After less than 90 minutes deliberating, Dentons’ Trial Team achieved a resounding and complete trial victory for longtime clients First American Title Insurance Co. and First American Title Co., following a month-long, high-stakes jury trial in the Los Angeles Superior Court. This monumental win by the Dentons Los Angeles Commercial Litigation Team, led by Joel Siegel and Ron Kent, with help from a multi-office and multi-talented team of trial attorneys including Kristen Rodriguez, Uchenna Ekuma-Nkama, Andrew Gerson and Dominick Jaffe, brought to a triumphant close the lead case in a legal battle that had spanned two decades.

This landmark victory serves as a powerful reminder of why companies facing class actions have a choice to stand firm and prepare and take their cases to trial. In a legal landscape where many companies settle facing even the threat of class actions, First American’s decision to defend itself before a jury is remarkable—and demonstrated the tremendous culture of the company and its people. The result was a decisive and hard-earned win that not only upheld the company's position but sent a resounding message: with the right legal representation, perseverance, and strategic strength, a jury trial victory is not only achievable, but a triumph worth pursuing. For any company in a similar situation, this case is a clear and compelling endorsement of not shying away from a jury.

This case was a class action alleging fraud and negligent representation in connection with title insurance policies purchased by over 300,000 Californians. The case has been pending for almost two decades due in part to the Plaintiff filing four Amended Complaints to change their claims at various points of the case, in addition to appellate review before the California Court of Appeals.

Given the high stakes and complexities often involved, class action trials are incredibly rare, let alone before a jury. Congratulations to our lawyers and our clients.

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