A Trial Lawyer for Death and Severe Injury Cases
Jon Gertler is one of the leading injury and wrongful death trial lawyers in California, as well as an accomplished class action lawyer. Jon has won multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in accident cases involving cars, trucks, helicopters, trains, cranes, lifts, electrical work, and medical malpractice. Jon’s cases have involved death, and brain, spine, burn, nerve and other disabling injuries.
Today, Jon’s limits his practice to a handful of clients with death and severe injury cases. After spending the last 25 years practicing as a founding partner of Chavez & Gertler, a prestigious plaintiffs’ firm in Marin County, Jon now practices as “of counsel” with his friend and colleague, Kathryn Stebner, in her firm, Stebner & Associates. He co-counsels as lead or co-lead trial counsel with other elite trial lawyers, predominantly in California.
Areas of Practice
Jon has experience in many areas of wrongful death and catastrophic injury and has achieved many million dollar verdicts and settlements in cases involving automobiles and pedestrians, helicopters, planes, trains, trucks, construction sites, electrical work, medical malpractice, and more.
Aviation
Jon has successfully handled helicopter and plane crash cases since the 1980’s. In the 1990’s, Jon successfully co-counseled in the wrongful death cases for the heirs of rock producer Bill Graham, who was killed in a crash, and again for the surviving families of two electrical workers who died in a work-related crash. In 2004, Jon won a $3 million judgment after a month-long jury trial for an electrical worker who sustained serious injuries in another helicopter crash. That case was defended by lead counsel for American Airlines. The pre-trial settlement offer was $400,000.
Train Accidents
Jon has handled several train accident cases, focusing on private crossings. In 2005, Jon tried a case against one of the nation’s largest railroads, and his client was awarded over $7 million, including punitive damages against the corporation. Jon won the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association’s “Trial Lawyer of the Year Award” for that case.
Trucking
Jon has handled numerous trucking cases, including winning a $3 million dollar judgment after an extended jury trial in 2007 for a driver who was struck by an 18-wheeler. He was a finalist for San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association’s “Trial Lawyer of the Year Award” for this case. He currently is co-lead counsel in a tragic truck accident in which the mothers and children of two families were killed.
Product Liability
Jon has handled medical and other product liability cases since the 1980s. He was the leading attorney nationally in suing medical product manufacturers in the 1990s for nurses and physicians who contracted HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C from accidental needle sticks, leading to national changes in practices and design of needle products, including California and federal OSHA standards.
Construction Accidents
Jon has handled numerous multi-party construction accident cases since his first one, in 1984. In that case, he obtained a $1 million+ jury verdict after a final settlement offer of less than $50,000, Jon may have been the first attorney nationally to win a million-dollar verdict in his first year of practice, in his first jury trial.
Medical Malpractice
Jon has handled medical malpractice or negligence cases since 1984, when he won his first arbitration against Kaiser Permanente, in his first year of practice, against the managing partner of a large law firm. There was no settlement offer. He is currently co-lead counsel in a birth trauma case resulting in quadriplegia against Sutter Health and others.