jdr@mrsvlaw.com
PRACTICE AREAS:
Plaintiff and Defense representation in wrongful death and serious personal injury matters.
BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE:
Mr. Rice was admitted to the bar in 1977, California and U.S. District Court, Southern District of California. Mr. Rice has tried sixty one (61) serious injury and death cases over the course of his career. In defending tort matters, Mr. Rice's clients include Pacific Bell, Michelin North America, Inc., General Motors Corporation, Websense, Warner Springs Ranch, McKinley Equipment Corporation and Klein Products, Inc. In 1997, Mr. Rice tried a products liability case, Tatum v. BMW, et al. (San Diego Superior Court Case No. G75516), and obtained a defense verdict. This suit involved a plaintiff with over seven million dollars ($7,000,000.00) in medical damages. In 2002, Mr. Rice represented the plaintiffs in a products liability case (Hoebeck v. Franks, et al., San Diego Superior Court Case No. GIC 770616) and received a verdict in excess of three million three hundred thousand dollars ($3,300,000.00). This case represents the first time an after market automotive parts manufacturer of suspension lift kits has been found responsible for a defective product. The Hoebeck matter received local media coverage in the San Diego Union-Tribune ("Raising the Risk," February 9, 2003) and national coverage by U.S. News & World Report ("Monsters On The Highways," November 1, 2004). In a products liability case in 2003, Mr. Rice represented the plaintiff in a suit involving a water ski accident. The case settled by way of a confidential settlement on the day of trial for one million dollars ($1,000,000.00). In 2004, Mr. Rice represented the family of a construction worker seriously injured in a fall at a construction site. Defendant entered into a confidential settlement days prior to trial for five million dollars ($5,000,000.00). Since 2002 Mr. Rice has recovered more than twelve million dollars ($12,000,000.00) representing Plaintiffs in serious injury and death cases. Mr. Rice is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (an invitation-only organization of trial attorneys who have been recognized by their peers as demonstrating courtroom excellence), Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Consumer Attorneys of California and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
REPRESENTATIVE LITIGATION/TRIAL EXPERIENCE
| CASE NAME/NUMBER | COURT | |
| 1. | Melissa Padilla, et al. v. City Palm Springs, et al. Case No. 154625 (Consolidated with 155065) |
Riverside County Superior Court, Indio Branch |
| 2. | Dorothy Laguardia, et al. v. City of El Centro, et al. Case No. 63949 |
Imperial County Superior Court |
| 3. | Kenneth Karcher v. McKinley Equipment Corp., et al. Case No. 641592 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 4. | Joseph Hefner v. Crow-Western Company, et al. Case No. 577968 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 5. | John Bekkema v. Quest Construction, et al. Case No. 666151 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 6. | Mary Ann Meridick v. California Multimodal, Inc., et al. Case No. 621932 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 7. | Charles and Mary McCleery v. City of Bakersfield, et al. Case No. 166606 |
Kern County Superior Court |
| 8. | Carl Jordan v. Fritz Nachant, et al. Case No. N52038 |
San Diego County Superior Court, Vista Branch |
| 9. | Hitching Post Motels, Inc. v. El Cajon University Gardens, et al. Case No. 642169 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 10. | Harrold Wigg v. Ryerson Concrete, et al. Case No. 65783 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 11. | Lucille Williams v. Quails Inn, et al. Case No. N46625 |
San Diego County Superior Court, Vista Branch |
| 12. | Run Prech v. Hoffman Auto Wholesale, et al. Case No. 624050 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 13. | Steven R. Mallory v. Lusardi Construction Co., et al. Case No. 651646 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 14. | Gary A. Beckett v. Team General Contractors, et al. Case No. 653659 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 15. | David Bradford v. San Diego Gunite Company, et al. Case No. N45305 C |
San Diego County Superior Court, Vista Branch |
| 16. | Dawnya D. Young v. Gibbel Brothers, Inc.,et al. Case No. 194562 |
Riverside County Superior Court |
| 17. | Ericka Caffrey, et al. v. Rose Toyota, et al. Case No. 628230 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 18. | Lorreto Zuniga v. Mur-Vic Construction, et al. Case No. 628591 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 19. | Gregory Eastwood v. Viking Ranch, Inc., et al. Case No. VCV 010581 |
San Bernardino Superior Court, Victorville Branch |
| 20. | Edward Mogavero v. Peterbuilt Construction, et al. Case No. 625932 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 21. | Louise Chance v. Gordon Frazier, et al. Case No. N52836 |
San Diego County Superior Court, Vista Branch |
| 22. | Alan Wetter, et al. v. Joseph Hoy Security, et al. Case No. 626027 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 23. | Financial Insurance Services, Ltd. v. Alternative Fire Equipment Case No. 654489 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 24. | Eltipio Tapia v. Glen Matterson, et al. Case No. N53085 |
San Diego County Superior Court, Vista Branch |
| 25. | Rosa Durazo v. Faucher Properties, et al. Case No. 577085 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 26. | Delvin Johnson v. City of Bakersfield, et al. | Kern County Superior Court |
| 27. | Bunkie Ash v. City of Bakersfield, et al. Case No. 177986 |
Kern County Superior Court |
| 28. | Zugmund Grencewicz v. Iron Horse Equipment Corporation Case No. VCV 11359 |
San Bernardino Superior Court, Victorville Branch |
| 29. | Tralissa Hayes v. National Supermarkets, et al. Case No. 660184 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 30. | Peter Carroll v. J.J. Maguires, et al. Case No. N57373 |
San Diego County Superior Court, Vista Branch |
| 31. | Susan Barretto v. Edutek, et al. Case No. EC007247 |
San Diego County Superior Court, El Cajon Branch |
| 32. | William Klein v. John Griffin Construction, et al. Case No. 220939 |
Riverside County Superior Court |
| 33. | Saundra Wilkes v. Ramada Hotel, et al. Case No. 652362 |
Orange County Superior Court |
| 34. | Jose Beltran v. Lemon Grove Sheet Metal Works, et al. Case No. 649549 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 35. | Alan Reitman v. General Motors, et al. Case No. 683814 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 36. | Robert Cox v. Red Tomato, et al. Case No. 170231 |
Riverside Superior Court, Palm Springs Branch |
| 37. | Tyrone McKinnon v. Straub Construction, Inc. Case No. 684629 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 38. | Maria Librado v. J.F.T. Trucking Case No. 28535 |
Glenn County Superior Court |
| 39. | Mary Tatum v. BMW, et al. Case No. 675516 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 40. | Donald Hitchcock v. Steven Worley Construction, Inc. Case No. 690570 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 41. | Matthew Hogan v. Crazy Burro Case No. N63891 |
San Diego County Superior Court, Vista branch |
| 42. | Josefina Penaflor v. Lewis & Lewis Corp. Case No. 681488 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 43. | Anna-Marie Kiku Bratty v. North County Lanes Case No. N65032 |
San Diego County Superior Court, Vista Branch |
| 44. | Fritz D. Plecas v. Pacific Bell Case No. N65032 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 45. | Richard Munoz v. Desert Underground Case No. 001371 |
San Bernardino Superior Court |
| 46. | Cleo Davis v. Harvey's Golden Lantern Case No. 000444 |
San Bernardino County Superior Court |
| 47. | Sally Tien v. Costco Wholesale Corp. Case No. 76672 |
Imperial County Superior Court |
| 48. | Sun Hee Chi, Individually and as Special Administrator of the Estate of Ogk Kun Chi, Deceased v. Warner Springs Ranch Owner Association, et al. Case No. 709229 |
San Diego County Superior Court, South Bay Branch |
| 49. | Julio Olmedo Medina, et al. v. James Broadway, et al. Case No. 000539 |
Riverside Superior Court, Palm Springs |
| 50. | Ralph E. Seaman Jr. v. Richwell Steel, Inc., et al. Case No. YC017611 |
Los Angeles County Superior Court |
| 51. | Diane L. Carrillo, et al. v. Kern Brothers Trucking, Inc. Case No. 236786 AEW |
Kern County Superior Court |
| 52. | William Sprankles,, Jr.. v. Net Partners, Inc. Case No. 724054 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 53. | Raymond Rudolph v. Lucky Farms, Inc. Case No. 5CV39978 |
San Bernardino County Superior Court |
| 54. | Candida Quintanilla v. Commercial Contractors, Inc. Case No. NC 019777 |
Los Angeles Superior Court, South District Branch |
| 55. | Ronald Dishman v. Caterpillar, Inc., et al. Case No. PC 023978Y |
Los Angeles Superior Court, North Valley Branch |
| 56. | Robert Rodriguez, et al. v. Schutt Manufacturing Company, et al. Case No. N81901 |
San Diego County Superior Court, Vista Branch |
| 57. | Cyndi Beckley v. Anne Lew Case No. GIC 778549 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 58. | Julie A. Hoebeck et al. v. Riley Dwayne Franks, et al. Case No. GIC 770616 |
San Diego County Superior Court |
| 59. | Craig Cooke v. Constance Harper et al. Case No. GIN 025642 |
San Diego Superior Court, North County Division |
| 60. | William Thomas et al v. Duggins Construction Co. et al. Case No. 98984 |
Imperial County Superior Court |
| 61. | Ashleigh Homberger et al. v. Harley- Davidson, Inc. Case No. VC038314 |
Los Angeles County Superior Court, Southeast District |
