They, whoever they are, say that when it rains, it pours. Most of the time that means bad news comes in buckets, but occasionally, good news comes our way. In this case, my way. Not only did I have my first gallery opening for my photography last Saturday, but only one day earlier, California Lawyer put out a press release announcing that Mitch Jackson and I were CLAY (California Lawyer of the Year) Award winners for 2013. California Lawyer named 60 attorneys for 27 accomplishments in 21 areas of legal practice. Mitch and I won in the category of "litigation" for our "precedent-setting victory for pet owners when a court of appeal upheld a jury award to a married couple for emotional distress they were caused by the injury of their dog." (Press Release)
Mitch Jackson was the trial attorney and I handled the appellate work, all the way up to a petition for review to the California Supreme Court, which was later denied. The decision by the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three can be found at Plotnik v. Meihaus (2012) 208 Cal.App.4th 1590. It was a gratifying win for both us in a case dealing with years of harassment by neighbors against our clients. Our clients' dog Romeo suffered injuries, including a dislocated hip, when the neighbor hit the dog with a baseball bat. Being an animal lover, this was one of the best wins of my life (although my dog doesn't seem too impressed)!