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Jason F. Meyer

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Jason Meyer focuses his practice on all areas of civil litigation including business and commercial disputes, class actions, employment, wage and hour class actions, copyright infringement, piracy, unfair trade practices, toxic tort, mass tort, and product liability. He has handled matters involving product liability, mesothelioma/asbestos claims, class actions, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).  Jason practices throughout the state of California with cases in all major cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, El Centro, Orange County, Fresno, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Jose, and San Bernardino, among many others. Having tried his first jury trial just nine months out of law school, Jason established himself early as a confident and worthy trial lawyer and is regularly called upon by members of the firm to try matters on their behalf. This has resulted in garnering experience in almost every area of litigation. Jason is also national counsel for numerous well-respected, national companies providing advice and oversight to local counsel, along with trial strategy and litigation support, throughout the United States.

Jason’s business and commercial litigation practice includes advising clients and litigating matters involving shareholder disputes, breach of contract, partnership and corporate dissolutions, product failures, indemnity and insurance disputes, asset valuation, banking, credit, lending, and commission disputes.

His employment and labor experience includes wage and hour disputes, wrongful termination, harassment, and racial and age discrimination cases. He is also responsible for the resolution of a large wage and hour class action matter with over 500 members which remains a record within firm history as one of the lowest class action settlements to date at just over $100,000 total. He has arbitrated and tried matters involving employment and discrimination claims. He also provides advice and counseling to numerous clients on the subject of employee handbooks, discrimination, wage and hour violations, wrongful termination, and FEHA and FMLA issues.

Jason’s environmental and toxic tort experience includes litigation and consulting throughout the states of California, Nevada, Texas, Oregon, Illinois, Idaho, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, Florida, Georgia, and Missouri. His practice involves a broad range of environmental laws including matters dealing with Proposition 65 claims, claims under the Polanco Redevelopment Act, hazardous substance laws (e.g. CERCLA), RCRA, diacetyl and chemical exposure, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), silica, asbestos, regulatory actions involving polluted properties, heavy metal exposure and property damage, air quality, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer, artificial flavorings and coloring, vape related products, tobacco, silica, latex, construction pollution, oil spill, oil pipeline rupture, underground storage tank pollution, land use law, and common law toxic tort actions. He also provides environmental consulting to a broad range of clients faced with groundwater, air pollution, regulatory violations, soil, and other contamination issues.

Jason has significant experience in tort and product liability matters, including wrongful death, catastrophic injury, disability, and debilitating injuries. He is familiar with developing medical issues, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and second impact syndrome (SIS).

He has experience defending corporate, educational institutions, and individual clients in the civil context involved with allegations of sexual misconduct. Often clients are met with the challenge of defending their employees’ actions associated with these allegations. Jason recognizes the importance of presenting a balanced picture of his clients in court. He is adept at identifying and using deficiencies in cases against corporate clients whose employees have been accused of misconduct.

Jason counsels and represents clients involved in copyright disputes. He protects clients from the piracy of their creative works and misappropriation of their trade secrets and confidential proprietary information.

Jason has significant trial experience and is one of GRSM’s elite trial attorneys. With multiple trials each year, his track record speaks volumes. Notably, in one instance, he was called to replace the defense counsel after jury selection, just before opening statements. Tasked with keeping the case under $30 million, he adeptly parachuted in and, within three weeks, secured a defense verdict for his client. Such feats are not uncommon for Jason, who recently settled a case mere weeks after being called to trial, showcasing his agility and effectiveness in the courtroom. He has also been recognized by his peers as a Super Lawyer and has been voted Top Attorney by The San Diego Daily Transcript four times.

Jason has tried numerous cases to verdict, including Superior Court jury and bench trials and binding arbitrations, with successful results in each.

He is an avid surfer and snow skier, traveling throughout the U.S. Europe, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and Polynesia. He also enjoys hunting, fishing, basketball, mountain biking, and playing guitar and singing in a band. Jason has also authored a children’s book, “Mischievous Maddie Makes a Mess,” inspired by his youngest daughter.

Representative Experience

Examples of Jason’s extensive experience include the following:

  • Obtained a favorable trial result involving claims of negligence and product liability against the firm’s client, a seed manufacturer. After six days of trial, the jury found that there was not enough evidence to support the plaintiffs’ product liability claim and delivered a negligence verdict that was a mere fraction of the amount that the defendant offered in settlement and far less than the plaintiffs requested in their demands. Read more here.
  • Obtained a defense verdict in a seven-week jury trial in Riverside Superior Court, in which he defended claims of breach of contract, trespass, nuisance, unfair business practices, and deceptive practices act claims.
  • Obtained a defense verdict in a six-week jury trial involving a large yacht company and the destruction of a $5 million yacht due to alleged fuel disruption to the main engines. Jason represented the company that sold and installed the Caterpillar Marine engines in the yacht and his client also altered the fuel lines as per instructions from the plaintiff.  The yacht exploded on the East Coast en route to the Miami Boat show.  After a six-week trial, the jury deliberated for approximately two hours and then returned with a defense verdict.
  • Obtained a plaintiff’s verdict in a breach of contract trial involving the complete remodel of a large custom home. The homeowner failed to pay for the work performed alleging that the contractor’s work was substandard. The court made a bench ruling in favor of the firm client within moments of the completion of closing arguments.
  • Tried a case in Santa Cruz County Superior Court involving allegations of toxic exposure to a minor of various chemicals and indoor air quality issues. Jason represented the company responsible for cleaning the chemicals and bringing the air quality back to normal levels.  After four days of trial, the plaintiffs decided to dismiss their case.
  • Successfully moved for summary judgment in favor of GRSM’s clients, Kingman International Corp. and The Sports Authority Inc. (“TSA”), which distributed and sold a paintball gun. The tragic wrongful death product liability case arose after a carbon dioxide cylinder separated from its valve and, propelled by escaping pressurized CO2, shot off of the valve and struck and killed Mrs. Contois at a paintball recreation park. The valve and CO2 cylinder attach to and power the paintball gun and had been tampered with by its owner. Mrs. Contois’ family asserted the paintball gun’s threads contributed to the accident. They sued Kingman and TSA for defective design and failure to warn. Jason argued that the manufacturer of the paintball gun was not legally responsible for an after-market component part (the tank and valve), which was tampered with by a third party and caused the death of Mrs. Contois. The trial court granted the motion concluding that plaintiffs could not prevail as there was no evidence that the paintball gun was defective; the improper alteration of the valve and cylinder assembly was an intervening superseding cause; and Kingman and TSA had no duty to warn of defects in other manufacturers’ products.
  • Obtained $1.25 million settlement in partnership dissolution dispute.
  • Served as lead trial counsel in an arbitration involving a business dispute regarding the dissolution of an employment/commission relationship and brokerage commissions resulting in a large verdict for the firm client.
  • Tried a breach of contract resulting in a favorable verdict for his client in a matter involving an explosion caused by a third party resulting in catastrophic injuries and property damage and the resulting remediation of the building and its surroundings.
  • Recently tried a matter that was dismissed after the first day of trial due to a rarely used statute involving a Homeowner’s Association.
  • Obtained a defense verdict in an employment discrimination lawsuit filed against a national retail store alleging racial discrimination and wrongful termination.
  • Recently completed a trial involving a massive clean-up of storage tanks at a large Northern California energy site. After a verdict was returned in favor of the plaintiff, the case was rendered moot on appeal.
  • Jason has also tried and arbitrated numerous personal injury matters on behalf of defendants and obtained successful results in each of those matters.

  • The Past Present & Future of Employment Law – Don’t Become a Statistic: Top 10 Rules for Avoiding Workplace Pitfalls and Employment Lawsuits, Guest Speaker, Lockton Law Day, 2017
  • Mock Mediation, Guest Speaker, Perrin Conference, 2016
  • Past Present & Future of Employment Law, Guest Speaker, Lockton Law Day, 2016

Admissions

  • California
  • Texas
  • New Mexico
  • U.S. District Courts, Districts of California

Memberships

  • State Bar of California
  • Surfrider Foundation
  • Bird Rock Surf Club, President
  • Ducks Unlimited
  • California Waterfowl Association

Community Involvement

  • San Diego County, Judge Pro Tempore

Education

  • J.D., University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 1997
  • B.A., History, University of California, San Diego, 1993
    • Provost Dean’s Honors List

Honors

  • Super Lawyers® distinction in Environmental and Business Litigation (2010-2016)
  • Top Attorney distinction in Real Estate/Construction Litigation, The San Diego Daily Transcript (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)

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