Wylie A. Aitken

Santa Ana • Plaintiff Catastrophic Injury, Business Litigation & Bad Faith Insurance

Wylie A. Aitken is a founding partner of Aitken Aitken Cohn and has a career spanning five decades.

One of his notable achievements includes securing a $54 million verdict for a 9-year-old girl, which is recognized as the highest individual injury award against the Federal Government. This verdict resulted from a trial against the U.S. government following an auto collision caused by a federal employee running a red light and colliding with the car in which the young girl was riding.

Aitken has also played a pivotal role in various significant tort cases, leading to precedent-setting decisions in both the California Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court. He served as the liaison for all state and federal actions regarding the MDL in Re Toyota, one of the largest MDLs in U.S. legal history, assigned to the Southern Division of the Central District of California.

In addition to his legal career, Aitken has an extensive record of community service and philanthropy. He was appointed by late Sen. Dianne Feinstein as chair of the committee responsible for screening and recommending U.S. Attorneys and federal judges to the White House.

Aitken, along with co-counsel in the Orange County oil spill class action, negotiated substantial settlements to compensate victims of the 2021 disaster, including businesses, workers and homeowners.

"As lead counsel along with two others in the Orange County Oil Spill Class Action, I had the unique opportunity to use law and trial talent to make a significant contribution to help protect the Coastline where I grew up surfing, diving, discovering sea life and nature by resolving the case in record time and help implement changes which hopefully prevent future incidents," said Aitken.

A court-approved $50 million settlement was secured for residents and business owners affected by the spill, along with a tentative $45 million settlement from multiple shipping companies involved in the incident.

Aitken also secured an $11 million settlement with the California Republican Party on behalf of a father who suffered a spinal cord injury in a freeway accident. This case exposed the dangers associated with lax standards of paid political campaign precinct walkers.

"The challenge in both cases was to overcome the relentless paperwork generated by the 'BIG' firms (others can decide if it is quality or quantity), keep things simple and targeted and always put your clients first, which will lead to the right decisions and results," Aitken said.

He also made history by becoming the first trial lawyer to sit on the American Film Institute (AFI) board of trustees.