Singleton Schreiber

Gerald Singleton first represented wildfire victims following the 2007 complex of fires in Southern California. He and his father, Terry Singleton, who had handled fire cases before, took on about 1,500 clients from those fires.

Now, fire cases are the largest portion of Singleton Schreiber's practice. The firm currently represents about 10,000 clients who suffered losses from about 15 separate wildfires around the country, Singleton said.

In addition to offices in San Diego, Westlake Village, Santa Rosa, Sacramento and Yreka, the firm also has added offices in New Mexico and Oregon in the wake of fires there. Singleton is admitted to practice in Oregon and intends to be soon in New Mexico.

But the firm also handles other kinds of cases. In March, Singleton and co-counsel obtained an $85 million jury verdict in a civil rights case brought by the widow and two children of a man with mental health issues who died while being taken into custody by police. K.J.P. v. County of San Diego, 3:15-cv-02692 (S.D. Cal., filed Dec. 1, 2015).

The judge later tossed out the large wrongful death award but left $3 million for pain and suffering. Singleton said there is a tentative settlement awaiting approval by county supervisors.

In May, partner Brett Schreiber obtained a $16.4 million verdict from CalTrans on behalf of a 75-year-old woman who was riding her Harley-Davidson motorcycle home from work when a diseased, 6,000-pound branch of an oak tree broke and fell on top of her, leaving her a paraplegic. Neeley v. California Department of Transportation, 37-2021- 00016990 (S.D. Super. Ct., filed April 16, 2021).

CalTrans was responsible for maintaining the tree along a two-lane state road in northern San Diego County, Schreiber said. "What happened to my client is tragic. Unfortunately, it is a consequence of a systemic [maintenance] failure that has been happening at CalTrans far too long."

And currently, Terry Singleton, who is of counsel to the firm, is representing a former deputy district attorney who alleges Riverside County retaliated against him when he refused to prosecute someone he believed to be innocent. Gerald Singleton is suing the county on behalf of the innocent man.

Schreiber primarily represents plaintiffs in serious wrongful death and injury cases and only occasionally assists on wildfire cases. He and Singleton had collaborated on matters in 2019 when they were at separate firms.

They came together in their current firm around the beginning of last year. The firm now has about 30 attorneys and about 130 staff.

One reason for their success, they both said, is that they don't shy away from trial. "While the firm handles a very large volume of clients in the fire and mass tort world, we work up each & every one of those cases as if they are going to go to trial," Schreiber said.

Singleton said he doesn't settle a bundle of fire cases as a unit by use of a matrix or spreadsheet. Rather, he said, "it's 'what's this individual case worth? I think that's the only way you can do it and make sure each person gets a fair result."

For instance, while most claims against Southern California Edison from the Thomas and other fires are being settled through an agreed-upon protocol, he has about 40 larger cases brought by avocado ranchers and others that are not. "There are a lot of cases that don't fit into the protocol," including "people whose names are on streets in Ventura who've been [ranching] for generations that suffered losses in the eight figures."

There will be bellwether trials from among those cases, he said. "The ones that are going to go to trial are all ours."