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Position: Managing Partner
Telephone: 626-744-2020
Fax: 626-744-2001
E-Mail: fsabaitis@sollp.com
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Frank T. Sabaitis graduated from Boston College cum laude and from DePaul University School of Law. He became a member of the Illinois State Bar in 1980, the California State Bar in December 1983, and the New York State Bar in September 2004. Mr. Sabaitis practiced law in Chicago prior to joining Ropers, Majeski, Kohn & Bentley in its San Francisco Office. Mr. Sabaitis had been the managing partner of the Ropers Los Angeles Office. In April 2000, he co-founded the firm of SABAITIS • O’CALLAGHAN, LLP.
Mr. Sabaitis is presently involved in litigation in several areas of the law, with an emphasis in earth movement, flood, products liability, real estate, commercial and business litigation. He has substantial trial experience in federal and state courts in both Northern and Southern California, as well as in Nevada.
In April 2004, after a 3½-week jury trial, Mr. Sabaitis obtained a non-suit in the case of Geller, et. al v. Kaufman & Broad, et. al. in Los Angeles County. The construction defect case involved a claim that the construction of approximately 26,000 lineal feet – approximately 5 miles – of retaining walls were defective in that the back drains behind the walls were installed too high, the application of waterproofing material was inadequate and the drainage devices were not properly installed. Plaintiff’s original cost of repair was $23 million. Plaintiff’s presented evidence to the jury that the cost of repair was $11.7 million.
In January 1999, after a six-week bifurcated bench trial on liability only, Mr. Sabaitis received a defense verdict in the case of Brown v. La Conchita Ranch in Ventura County. The case involved a group of 141 individual property owners in the town of La Conchita who filed a suit against the past and present owners of the uphill property, La Conchita Ranch Co., claiming the catastrophic landslide was caused by the irrigation practices of the Ranch. Two other related cases were consolidated for purposes of trial. The exposure to defendants was in excess of $85 million dollars, and plaintiffs’ demand was $23 million dollars to settle the case before trial.
In the summer and fall of 2008, Mr. Sabaitis served as the Ranch's personal counsel to assist and support insurance appointed counsel in the trial of Alvis vs. La Conchita Ranch Company, et al. The litigation (inclusive of 36 consolidated plaintiff cases) involved the catastrophic landslide of January 10, 2005, which killed ten people and injured more. Mr. Sabaitis handled all aspects of the expert witness presentations/testimony on behalf of the Ranch defendants during the 56 day jury trial. Ultimately, the jury returned a mixed verdict in September 2008, finding the Ranch partially responsible for the slide, and the matter was favorably resolved prior to the damages phase of the trial.
Mr. Sabaitis is a member of the State Bar of California, the State Bar of Illinois, the State Bar of New York, the American Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and Southern California Association of Defense Counsel. He has served as a judicial arbitrator on numerous occasions in San Francisco and Los Angeles and has presented seminars on construction, earth movement, landslide and products liability related matters throughout the United States. Mr. Sabaitis is an AV rated attorney, a member of The Association of Trial Lawyers of America and The Outstanding Lawyers of America.
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