Garrett Sanderson III

Partner

About Garrett

Garrett Sanderson focuses his practice on products liability, class actions, business litigation and actions alleging violations of consumer statutes. He has successfully represented companies defending airbag, seat back, seat belt, class action, CRLA, Proposition 65 and fraud claims. He also has represented companies pursuing and defending against breach of contract claims. He has secured defense verdicts following jury trials and obtained summary judgments for firm clients in more than 50 cases.

Experience

Products Liability

  • Lead trial counsel in obtaining a defense verdict following the jury trial of an unintended acceleration claim against a distributor of European automobiles (six-week jury trial).
  • Co-trial counsel in securing a defense verdict for an industrial equipment company in a wrongful death products liability claim (five-week jury trial).
  • Obtained partial summary judgment, followed by an order striking the opinions of the opposing expert on a remaining claim during trial, leading to a judgment on all claims.
  • Obtained a summary judgment on one plaintiff’s claims in a multi-plaintiff case; obtained a defense verdict for clients following the jury trial of other plaintiff’s claims.
  • Obtained summary judgments for firm clients in more than 50 cases.
  • Served as lead counsel successfully defending an amusement park ride manufacturer.

Business and Commercial Litigation

  • Served as lead counsel for a contractor in the successful prosecution of claims against a public entity.
  • Served as lead outside trial counsel for the City of San Diego during the damages phase of an inverse condemnation action.
  • Served as lead trial counsel in successfully defending a major Japanese corporation against breach of joint venture agreement and fiduciary duty claims (defense verdict after two-week bench trial).
  • Served as co-trial counsel in a successful breach of contract claim in binding AAA arbitration, and as co-trial counsel in obtaining a verdict for the Regents of the University of California.

Reported Cases

  • Raymond Handling Concepts Corp. v. Superior Court, 39 Cal. App. 4th 584 (1995)
  • Serrano v. FMC Corporation, 221 Cal. App. 3d 1027 (1990)
  • Nejad v. United States, 724 F. Supp. 753 (C.D. Cal. 1989)

Credentials

Education
  • Santa Clara University, J.D., cum laude
  • University of San Diego, B.A.
Admissions
  • California
Courts
  • U.S. Ct. of App., Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of California
  • U.S. Dist. Ct., E. Dist. of California
  • U.S. Dist. Ct., C. Dist. of California
  • U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of Illinois

Recognitions

  • Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, “AV Preeminent,” for the highest level of professional excellence, 2021
  • Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, “Distinguished,” for the highest level of professional achievement, 2021
  • Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated AV®
  • Listed as a Northern California Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers 2006, 2009, 2014-15
  • Listed in Who's Who of American Lawyers 2000

Expertise

Services
Litigation

Publications

  • Author, “Romine v. Johnson Controls Improperly Expands California’s Consumer Expectation Test for Design Defect Cases to Risk­Benefit Scenarios,” Bloomberg BNA Product Safety & Liability Reporter, October 2014.