- Public Entity & High Exposure Civil Litigation
Experienced • Responsive • Thorough
Ross Nott has been an attorney with Spinelli, Donald, and Nott for more than 25 years. Ross handles civil matters, trials and appeals involving unique, novel and/or complex legal issues, and substantial damage claims.
Ross initially started practicing law with a venerable Los Angeles plaintiff personal injury firm handling complex litigation, trials, and appeals before coming to Sacramento in 1995.
Since then, he has remained at the firm becoming a shareholder in 2000. Over the course of his more than 25 years of litigation experience, Ross has often been called upon to take over cases prior to trial when the exposure of the suit has become too much for other counsel to effectively handle. Representing clients ethically and aggressively, he has been able to provide successful representation for his clients obtaining favorable settlements or trial outcomes.
When handling a case from the outset, Ross is able to obtain key summary judgment rulings disposing of cases, orchestrate favorable settlements due to the preparation of the matter demonstrating the strength of the defense, and is always prepared to present his clients’ positions in trial, arbitration, and appeal when necessary to resolve the case.
Ross has 1st chair jury trial experience in sexual harassment, employment, insurance coverage and bad faith, spinal cord and brain injury, and products liability cases. In addition, Ross has substantial experience representing private and public schools in matters involving sexual abuse and assault cases (teacher on student and student on student) and Title IX litigation.
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Areas of Practice
- Title IX, Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault Litigation
- Catastrophic Personal Injury/Wrongful Death
- Employment Litigation and Counseling
- Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith
- Public Entity Representation
- Fire/Life Safety Property & Injury Litigation
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Education and Training
- Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law in 1994.
- Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of California at Davis in 1992.
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Admissions
- California State Bar (1994)
- Nevada State Bar (2014)
- United States District Court, Eastern District of California
- United States District Court, Northern District of California
- United States District Court, Central District of California
- United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States Supreme Court
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Affiliations and Engagements
- Association of Defense Counsel, Northern California
- El Dorado County Superior Court, DRC Volunteer
- Martindale-Hubbell “AV” Preeminent Rated
- 2005, 2019-2023 Northern California Super Lawyer
- Sacramento County Bar Association, member
- “Best of Sacramento” – Personal Injury Attorney – multiple years
- Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
- Placer County Superior Court Settlement Conference Pro Tem
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Representative Matters
- Federico v. Superior Court (1997) 59 Cal.App.4th 1207 – obtained Writ of Mandate from Third District Court of Appeal directing entry of summary judgment for employer who plaintiff alleged was liable for an employee’s sexual molestation of plaintiff minor whom he met at the worksite.
- Tucker v. Edwards – successful causation defense jury verdict obtained for defendant against plaintiff’s claims that accident/impact caused cervical myelopathy requiring neck surgery.
- Samstag v. Plaskolite – summary judgment upheld on appeal in favor of acrylic manufacturer accused of causing a crushed foot when box of product broke open, dropping 80 pounds of acrylic sheeting onto foot.Plaintiff’s evidence lacked the necessary element of causation as defendant demonstrated that the box could break open for any number of reasons apart from negligence.
- In re Fancy Nails Litigation – lead defense counsel in first ever community outbreak of Mycobacterium fortuitum infections causing permanent, disfiguring skin lesions in more than 110 nail salon patrons. Directed pre-litigation investigation, managed public relations, defended target defendant and successfully prosecuted products liability cross-actions resulting in settlement for less than client’s CGL policy limits.
- Miller v. Mauro – trial representation of defendant resulting in defense jury verdict in automobile case against plaintiff husband and wife seeking more than 4 million dollars for brain injury, 2 level cervical fusion and claim that plaintiff husband would never work again.
- Ponce-Bran v. Sacramento Natural Foods Cooperative, Inc., et al. (2000) US App.Lexis 11576 – successfully represented all defendants in a race, gender and national origin discrimination claim from the United States District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals by proving a legitimate business purpose in the hiring decision when a better qualified candidate applied for the same job.
- Williams v. Roebbellen & County of El Dorado – Successful Imminent Peril Defense case involving a claimed right-of-way violation as well as a dangerous condition of public property claim against the County of El Dorado. After colliding with defendant’s car, the plaintiff/motorcyclist was thrown over 150 feet sustaining substantial injuries to his pelvis, arms and legs requiring several surgeries and more than $600,000 in past medical special damages.
- Healy v. MCI/Worldcom – representation of executive in federal court whistleblower fraud trial recovering more than 4 million dollars in unpaid stock options, deferred income, general/punitive damages and attorney’s fees.
- Representation of school districts in major sexual predator/sexual abuse, student on student sexual cases and Title IX litigation.