Results

• In 2024, argued appeal before California Court of Appeal and won ruling affirming prior trial court ruling in Mr. Vess’s favor.
• In 2023, recovered six-figure settlement for international artist from his New York art dealer.
• In 2023, recovered confidential settlement for family of best-selling author on sensitive matter.
• In 2022, obtained $3.5 million settlement from contractors following a failed development project.
• In 2022, obtained $500,000 from a Utah control system integrator for its work on an amusement ride.
• In 2021, recovered $2.5 million for the product failure of a Maine manufacturing company and its successor headquartered in Pennsylvania.
• In 2021, obtained settlements of more than $1 million from professional firms for failed oversight of a construction project.
• In 2021, recovered a confidential pre-litigation settlement for trust beneficiaries from a Washington law firm.
• In 2020, resolved a malpractice case against a prominent Los Angeles law firm for a confidential amount.
• In 2019, defended a case brought by an international design firm suing Mr. Vess’s clients for $300,000 in allegedly unpaid fees. The case settled with Mr. Vess’s clients receiving $4.85 million from the plaintiff.
• In 2018, tried and settled a fraud case against a leading San Diego architect. The State later revoked the architect’s license based on his dealings with Mr. Vess’s clients.
• In 2017, tried a case against a former court of appeal justice and a private judging company (JAMS). The trial was lost but shined a light on and caused change in the important industry of private judging.
• In 2015, sued a law firm on behalf of a San Diego school district, resulting in a confidential settlement.
• In 2015, won a jury trial against VIZIO, the television maker. The jury unanimously awarded more than $2 million in damages.
• In 2015, won a jury trial against a California developer, with the jury awarding more than $1.3 million in damages, including punitive damages.
• In 2014, won an appeal, reversing a multi-million dollar judgment against Mr. Vess’s clients. The Court of Appeal not only completely reversed the trial court ruling, it ordered a trial on how much Mr. Vess’s clients were owed on their claims.
• In 2014, obtained a $5 million settlement from an international law firm from the mishandling of a patent application.
• In 2013, obtained a confidential settlement in litigation against a celebrity divorce lawyer arising from one on the largest divorce cases the lawyer had ever handled.
• In 2012, won a trial against a Texas developer. The court awarded the exact sum Mr. Vess requested, in excess of $1 million. The client in the case was a former adversary whom Mr. Vess had bested in trial some years before.
• In 2011, won a jury trial against a national gift card company. Before Mr. Vess entered the case, the defendants were demanding they be paid. The jury unanimously awarded Mr. Vess’s clients even more than requested, and punitive damages, resulting in a judgment in excess of $1 million.
• In 2011, recovered $900,000 for the City of San Diego from contractors who removed debris for homes following the 2007 San Diego Wildfires.
• In 2009, won a three-week jury trial against a California developer. The jury voted unanimously to award the maximum amount to Mr. Vess’s client.
• In 2009, successfully represented the City of San Diego in the California Court of Appeal, which affirmed an order in favor of the City and against one of the nation’s largest law firms.
• From 2005 to 2009, recovered more than $14 million for the City of San Diego from professionals from around the country who caused or contributed to the City’s pension under-funding crisis. The City hired Mr. Vess to sue an actuary, two auditors, an investment advisor, and three law firms.
• In 2005, tried a plaintiffs’ case against a national food manufacturer before a Texas jury, resulting in a $2.2 million settlement for his shareholder clients.
• In 2004, won a jury trial against Gateway Computers, resulting in a confidential settlement.
• In 2004, obtained a judgment and confidential settlement from a La Jolla-based “architect” later convicted of felony charges stemming from the misrepresentations he made to Mr. Vess’s client.
• In 2003, won a month-long jury trial against one of the world’s largest engineering firms, resulting in a $7.6 million verdict. The next year, Mr. Vess successfully argued the case to the California Court of Appeal, which affirmed the judgment, resulting eventually in a $5.9 million settlement for Mr. Vess’s client.