Eskaton Verdict
The largest elder abuse verdict in Sacramento County history
largest elder abuse verdict against a skilled nursing facility in the history of the Sacramento/Greater San Francisco Bay Area region ($30.1 million)
largest elder abuse verdict against an assisted living facility in the history of the United States ($42.5 million)
Ed Dudensing is the most successful elder abuse trial attorney in the history of the state of California.
The first, second, and third largest elder abuse verdicts in the history of the Sacramento/Greater Bay Area region
Largest assisted living facility verdict in the history of the United States
The only currently practicing attorney in the United States with more than one eight figure (e.g., more $10 million or more) elder abuse verdict
The only attorney in the history of the United States with three eight figure elder abuse verdicts
Most litigation cases resolve before a trial or jury verdict. Given this, you may ask why Mr. Dudensing’s record-breaking verdicts should matter to you. First, while most cases resolve short of a jury verdict, if your case does not (which is something that is largely out of your or your attorney’s control) you will need an attorney who is capable of trying a complex case of elder abuse before a jury of your peers. This is a very specialized skill that most elder abuse attorneys do not possess. Mr. Dudensing is not only capable of trying elder abuse cases but he has an unparalleled track record of successful outcomes. Second, and equally importantly, Mr. Dudensing’s proven record of trial success drives settlement results as well. The reason is simple – defendants and their insurance companies are sophisticated and they too know “who is who” amongst elder abuse attorneys. The greatest fear (and for good reason) of elder care defendants and their insurance companies is suffering a large, public jury verdict. If they believe that your attorney does not have the experience, skill set, and track record to secure a large jury verdict (which applies to most attorneys), naturally they will view their risk of significant financial exposure as much lower and accordingly will offer less to settle the case before trial. Conversely, if they believe your attorney has the ability to secure a large jury verdict, they will pay more to avoid this risk. The bottom line is that a past record of large jury verdicts by your attorney matters, whether or not your case ends up in trial or is resolved before then.
Before beginning his work as an attorney on behalf of victims of elder abuse, Mr. Dudensing spent numerous years as a criminal prosecutor in the Sacramento District Attorneys’ office. In that position, he tried scores of cases, including complex cases of murder, attempted murder, child molest, gang crimes, and elder abuse. These years allowed Mr. Dudensing to hone his skills as a trial lawyer in a way that is very difficult to do in the civil arena because trials are far less frequent in civil law. Performing trials is sometimes compared to learning how to drive or ride a bike. Do you remember the first time you drove a vehicle in traffic? Everything seemed so chaotic and scary! But later as you gained more experience, driving became second nature. The same applies to trials. Trials are demanding experiences, and it takes many, many trials before attorneys are able to be effective in such a high pressure setting. Experienced trial attorneys make trying cases look relatively easy, but they are not! Mr. Dudensing has been through years and years of trial work both in the criminal and civil arenas. He has tried well over fifty cases to verdict. This trial work uniquely suits him to represent victims of elder abuse in civil litigation.
The largest elder abuse verdict in Sacramento County history
Ex-staffer’s testimony provides damning indictment of nursing home practices
WWII Vet dies during routine short-term rehabilitative stay
Hospice guilty of severe neglect and abuse
Severe understaffing and inadequate supervision leads to death
Elder abuse lawyer described failures of care at Oroville facility as ‘the very epitome of reckless neglect.’
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These case studies represent a fraction of Ed Dudensing’s successes. For more, visit our news section, where you can read press coverage of his most notable accomplishments over the past 20 years.