Mike Arias

For three months in 2018, Arias was president of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and the Consumer Attorneys of California. He’s the first to serve as president of both organizations simultaneously and did it while managing cases and trials.

Specializing in employment, personal injury, class actions and mass tort litigation, Arias advocates for clients in and out of courtrooms. He isn’t afraid to battle some of the most well-known organizations in the world.

His legal joust with baked goods supplier Sara Lee Corp. lasted more than a decade. In it, he represented a class of independent distributors who accused Sara Lee of fixing the prices they could charge for its baked goods. Arias’ legal skills helped the case settle in March when Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ann I. Jones approved an agreement for $14.5 million. The distributors also won the right to negotiate prices and terms for Sara Lee’s goods. Kaewsawang v. Sara Lee Fresh Inc. et al, BC360109 (L. A. Super Ct. filed Oct. 10, 2006)

In another matter, he filed two class action lawsuits against the University of Southern California and its former employee Dr. George Tyndall. Arias also represents dozens of clients in individual actions, who claim the school allowed Tyndall to systemically sexually abuse students.

The cases stem from thousands of women who claim they were sexually abused and photographed by the physician who practiced at the school’s Engemann Student Health Center from 1987 until his suspension in 2016. Jane Doe 1 v. University of Southern California et al., BC707655 (L. A. Super Ct. filed May 25, 2018)

“When you have such institutional failures or such widespread corporate failures you’re only going to be able to make an impact and correct those if the institution or the corporation is concerned about its economic exposure and its public reception,” Arias said. “One person claims a problem, they don’t worry about it as much. They just always seem to be more reactive and more responsive when they know there is a larger number.”

In another class action, Arias represented residents from 1,100 homes in Sylmar and Granada Hills who sued the owners of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill. The plaintiffs claimed pollutants and odors emanating from the landfill devalued the neighboring properties. Last summer, Arias helped secure a $9.5 million win for his clients. Yeshayahu Michaely v. Browning-Ferris Industries of California Inc., BC497125 (L. A. Super Ct. filed Dec. 11, 2012)

“Corporate misconduct has existed for decades and will always continue to exist because those business are driven by profits and those profits many times are earned on the backs of employees,” Arias said of his work.

As president of Consumer Attorneys of California, Arias works to promote more consumer and employee-friendly laws. For example, the organization is fighting to end forced arbitration agreements in the workplace and extend the statute of limitation for plaintiffs to pursue claims of sexual harassment and assault.

“We’re more focused on legislation, politics; We spend a lot of time proposing laws in Sacramento and fighting laws that are hurtful to consumers,” Arias said.

— Carter Stoddard