Mary Alexander

San Francisco • Personal Injury

Mary Alexander, the principal and founder of Mary Alexander & Associates, has secured eight and nine-figure verdicts and settlements, gaining justice for survivors of various forms of abuse. Notably, she has been a vocal advocate for survivors of sexual abuse, representing dozens of victims preyed upon in diverse settings such as workplaces and dental clinics.

In addition to her advocacy for abuse survivors, Alexander has been a pivotal figure in major litigation cases. After the tragic Ghost Ship fire, she acted as the liaison counsel for plaintiffs and secured a $32.7 million settlement. This case emerged from a tragic fire in December 2016, where 36 people lost their lives in a warehouse with illegal living spaces and a concert venue. In Re Ghost Ship Fire Litigation, RG16843631 (Alam. Sup. Ct., filed Dec. 23, 2016).

Alexander's firm filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, holding the public entity accountable despite initial hurdles concerning immunity.

"It wasn't until we saw how often City of Oakland police and fire officials ignored the building being improperly used for housing and events that we were able to hold the defendants accountable," she said.

Another noteworthy she led concluded with securing a jury verdict for the families of two brothers who succumbed to cancer due to prolonged exposure to benzene at their workplace. Regina Eaves v. Ashland Inc., C16-00815 (Contra Costa Super. Ct., filed April 29, 2016).

"This case was a great example of how important it is to understand the science underlying a toxic tort case," Alexander said. "It's one thing to claim toxic exposure can lead to disease, but another to go through several pleadings, discovery and ultimately a jury trial to prove it. It was satisfying after the years of work by our team to get justice for the widows and children with the $21.4 million verdict."

Alexander has highlighted trends in the legal field, saying, "I believe there will continue to be an abundance of sex abuse cases brought in the future against various institutions. The change in look-back laws creates new windows for people to pursue justice. We've seen decades of litigation against Catholic dioceses (of which I'm heavily involved) and other religious institutions, nonprofit organizations (such as the Boy Scouts) and even large corporations such as Massage Envy and hotels. I don't know if we properly understood just how pervasive sexual misconduct was, especially against children, in the state of California. These next few years will likely see more litigation from people whose voices went unheard for all their lives."