Brett Schreiber

Brett Schreiber, a partner at Singleton Schreiber, has emerged as a leading figure in representing the underserved and tackling complex personal injury and civil rights cases.

In one of his notable cases, Schreiber secured a $16.4 million verdict against the California Department of Transportation for a 75-year-old woman who became paraplegic due to a falling tree limb. This case not only resulted in a substantial award but also highlighted the importance of state responsibility in maintaining public safety. Neely vs. Caltrans, 37-2021-00016990-CU-PO-CTL (S.D. Sup. Ct., filed April 16, 2021).

In another matter, Schreiber faced a challenging situation where a dangerous condition led to wrongful death and serious injury. After a hung jury in the first trial, he successfully negotiated a $4.8 million settlement, significantly higher than the initial offer and led to changes in road safety. Lopez v. City of San Diego, 37-2016-00027281-CU-PA-CTL (S.D. Sup. Ct., filed Aug. 9, 2016).

“Trying dangerous condition cases, like I have year after year, are some of the hardest but most rewarding and impactful cases we can try in the civil justice system,” Schreiber said. “Both of these recent trials demonstrate the power that a single individual can have in holding their city or state government to account. Our communities are safer today because these clients had the courage and fortitude to go the distance in trial.”

He also said that anytime one tries to hold the government or a product manufacturer responsible for harming someone, they have to overcome tremendous defensive attribution.

Jurors invariably think, “that would never happen to me,” Schreiber said.

“Additionally, jurors have incredibly low expectations of how their government functions. So, when you prove negligence by a government entity, jurors are often nonplused,” Schreiber said. “Put another way, you need to prove a conscious disregard of the safety of our community to get jurors motivated to hold their government accountable.”