John C. Taylor

Bar / Professional Activity

• Trial Lawyers for Public Justice (TLPJ), Sustaining Member
• American College of Trial Attorneys, Fellow
• American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Diplomate
• Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), Emeritus Board of Governors
• Sacramento County Public Defenders' Office, Clerk
• American Association for Justice (AAJ), Sustaining Member
• Member of the Board of Governors of Public Counsel
• CAALA, Board of Governors- Since 1985, Sustaining Member and Emeritus board member- 1997
• American Board of Trial Lawyers, Diplomate

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)

• Nagashima v. Hyatt Wilshire Corp. (1991) 228 Cal.App.3d 1006
• Nguyen v. City of Westminster (2002) 103 Cal.App.4th 1161 
• Rasmussen v. City of Los Angeles (Cal. Ct. App., Nov. 15, 2012, No. B234731) 2012 WL 5522738
• Janice H. v. 696 North Robertson, LLC (2016) 1 Cal.App.5th 586
• Santillan v. USA Waste of California, Inc. (9th Cir. 2017) 853 F.3d 1035
• Coats v. New Haven Unified School Dist. (2020) 46 Cal.App.5th 415
• $3.5 million settlement for a former special needs student sexually abused by his transport companion from 2019-2020., 2023
• $4.25 million settlement for a former student who was sexually abused by her teacher from 2009-2010 while attending Alexander Hamilton High School. , 2023
• $8 million settlement after a jury mistrial for a pilot who was severely injured in a crash at a small regional airport. A settlement was reached after a mistrial because of a juror's illness., 2023
• $2.97 million settlement for the sisters of Edward Manning III, who was shot and killed by Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies in 2017, 2023
• A cumulative $15.1 million settlement on behalf of four plaintiffs in four separate civil lawsuits against LAUSD who were sexually abused and harassed from 1999-2009 by five different teachers while students in the humanities magnet program at Grover Cleveland Charter High School., 2023
• $6M settlement for Plaintiff Jane Doe who was molested by a teacher, who despite having been terminated from another school district for improper relations with a student. , 2024
• $9.5 million settlement with the Los Angeles Police Department and City of Los Angeles on behalf of the family of Melyda "Mely" Corado, who was fatally shot by LAPD during the police pursuit of Gene Evin Atkins at a Silver Lake Trader Joe's. The settlement is the largest pre-trial settlement paid by Los Angeles in an LAPD shooting case, underscoring the financial and legal consequences of police negligence and the importance of officers adhering to their training, especially in high-risk situations involving bystanders., 2024
• $6 million settlement, while the jury was deliberating, in the fifth and final case against LAUSD for the sexual abuse and harassment that occurred from 1999-2009 by five different teachers against students in the humanities magnet program at Grover Cleveland Charter High School., 2025
• $2.2 million verdict against the City of Los Angeles on behalf of the father of a 26-year-old African-American male who was shot and killed in front of his family by Los Angeles Police Department officers. Eaddy v. City of Los Angeles, 2017
• $3.3 million verdict: Civil Rights/Wrongful Death—Police shot 16 yr. old boy running from vehicle after vehicle pursuit. Velasquez v. City of Compton
• $3.1 million verdict for battery and conspiracy against nightclub owner in business dispute with client who was kidnapped at gunpoint and shot when jumping from car to escape. Chao v. Ma
• $3.3 million verdict against the U.S. Border Patrol, to parents of 2 students killed when walking to school, struck by fleeing car chased by U.S. Border patrol agents. Murillo vs. United States of America
• $3.6 million verdict against Caltrans for Dangerous Condition of Public Property—Roadway design caused drunk driver to cross into oncoming traffic lane and collide with plaintiff on motorcycle with 10-year-old son, killing son and amputating plaintiff’s leg.
• $4.6 million settlement in a case where an unarmed man was shot and killed by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy. Bowers vs. County of Los Angeles
• $5 million settlement for a client who, while working as a student driver for a national trucking company, was raped by her Lead Driver.
• $5.1 million verdict for Insurance Bad Faith—Failure to timely resolve UIM claim. Defendant maintained a list of and discriminated against lawyers who primarily represented African Americans and Hispanic claimants and company policy to cases.
• $14.4 million verdict in a negligence case where an improperly serviced asphalt truck caused a chain collision on the freeway. Two people died and one suffered severe brain damage. Pascua/White vs. Industrial Asphalt, 1993
• $6.75 million verdict in police shooting case; Civil Rights/Excessive Force—Police shot plaintiff mistaking him for person they were pursuing on foot. Galal v. City of Long Beach
• $7.5M settlement in a wrongful death case where Kurt Reinhold was shot to death by police officers in San Clemente. This is the largest settlement against the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for a police shooting., 2023
• $7.9 million settlement on behalf of a woman who was sexually abused by her teacher at Grover Cleveland Charter High School during her time as a student., 2023
• $8.05 million verdict in a sexual abuse case where a 14-year-old female student was manipulated into a sexual relationship with her eighth-grade teacher. The school district was liable for its negligent supervision of the student and the teacher.  Jane Doe vs. Pomona Unified School District, 2016
• $10 million verdict in a wrongful death case against the LAPD, 30 years in the making. In a published decision, the California Court of Appeal upheld the verdict against Los Angeles Police Detective Stephanie Lazarus for the murder of Sherri Rasmussen more than 30 years ago. Nels Rasmussen et al. v. Stephanie Lazarus, 2012
• $12.9 million verdict for a truck driver seriously injured when the defective pallet jack toppled over on him at a delivery location. Munoz vs. Sierra Autocars, Inc., 2004
• $13 million verdict on behalf of a woman who was sexually molested by a paraprofessional while she was attending Daniel Pearl Magnet High School in Van Nuys., 2024
• $25.3 million verdict against the Westerly School, a private school in Long Beach, on behalf of a client who was subjected to sexual abuse over the course of his four years there. Stephen W. v. Westerly School of Long Beach, 2018
• $25 million verdict for a former student of Dos Pueblos High School in the Santa Barbara Unified School District who was sexually abused by an assistant coach., 2023
• $28 million settlement for seven women who were sexually abused by their first-grade teacher in the 1990s., 2024
• $35 million verdict on behalf of an adult woman who was raped by her adult, male track coach when she was a minor high school student at Pomona High School in the 1990s., 2024
• $18.6 million verdict for negligent entrustment of an automobile, where a company president allowed his wife to drive a company-owned vehicle four days after she failed the DMV road exam and caused serious injury to a motorcyclist. Mallabo v. Wan Hai Lines (America), 2007
• $5.4 million verdict in a sexual assault case where a 37-year-old woman was sexually battered and raped in a West Hollywood nightclub by a staff member. Janice H. v. Here Lounge
• $57.5 million verdict in an insurance bad faith action. Santesson v. Beech Aircraft
• $8.75 million verdict in a wrongful death case where an unarmed 29-year-old man was shot and killed by Los Angeles County Sheriffs. Montalvo v. Los Angeles Sheriff's Dept, 2012

Educational Background

• Ohio University

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

• Speaker on Ethics, Loyola University School of Law
• Speaker on Trial Advocacy, Whittier School of Law
• Speaker, Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)
• Speaker, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA)
• Speaker, American Bar Association's Products Liability Division
• Speaker, ABOTA Inns of Court
• Speaker, Nevada and Orange County Trial Lawyer Associations

Honors

• Selected as one of the "Top 100 Lawyers" in Southern California by Los Angeles Magazine's Super Lawyers Publication, Since 2007
• Selected to the LA Times Studios “Legal Visionaries” list, highlighting excellence, leadership, and forward-thinking impact in the legal field, 2026
• Selected multiple times by Los Angeles Daily Journal to the “Top Plaintiff Attorneys in California” list
• In 2022, John was named to the Lawdragon Legends list, and in 2026, John was named to the Lawdragon Hall of Fame, Selected multiple times by LAWDRAGON as one of The 500 Leading Lawyers in America
• Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC) “Civil Advocate” award, 2024
• Los Angeles Daily Journal “Top 100 Lawyers in California”, 2024 and 2025
• Honored as a 2026 LA Times Studios Law Firm Visionary, highlighting excellence, leadership, and forward-thinking impact in the legal field
• Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) “Trial Lawyer of the Year”, 1988
• Recipient, Superb (10 out of 10) Rating on the website Avvo.com
• "Top 10 Lawyers", Southern California list, 2011
• Recipient, "Trial Lawyer of the Year" Award from the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), 1988
• Selected, Southern California Super Lawyers (2004 – present)
• "Trial Lawyer of the Year", by Verdictum Juris, 1992
• Named in the Prestigious Woodward & White's Publication The Best Lawyers in America
• Named to Lawdragon's list of "500 Leading Lawyers in America"

Awards

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AV Preeminent®: This elite award is granted to attorneys who have been recognized by their peers for their very high ethical standards, with an average peer review score of 4.5 or higher.