California Attorneys | Attorney Profiles

James C. Allen

San Diego, California
Partner

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James C. Allen is a partner in the firm. He has been with the firm since its inception in 1987. His practice focuses on trial work of all kinds. Mr. Allen has over eighteen years of trial experience and has tried over seventy-five cases since 1983.

Mr. Allen has tried a wide variety of cases as both plaintiff and defense counsel. He represents businesses and governmental entities as well as individuals. He has been hired by a city as special prosecutor to enforce criminal statutes and by a county to defend it in an employment discrimination case. He also represents individuals as plaintiffs' counsel. He has tried a number of cases involving toxic substances. These cases have involved both the contamination of real estate and human exposure.

Mr. Allen has special expertise in unhabitable living condition cases. He has obtained several multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for thousands of mobilehome residents in cases against the mobilehome park owner for failing to maintain the park. As a result of his courtroom success, he is oftern asked to testify for the legislature on bills which effect the mobilehome community.

He graduated from the University of Maryland and received his law degree from the University of Puget Sound. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego and has instructed new attorneys on the art of trial for the San Diego Bar Association.

We represented a non-profit organization which developed 116 low income rental townhomes and a six story office building in the City Heights neighborhood in San Diego. Soon after completion the occupants began to experience water intrusion and mechanical problems. We brought suit against the general contractor and architect for construction defects. The defendants claimed our client's damages were in the range of $4 million or less. The matter settled during trial for $11,375,000.

We represented 70 residents against the park owner who tried to illegally remove the residents from the park so that he could develop the property as a commercial shopping center. The owner tried to force the residents out by failing to maintain the park and closing the common area facilities at the park. When the residents tried to sell their homes, the park owner refused to allow the homes to remain in the park. A jury awarded $11,700,000 to the residents. The verdict was reduced by the trial judge and a judgment was entered against the defendants in the amount of $9,917,717.

San Diego Gas & Electric condemned a permanent power line easement over the Stonebridge community in Scripps Ranch which was to replace a temporary easement set to expire. SDG&E initially offered the Stonebridge developers $759,000 for the easement. We were then retained and demonstrated the substantial value of the property interests being condemned and the damages that resulted to the remaining property. We obtained a $10,650,000 in settlement before trial on behalf of the property owner developers.

We represented a group of industrial property and business owners who alleged that the County of Riverside had fraudulently induced them to enter into a contract to support the formation of a Mello-Roos district, and then breached that contract by not providing all the promised infrastructure improvements. After a six week trial, obtained a $3.9 million jury verdict based on the jury's finding of fraud and breach of contract.

We represented a City and Water Company in a complex water/power case involving not only Indian water rights but also the first contested Federal Energy Regulatory Commission hydroelectric project re-licensing case. See also Public Law 100-675,102 Stat. 4000 (1988) and amendments. (Firm members also participated in the drafting of federal legislation designed to settle thirty-year dispute over rights to the San Luis Rey River.)