – ABC 7 San Francisco – 3/12/24
• He stayed at a Northern California nursing home then died. Why jury awarded huge verdict – The Sacramento Bee – 1/25/23
• Coronavirus pandemic requires renewed focus by California policymakers on eldercare (op-ed) – CalMatters – 4/5/2020
• California hospices face lax oversight and few rules. The sick and dying pay the price – The Sacramento Bee – 8/28/2019
• Many view assisted living as just housing, not health care. That’s dangerous (op-ed) – The Sacramento Bee – 8/21/2019
• Eskaton prepares to challenge $42.5 million wrongful death verdict – Sacramento Business Journal – 5/2/2019
• Elder care giant’s CEO on $42.5 million verdict in elder abuse lawsuit: ‘Eskaton will survive’ – The Sacramento Bee – 4/26/2019

Memberships

• Member, State Bar of California
• Member, Sacramento County Bar Association
• Member, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR)
• Member, American Association of Justice Nursing Home Litigation Group

Education

• University of California Davis School of Law – Juris Doctorate
• University of California Berkeley – Political Science

An aggressive litigator with a passion for protecting our elderly, Jay P. Renneisen has successfully handled scores of elder abuse and neglect cases, particularly against nursing homes and assisted living facilities, as well as numerous catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death claims.  Mr. Renneisen has obtained a multitude of seven figure results for his clients over the years and acted as trial co-counsel on the largest assisted living facility elder abuse verdict in the United States and the largest nursing home elder abuse verdict in the history of Sacramento County. 

Mr. Renneisen graduated magna cum laude from St. Mary’s College with an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and English in 1991 and he received his JD from the University of California Davis Law School in 1994. Thereafter, Mr. Renneisen started his legal career as an attorney with a premier San Francisco Bay Area litigation firm, Bowles & Verna, LLP, and continued with that firm for over seven years primarily representing Fortune 500 companies, local municipalities and large insurance companies. 

After leaving Bowles & Verna, Mr. Renneisen started his own practice in 2001 and soon found his passion in representing victims of elder abuse.  In 2004, he co-founded the Nursing Home & Elder Abuse Law Center (www.NoElderAbuse.com) where he developed a particular expertise in plaintiff’s nursing home and assisted living cases.  

Mr. Renneisen currently is a member of the Nursing Home Litigation Group of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the Elder Law Section of the Contra Costa County Bar Association. Mr. Renneisen has also previously served as a board member of multiple non-profits, including Contra Costa Senior Legal Services, which is a California State Bar funded non-profit organization that serves the legal needs of elderly persons.  From 2015 to the present, Mr. Renneisen has been recognized as a top-rated attorney as evaluated by other lawyers and published on www.SuperLawyers.com.

Thomas A. Reyda joined Dudensing Law in June 2019.  He is an associate attorney and is involved in all aspects of litigation, including oral advocacy, depositions, and legal research and writing.  Mr. Reyda was admitted to the California State Bar in the fall of 2016.  Before joining the Dudensing Law, Mr. Reyda worked as an associate attorney at Bursor & Fisher, P.A., where he specialized in national and state-wide complex litigation.

Mr. Reyda graduated with a degree in International Political Economy from the Colorado College, in 2012.  Subsequently, Mr. Reyda earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California Berkeley School of Law in 2016. 

In 2019, Mr. Reyda volunteered as a Deputy District Attorney with the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office.  During his time there, he successfully tried and prosecuted misdemeanor charges.

Kari joined Dudensing Law in 2011, and has over 30 years of experience as a litigation secretary and office administrator working on high profile litigation matters in federal, state and appellate courts. She has a strong knowledge of civil procedure, local, state and federal rules, calendaring/docketing, and experience with all facets of case work up to and including trial and post-trial work. She previously worked for Mark Merin focusing on civil rights which has integrated nicely into defending the rights of elders and their families.

Kari is a California Certified Legal Secretary and a member of NALS and LSI. She has previously served on the CCLS Certifying Board for Legal Secretaries, Inc., and previously served as President, Vice President, Governor and Secretary, as well as other various committee positions, for Capitol City Legal Professionals Association, a former chapter of LSI.

As a way to maintain her level of knowledge, Kari is actively involved in continuing her education and regularly attends seminars, study groups and meetings. CCLS certification is achieved by passing a comprehensive examination on Law Office Administration, Reasoning and Ethics, Legal Computations, Skills, Ability to Communicate, Legal Terminology, and California Legal Procedure, including Real Estate law, Probate and Estate Planning, Family law, Corporations, and Civil Litigation.

Margaret Mallough joined the Dudensing Law Team in March 2020. Margaret’s job at the firm is to assist in managing the cases, from opening new cases to being sure documents are correctly saved and reviewed, to filing documents with the court and assisting in trial preparation. She has been a litigation secretary for over 30 years, with the last 20 years related to nursing home litigation. Margaret is happy to be part of a great team doing good for our clients, and helping them during the process. In her free time, Margaret enjoys spending time with family, and loves camping and traveling.

Shane joined Dudensing Law in 2018.  He has over 15 years of experience as a litigation secretary and paralegal in federal, state and appellate courts.  After receiving his AA Degree in Paralegal Studies in 2004 from MTI College of Business and Technology, he has worked for both plaintiff and defense firms in all aspects of complex civil litigation matters including medical malpractice, elder abuse and general civil litigation fields.  Shane takes special pride in helping families who have been victims of elder abuse. 

Kai came to Dudensing Law in 2016 with a great breadth of litigation paralegal experience, having worked for both plaintiff and defense firms. Currently Kai focuses his efforts on leading the firm’s discovery efforts, including drafting motions to compel further responses to our questions and requests for documents, so that each case is thoroughly ready for trial. He began his career in San Francisco in 1990, working on product liability and construction defect cases.  He has since been involved in medical malpractice, toxic tort, and a wide range of personal injury cases.

Throughout his paralegal career Kai has always found his assignments at plaintiff’s firms to be much more personally rewarding and he is very happy to be working hard on behalf of victims of elder abuse and their families. Kai has three young children and is involved with the Land Park Pacific Little League.

Mona joined Dudensing Law in July 2021. She has over 29 years of experience as a paralegal in legal practices ranging from Trust and Estate Planning to family law to plaintiff personal injury and insurance defense. At Dudensing Law, Mona is the first person a new client tells their story to, and she requests the necessary records to evaluate the case. Mona has worked in various types of legal firms from boutique, to Biglaw, to the legal department for the State of California, and was an adjunct professor at MTI College. However, the most rewarding legal practice has been assisting those harmed in skilled nursing facilities. Mona enjoys hiking, traveling, watching the Las Vegas Golden Knights and spending time with her grandchildren in person and video chats.

Jasmine Isaac joined Dudensing Law in 2022. She is a discovery paralegal and some of her responsibilities include drafting all initial discovery, reviewing all objections and responses, preparing meet and confers, and preparing motions to compel, etc. Jasmine entered the legal field in 2015 as a non-paid intern, and over the years she advanced in the legal field by assisting both plaintiff and defense firms as a legal receptionist and calendar clerk. Jasmine enjoys advocating for the voiceless and putting smiles on clients faces.

Fiorella joined Dudensing Law in January of 2023. Fiorella serves as a litigation secretary, offering administrative assistance and aiding in the preparation of legal documentation. With four years of experience in the legal field, Fiorella has acquired a wealth of skills across criminal, personal injury, and general civil litigation matters. Her prior experiences have honed her abilities in case management, which come in handy when contributing her skills to advance the firm’s mission of seeking justice for elderly victims of abuse.

Kelan joined Dudensing Law in August of 2021, as a front desk records clerk processing incoming mail, files and records.  He has since advanced to a litigation assistant who aids with preparing exhibits for depositions, requesting records, processing subpoenas, organizing document productions, preparing court filings/pleadings and performing various clerical/administrative duties.  Kelan has been working in the legal field for about four years and hopes to continue with the fight for justice for our clients and those who have become victims of elder abuse. In his free time, Kelan enjoys spending time with his family, reading and writing poetry.

Teri Bartram is an Executive Assistant who joined The Law Office in December 2013, to provide administrative support and assistance to the office. Teri has been an Executive Assistant for over seven years, and previously worked with Clement & Associates since 2007. Teri provides excellent personal and business support to the firm and its staff. As a member of the team, Teri assists in the execution of administrative responsibilities throughout the office. Teri is known for his outstanding customer service skills, his professional demeanor, and his exceptional ability to work well with the office team, as well as with clients and vendors.

Eva joined Dudensing Law in March of 2022, as a part-time bookkeeper, and recently joined the firm full-time as both the bookkeeper and front desk records clerk processing incoming mail, electronic files, filing and records.  She also assists with other various clerical/administrative duties as needed.  Eva has been working in the administrative field for 20 years, and as a bookkeeper for 12. In her free time, Eva enjoys music, reading and spending time outdoors.