Hon. David A. Rosen (Ret.)

Profile

Hon. David A. Rosen (Ret.) brings a wealth of legal experience to his role as a mediator and arbitrator at ADR Services, Inc. Throughout his career as a Judge and as a litigator, Judge Rosen has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to upholding justice and promoting effective dispute resolution methods. His deep-rooted understanding of the law, combined with his approachable demeanor and empathetic nature, make him an invaluable asset to those navigating the complex realm of alternative dispute resolution.

Judge Rosen was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2015. He began his career on the bench handling a criminal assignment and later transitioned to Family Law, where he served for four years. From 2021 to 2023, Judge Rosen presided over a civil assignment, overseeing a broad spectrum of civil and commercial cases. His expertise spans personal injury claims, products liability, business disputes, real estate matters, and employment lawsuits.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Rosen spent over 36 years at Rose Klein & Marias LLP in Los Angeles, where he held various roles including Associate, Partner, and eventually Managing Partner. Judge Rosen specialized in civil litigation and represented clients in a wide range of cases, handling trial preparation, trials, and appeals. He has particular depth of experience in Personal Injury, Toxic Exposure, Asbestos, and Employment matters. Among the notable cases he handled, from 1986 to 1996 and again from 2005 to 2009, he served as Liaison Counsel for the Los Angeles County Asbestos Litigation. Additionally, he helped to successfully manage the In re: Coordinated Latex Glove Cases from 1998 to 2003, and the Coordinated San Gabriel Valley Groundwater Litigation from 2003 to 2006. Judge Rosen was serving on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee of the NFL Concussion Multi-District Litigation when he was appointed to the bench.

As an attorney, Judge Rosen briefed and argued over twenty cases of various types before the California Courts of Appeal, two cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and four cases before the California Supreme Court.

Judge Rosen previously served on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Litigation Section and on the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice, the Consumer Attorneys of California, and the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. He graduated from UCLA in 1978 and received his J.D. cum laude from Loyola Law School in 1981.

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

Personal Injury: Products Liability, Toxic Tort, Defective Machines, Medical Devices, Drugs, Auto Accidents, Premises Liability, Wrongful Death

Workplace Accidents: Construction Accidents, Dangerous Premises, Defective Products, Toxic Exposures

Professional Liability: Medical Malpractice, Legal Malpractice

Employment: Wrongful Termination, Breach of Contract, Discrimination, Harassment, Wage & Hour, Class Action/PAGA Claims

Family Law: Child Custody, Child Support, Spousal Support, Property Characterization, Evaluation and Division, Parentage, Status, Attorney’s Fees

Business/Commercial: Contracts, Debts, Consumer Remedies

JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE

Judge of the Superior Court, County of Los Angeles    2016-2023

  • Civil Assignment, Glendale Courthouse, 2021-2023
  • Family Law Assignment, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 2017-2018, 2021
  • Family Law Assignment, Chatsworth Courthouse, 2018-2021
  • Criminal Assignment, Metropolitan Courthouse, 2016-2017

LITIGATION EXPERIENCE

Rose, Klein & Marias LLP, Los Angeles    1979-2016
Practice focused on civil litigation, handling trial preparation, trials, and appeals, especially in personal injury, toxic exposure, and employment matters.

  • Managing Partner, Los Angeles, 2001-2016
  • Partner, 1988-2016
  • Associate, 1981-1987
  • Law Clerk, 1979-1981

EDUCATION

  • J.D. cum laude, Loyola Law School    1981
  • B.A., University of California, Los Angeles    1978

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

  • Executive Committee, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Litigation Section, 2011-2016
  • Member, California Commission on Access to Justice, 2003-2006
  • Board Member, American Association for Justice, 2008-2016
  • Board Member, Officer, Consumer Attorneys of California, 1993-2016
  • Board Member, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, 1994-1996, 2005-2016

SELECTED PUBLISHED ARTICLES

“Briefing Witnesses for Deposition or Cross-Examination,” Forum, 2015
“Some Common, and Not So Common, Issues of Admissibility at Trial,” Advocate, 2010
“Use and Abuse of the Sophisticated User Defense,” Advocate, 2009
“Toxic Torts,” Forum, 2005
“Third Party Litigation and Workers’ Compensation,” Forum, 2003

Representative Cases

Asbestos

  • Handled thousands of asbestos exposure cases from 1981 through 2015, involving industrial, commercial, familial, military, and other exposure histories. All types of non-malignancies and malignancies; personal injury, wrongful death, survival, loss of consortium. Handled trial preparation, jury trials, bench trials, settlements, appeals.
  • Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel in Los Angeles Superior Court asbestos litigation, 1987-89, 1994-96, 2005-10. Creditors Comm. in JTThorpe, Thorpe, Western MacArthur bankruptcies.

Employment

  • Handled wage & hour case in United States District Court on behalf of a group of delivery truck drivers, resulting in a seven-figure settlement.
  • Wage & hour and WARN Act case in United States District Court on behalf of a group of employees of a shipping and trucking company, resulting in a seven-figure settlement.
  • Age discrimination case in United States District Court on behalf of several dozen plaintiffs versus a large tech employer.
  • Several individual employment disputes, including wrongful termination, breach of contract, discrimination, and harassment issues, each resolved for between five and six figures.
  • Handled three-week jury trial of breach of employment contract/fraud case.

    Environmental / Toxic Tort

    • Handled dozens of benzene and other BTEX exposure cases from 2004 through 2015.
    • Lockheed chemical exposure litigation involving over 20 plaintiffs, resulting in aggregate 7-figure settlement.
    • Santa Susana Field Lab. Chemical and nuclear radiation exposure cases.
    • San Gabriel Valley and Pomona water contamination cases involving hundreds of plaintiffs, resulting in an 8-figure settlement.
    • Handled Southern California Gas/Porter Ranch gas leak cases on behalf of approximately 20 families.
    • Handled Southern California Gas/Playa Vista Prop. 65 case on behalf of an environmental group.
    • Multiple Prop 65 lead, acrylamide matters.
    • Mold exposure cases.
    • Dozens of silicosis, other toxic exposure, and nuisance cases.
    • Handled a three-week bench trial of a family mold exposure case resulting in a six-figure verdict.
    • Handled a toxic exposure matter involving a single plaintiff versus approximately 25 defendants, which resolved before trial.

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    Family Law

    • Presided over hundreds of Family law cases in Mosk and Chatsworth courthouses, including RFO hearings, trials, and settlement conferences.
    • Numerous seven-figure familial estate cases involving issues of spousal and/or child support, child custody, parentage, status, property characterization, evaluation, and division, and attorney’s fees.

    Personal Injury

    • Member of Steering Commission for NFL brain trauma litigation, representing several dozen plaintiffs or their families.
    • Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel for latex protective gear litigation.
    • Intra-ocular lens litigation.
    • Serious injury automobile accident case, in which a nonagenarian pedestrian was run over by another nonagenarian while the latter was attempting to parallel park on a city street. Resolved for over $1.4 million.
    • Handled a complex auto vs. auto case involving issues of rental agency liability, CA Probate Code sections 550, 552, and 9390, as well as allegations of fraud.
    • Handled several sexual abuse of minor cases, including one in which plaintiff is aphasic and A.S.D.
    • Handled a three-week jury trial of an automobile defect injury case; defense verdict.

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    Professional Liability

    • Handled a medical malpractice matter involving eight defendants, resolved prior to trial.
    • Handled jury trial of a medical malpractice/sexual battery matter, which settled during presentation of evidence.
    • Handled a two-week jury trial of a legal malpractice case.