Ramon Lopez Named "Top Gun" Attorney Of The Year
Newport Beach Attorney Recognized As
Top Product Liability/Mass Tort Trial Lawyer By OCTLA
Newport Beach, CA - November 14, 2003 — Ramon Rossi Lopez, founder and
managing partner of Newport Beach-based Lopez, Hodes, Milman &
Skikos, has been named "Top Gun - Product Liability/Mass Tort Trial Attorney
of the Year" by the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (OCTLA). Lopez
will be honored at the OCTLA's Top Gun Award banquet and reception November
14, 2003 at the Sutton Place Hotel.
Lopez established his career handling complex medical malpractice and products
liability actions. He was selected among hundreds of attorneys and voted in
by his peers as the top trial lawyer in the area of product liability/mass torts.
The OCTLA Top Gun committee judged each nominee based on the number of cases
tried, nature and complexity of each case, significance of each verdict, individual
contributions to the trial bar, significant appellate decisions, standing and
reputation in the community, social and legal contributions to the
"Ramon's experience in product liability and mass tort cases is unparalleled,"
Jack Veth, president of the OCTLA, said. "His commitment to the legal profession
has earned him top accolades among his peers. We selected Ramon based upon his
track record of success and the leadership talents he has brought to his field."
Currently, Lopez spends his time overseeing and supervising all of the firm's
complex litigation projects and the administration of each of the firm's offices,
as well as participating in the national administration of a number of pending
mass tort/complex litigation projects.
Along with directing many of the firm's larger cases, Lopez is also spearheading
the firm's efforts in mass tort litigation now pending throughout the country,
including cases involving the drugs Rezulin, Baycol, "Fen-phen", Ephedra
and Phenylpropanolamine (PPA). The firm also has pending litigation against
Firestone/Bridgestone and Sulzer Medica hip implants. He is currently co-lead
trial counsel in the first and only PPA jury trial pending in the country. A
verdict is that case is expected later this year.
In 1985, Lopez earned the highest jury verdict as of that time in San Luis
Obispo County, California, on a product liability case. In 1989 he won a rare
$3.2 million punitive damage award against Citicorp/Citibank for an emotional
distress claim where there was no physical injury. Since that time he has been
involved in the discovery and trials of multiple drug and medical device cases,
all of which resulted in favorable outcomes on behalf all of his clients.
With Lopez at its helm, the firm successfully represented several hundred individual
clients in the diet drug litigation for heart and lung injuries sustained as
a result of using the drugs Fen-Phen, Pondimin and Redux after the firm's instrumental
involvement in the negotiation of a $4 billion global settlement against American
Home Products, the makers of the three drugs. Lopez was a member of the national
committee that negotiated this landmark settlement and also acted as a co-chair
of the plaintiff's discovery committee.
In addition to helping the families of victims whose lives were significantly
compromised by heart and lung diseases, a case he cites as one his proudest
moments, Lopez is proud of the result he obtained for the family of three victims
of the Pam Am - Lockerbie Air Crash litigation.
Lopez is a member of the California State Bar, the American Bar Association
(ABA), Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), Consumer Attorneys Association
of California (CAOC), Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (OCTLA), Western
Trial Lawyers Association, Orange County Bar Association and Orange County Barristers.
He is a recent inductee in the prominent International Society of Barristers.
Lopez is a frequent author and speaker, locally and nationally, primarily on
matters relating to pharmaceutical and medical device litigation.
Lopez received his Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University of Los
Angeles in 1972 and his juris doctorate from Loyola Law School in 1978. Lopez,
Hodes, Milman & Skikos originated in 1982 with three lawyers.
The firm since opened offices throughout the nation and is now comprised of
27 lawyers and 50 support staff. Under Lopez's direction the firm has earned
a national reputation as protector and watchdog for consumers, particularly,
those who are injured from defective medical devices and ill-conceived prescription
and OTC drugs. Lopez, Hodes, Milman, & Skikos remains involved
in the nation's highest profile cases including medical malpractice, HMO malfeasance,
product liability, pharmaceutical drug liability, nursing home/elder abuse cases
and general tort liability/serious injury cases. The firm has offices in Newport
Beach, San Francisco, Sacramento, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Minneapolis. #
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Editor's note: Ramon Lopez is available for interviews and/or a photo can
be obtained by calling Kim Craft at (714) 573-0842 or via email at kim@echomediapr.com
