San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association Trial Lawyer of the Year Award

April 21, 2015 – Novato CA — On Thursday, April 16, 2015, Gil Purcell, Jennifer Alesio, and Jason Rose were the winners of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers’ Association Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. The award acknowledged the firm’s unprecedented successes in two trials Tajie Major v. Lorillard Tobacco Co. (2014, Case No. BC473650, Los Angeles County Superior Court), and Robert & Linda Whalen vs. John Crane, Inc. (2014, Case No. RG14711964, Alameda County Superior Court).

The Major trial took some 16 years from filing to reach a verdict, including an appeal to the California Supreme Court that was adjudicated in the plaintiff’s favor. Senior Trial Partner, Gil Purcell, and Associate, Jason Rose secured a unanimous $17 Million verdict against Lorillard Tobacco Co. on behalf of widow Tajie Major, whose husband was a victim of Lung Cancer caused by Lorillard cigarettes. Jason Rose noted, “Pursuing this case as tirelessly as she did was Tajie’s way of honoring her husband’s memory.”

In the Whalen matter, Senior Trial Associate, Jennifer Alesio and Gil Purcell secured a verdict of $70 million dollars in compensatory damages against gasket and packing manufacturer John Crane Co on behalf of Robert and Linda Whalen. Because she refused to leave her ailing husband’s side, Linda Whalen’s testimony was taken by video in a direct conducted by an Associate, It is believed this verdict was and is the largest reported compensatory damages in any California asbestos trial. “Unfortunately, Mr. Whalen passed away about a month and a half after the verdict,” said Ms. Alesio “but we are grateful that he lived to see the jury recognize, as best it could, the gravity of the loss that he and Linda endured.”

Gil Purcell, who was previously nominated for Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2012, indicated during his acceptance speech that “we are honored to be included in such a distinguished group of nominees who have accomplished truly remarkable results on behalf of their deserving clients.”

About Brayton Purcell LLP

With offices in California and Oregon, Brayton Purcell LLP represents workers and their families all throughout the United States. The law firm focuses its practice on mesothelioma and other asbestos-related litigation, workers’ compensation claims, and all types of injury, death, and accident cases, including pharmaceutical, toxic exposure, defective medical devices, and catastrophic injury.