Attorneys
David F. Beach
Mr. Beach provides trial representation in the fields of Long Term Care and Health Care Litigation, wrongful death and serious injury/large loss tort claims, commercial, products liability, professional liability and malpractice claims, governmental tort liability, and complex civil litigation in virtually all jurisdictions in Northern California. Mr. Beach's practice is a national leader in the field of Long Term Care and Health Care Litigation.
Areas of Practice
Representative Settlements and Verdicts: Wrongful Death and Catastrophic Injury
- Construction Site Death – explosion: confidential settlement, $10,000,000+
- Cycling Law
- Products liability, Burn : Confidential settlement, $14,000,000+
- Wrongful Death against Public Utility (Power Company) – confidential seven-figure settlement
- Traffic Accident, Trucking Death – confidential seven-figure settlement (maximum policy limits payment)
- Bicycling Injury, Car vs. Cyclist – payment of full insurance policy limits
Representative Clients
The CNA Group of Insurance Companies (as national and regional counsel), the Philadelphia Insurance Companies, Providence Group, Kindred Healthcare, Golden Ventures and Beverly Enterprises, Markel Shand, National Medical Services, Magnolia Risk Retention Group, The Farmer's Insurance Group, the Caronia Corporation and CNA Health Pro, Costco, Sun Healthcare, multiple municipal entities and cities and the Redwood Empire Municipal Insurance Fund.
Experience
Upon admission to the bar in 1986, Mr. Beach established a civil trial practice based in Sonoma County, and the primary emphasis of his practice has been the defense of care providers under the Elder Abuse Act, complex commercial litigation, and tort liability cases in all courts of the state. A significant portion of his practice includes representation of governmental entities in tort and civil rights cases, and litigation for institutional and private clients in all manner of litigation ranging from constitutional law and construction litigation to personal injury claims. He has completed over one hundred trials and arbitrations, and countless depositions, mediations and successfully obtained seven-figure and eight-figure settlements for clients seeking recovery for personal injuries.
Mr. Beach is an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated attorney* and selected to the Northern California Super Lawyer List. Mr. Beach has lectured for the California Continuing Education of the Bar on elder abuse litigation under the State's Elder Abuse statute. Nationally, he has presented numerous seminars on long term care litigation and trial practice across the country. He has been admitted pro hoc vice for purposes of trial litigation on behalf of major health care providers in several states and serves as both national and regional counsel for several major institutional health care providers.
Selected Presentations
- 2020: Covid-19: CDC and CMS Compliance and Liability Analysis, multiple private clients
- 2016: DRI Medical Marijuana Conference, Boulder Colorado.
- 2015: Legal Aspects of Medical Marijuana: DRI Health Care, San Francisco CA
- 2013: American Assisted Living Nurses Association, Phoenix AZ – Conference Kick Off - Mock Trial
- 2013: CNA Aging Services Practice Group Webinar – “Navigating in LTC World: How to Handle an LTC Case During the First 90 Days”
- 2012: DRI – CNA National Panel, Las Vegas, NV – “Effective Use of Medical Directors, Consultants & Department Heads as Witnesses”
- 2011: CNA Aging Services Practice Group Webinar – “Preparing the Medical Director for Deposition”
- 2011: DRI – CNA National Panel, Boston, MA – “Differentiating Normal Aging from Neurological Diseases and Implications for Causation”
- 2010: Sonoma County Bar Association – “Elder Abuse Law”
- 2009: Magnolia LTC Health Services, Vancouver, B.C. – 3 Day Mock Trial Project
- 2009: Arizona Health Care Association – “You Be The Judge! A Mock Trial on Common Liability Themes Asserted Against Long-Term Care Providers”
- 2008: DRI – CNA National Panel, Orlando, FL – “Deposition Strategy & Tactics – Experts”
- 2007: DRI – CNA National Panel, Las Vegas, NV – “New Trends: Long Term Care Defense”
Recent Trial and Litigation Results
Mr. Beach, along with partners William Anderson and Michael G. Miller, form the core of the firm’s litigation group and bring an average of six to eight cases to verdict each year. Recent trial verdicts include Mr. Beach’s successful result in Fujisawa v. National Medical Services, a large quasi-class action group of cases brought in multiple Federal and State jurisdictions. Mr. Beach served as lead trial counsel and successfully returned a defense verdict in the face of a $15,000,000 global demand. The case was tried to jury verdict in Federal District Court, Northern District of California. The defense verdict resulted in dismissal of all remaining claims nationwide.
Mr. Beach's $10,000,000 settlement in the 2006 Walnut Creek Pipeline cases is believed to be the largest wrongful death settlement obtained by a Sonoma County attorney. He has represented plaintiffs in catastrophic injury events resulting in eight-figure recoveries.
He has numerous trial results in over twenty Northern, Central, and Southern California counties.
Education and Memberships
Mr. Beach completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California at Davis, receiving his Bachelor of Sciences degree magna cum laude in 1982, and his Juris Doctor from U.C. Davis - King Hall in 1986. Mr. Beach is a member of the California Assisted Living Association, California Association of Health Facilities, and the Medical Malpractice and Construction Defense Subcommittees of the Association of Defense Counsel.
Community Involvement
Mr. Beach continues his community involvement as a board member and volunteer for a number of non-profit youth-based organizations, including CHOPS’ Teen Club, Team Swift and Neptune Aquatics, the Santa Rosa Downtown Development Association, St. Eugene's School and Parish, and the Catholic Business and Professionals Club. As a founding member of the Velo-Med Board, a non-profit organization comprising of volunteer health care providers, he proudly serves as the only non-health care provider (and only attorney) to participate in the organization.
*AV®, BV®, AV Preeminent® and BV Distinguished® are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards.
