John M. Anton

As the Partner in charge of the civil litigation department at Boxer & Gerson LLP, John Anton has been the lead attorney in more than 75 trials. When bad things happen, good people are suddenly robbed of their health, income, power and dignity. For more than 30 years, John has devoted his legal practice to exposing wrongful behavior, attaching to it the entire cost of its serious consequences, and helping his clients find justice.

With prior experience as a staff attorney on the California Senate's Committee on the Judiciary, John started his litigation career in the Sacramento County Public Defender's Office and subsequently worked for the Law Offices of Eugene Treaster in Sacramento, the Law Offices of Rodney Klein, and DeMeo & DeMeo in Santa Rosa. While in Santa Rosa, John was President of the Redwood Empire's Trial Lawyers Association and also served on the State Bar of California's Committee on the Administration of Justice.

Since starting with Boxer & Gerson LLP more than 20 years ago, John has handled hundreds of civil cases including serious injuries suffered by those working in the trades, including operating engineers, carpenters, pile drivers, painters, plumbers, sprinkler fitters, electricians, teamsters, and laborers.

John has been selected by his peers, and named by San Francisco Magazine, a Northern California Super Lawyer in personal injury litigation on multiple occasions. He has also published a number of articles in professional journals on topics ranging from "third party liability" for occupational hazards to seat belt issues and products liability generally to confidentiality of medical records and statute of limitations issues. He has been an incited speaker by many organizations over the years including unions, attorney groups, and medical groups where he has presented on tort reform efforts or attacks, health care reform, medical malpractice, vaccine and medical device litigation, and many other areas of interest. He formally served on the State Bar of California's Committee to Conger with the California Medical Association on topics of then current mutual interest.

John has represented the victims of numerous industrial accidents involving panelized roofs, cranes, power tools, conveyor belts, scaffolding, gas appliances, trenches, and more. He has also presented many vehicle cases involving cars, trucks, buses, forklifts, motorcycles, bicycles, and hot rods. His professional negligence cases have included not only doctors and hospitals but also chiropractors, accountants and engineers. He is a respected lecturer on torts, medical-legal testimony and medical device litigation, and has published articles on a variety of legal topics.

Just a few case summaries illustrate the depth and breadth of his experience:

• John and co-counsel represented the families of two men killed in the Walnut Creek jet fuel line explosion in 2004. The firm recovered some $16 million for dependents after extensive discovery uncovered liability on several defendants.

• John recovered $3.1 million for the wife and family of a 33 year old painter who was killed in a scaffold collapse during a Bay Bridge retrofit in 2002. Working with a team of metallurgists and mechanical engineers, Boxer & Gerson LLP was able to garner evidence that the company that produced the scaffold has exaggerated its capabilities to get the public construction contact and failed to build the scaffold according to the design.

• Boxer & Gerson LLP was able to obtain $3 million for the family of an HVAC installer/ repairman killed in a rear end accident with another commercial vehicle.

• After a truck on a highway construction project backed into a journeyman diesel mechanic, Boxer & Gerson LLP sued to recover lost past and future wages and emotional distress damages. The resulting $2.25 million dollar settlement helped the mechanic and his family regain their financial security and move on with their lives.

• After a Teamster warehouseman was hit by a forklift on a loading dock, Boxer & Gerson LLP Filed suit against the warehouse owner and a product manufacturer to prove the owner's employee was negligent in driving the forklift and that the product being transported was dangerous and defective. The union worker received a $2 million dollar settlement for his injuries.

• A jury awarded John's union electrician client $1.1 million dollars to compensate him for physical injuries, lost wages, and emotional distress he suffered after he fell off a ladder while replacing light fixtures on a tennis court. John demonstrated to the jury that the defective design of the light pole was responsible for the fall as nearly 10 years earlier the light was installed without a bolt that proximately caused the injury.

• Boxer & Gerson LLP won a $1.05 million dollar jury award on behalf of a union electrician who suffered a badly broken wrist when he fell over an anchor bolt on a construction site at UC Berkley. John was able to establish that a subcontractor left the premises in a dangerous condition and should have foreseen the possibility of injury.

• In another construction site case, John obtained $800K for an operating engineer who had fallen into a poorly marked and poorly lit pit on a seismic upgrade project.

• John represented a union carpenter who suffered a severe injury when a large rebar column fell on top of him, crushing his leg. The accident was ranked as the most severe sustained during the construction of Pac Bell Park. Although Cal-OSHA initially concluded that the general contactor did nothing wrong, the firm's investigation turned up evidence that proved otherwise, and the firm reached a substantial settlement for the client.

• Boxer & Gerson LLP took the case of a union member who suffered an injured foot while picketing when struck by a car involved in the dispute. The driver paid $370K for his actions.

• When a veteran steelworker was caught in 50 year old machinery and suffered permanent injuries, including the loss of an arm, John proved that the present owners were liable for the negligence of the machinery's manufacturer which it has acquired long ago. After lengthy discovery taking him around the country, John was able to work through successor companied to the present owner and successor in interest to the product manufacturer. A substantial seven figure settlement was then reached.

• Boxer & Gerson LLP Brought suit on behalf of a client who became a quadriplegic after using a backyard water slide. The firm argued that the product's design and warnings were defective and deficient and failed to guard against foreseeable injuries. A substantial confidential settlement was reached.

• A disabled veteran was driving his motorcycle in Oakland when a young lawyer suddenly turned in front of him, resulting in the loss of the rider's left foot and other injuries. Boxer & Gerson LLP was able to establish that the lawyer was at fault and that he was traveling on business resulting in a highly satisfactory settlement against his firm.

• A 14 year old boy in Berkeley riding his bicycle sustained significant head trauma when he hit a hole in the pavement caused by a leaking water main. The firm was able to establish the cause of the accident through extensive investigation and located witnesses who testified on the boy's behalf which helped deliver a structured settlement guaranteeing monthly payments for the rest of the injured boy's life.

• For more than a decade, a major waste disposal company paid eleven of its employees wages as much as $20 per hour less than the prevailing wage agreed upon with local government in the contract. Boxer & Gerson LLP, through extensive investigation, uncovered the full truth including a quote from a Vice-President who said, "what (the workers) don't know won't hurt them". A sizable settlement followed shortly thereafter for the collective lost wages over many years.