Brian J. Panish

In June, Panish obtained a sizable confidential settlement for a client who was working as an electrician when he was severely burned and disfigured following an explosion in an energized electrical panel at a school chemistry lab.

“We settled right before trial,” Panish said. The explosion took place in April 2013 when the client, working as a subcontractor, was instructed to connect electric ovens to a spare circuit breaker in a college chemistry building. The general contractor had improperly bypassed the breaker. Panish’s client switched off the main breaker, believing it would disconnect electrical power to the building. But when he inadvertently touched the energized electrical panel, the resulting explosion caused him to sustain second and third degree burns to his face, neck and hand.

Panish said his client underwent reconstructive surgery, skin grafting and 12 days of hospitalization. “We continue to handle these catastrophic injury cases,” Panish said. “This one involved complex electrical engineering issues.” The settlement agreement required him to withhold the client’s and defendants’ names.

Nationally, Panish and colleagues are pursuing personal injury and wrongful death claims resulting from exposure to antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” known as carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae or CRE. Many victims were patients at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center infected by the use of defendant Olympus America Inc.’s duodenoscope in colonoscopies.

“We’re handling more than 30 claims,” Panish said. “Olympus warned people in Europe but not in the U.S. about proper cleaning procedures for its redesigned duodenoscope. The main breakout was at UCLA, where there were eight wrongful deaths.”

His lead plaintiff is an 18-year-old man who was infected with CRE when he underwent multiple procedures with a contaminated scope. Young v. Olympus America Inc., BC573399 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Feb. 23, 2015).

Panish was recently named vice president of the Inner Circle of Advocates, a group comprised of 100 top plaintiff lawyers in the U.S. The group praised him for having obtained more than 100 verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million, including 10 jury verdicts of more than $10 million.

“There are only five or six members in California,” he said. “Next year I’ll be president, and that’s a big deal.”

— John Roemer