Brian J. Panish

Panish knew early on he wanted to be either a football player or a trial lawyer. While professional football was not in the cards, he notes a similarity between playing sports and fighting in the courtroom: Both are a kind of competition, with a winning and a losing side.

He has had his share of wins, obtaining some of the most significant jury verdicts in U.S. history. He won a $4.9 billion verdict in the landmark products liability case Anderson v. General Motors, six verdicts over $50 million, and more than 100 verdicts and settlements in excess of $10 million. He is co-lead counsel in the Southern California Fire Litigation and Porter Ranch/Aliso Canyon Gas Leak Litigation, as well as on the plaintiffs' executive committee in the North Bay Fires litigation.

"The No. 1 case for now until it's over is the Aliso Canyon/Porter Ranch blowout case against Sempra's SoCalGas," Panish said.

In October 2015, a natural gas well blew out in Aliso Canyon, leaking 109,000 metric tons of methane and affecting surrounding residents. The rupture took four months to permanently plug. Some 8,000 families were temporarily relocated due to the danger. William Gandsey et al., v. Southern California Gas Co. et al., BC601844 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Nov. 23, 2015).

A report by the California Public Utilities Commission blamed the gas leak on a corroded pipe, and found that SoCal Gas moved too slowly to repair the leak and did not maintain its wells properly.

The utility has agreed to pay $119.5 million to California and the city of Los Angeles to settle a pair of civil suits over the leak, but SoCalGas still faces the consolidated civil suits by property owners and residents.

The case, set for trial in June, was delayed because of court closures and discovery issues. SoCalGas was sanctioned $525,610 for failing to promptly release more than 100,000 documents.

"The court is going to get to trial. We just have to figure out how to do it in light of the environment we're in," Panish said, adding that 35,707 people "have been waiting for justice for over five years, trying to get their day in court.."

-- Jennifer Chung Klam