Biography

Christina J. Imre, who chairs the Appellate Group, specializes in civil appeals, writs and post-trial motions in business torts, insurance, and significant institutional matters. During her 30-year career, she has handled or consulted on more than 1000 appeals and writs (many after lengthy trials), in Arizona, Alaska, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Ohio, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania and Utah. Over 50 of her cases have resulted in published opinions, and she helped write the book on California Insurance Litigation — literally — as co-author of The Rutter Group’s three-volume California practice guide.

Her substantive specialty is major judgments, including punitive damages.  In recent years alone, she has reduced verdicts against her clients by over half a billion dollars.  As an expert in the field, she is regularly quoted and interviewed by the national media.  She also specializes in consulting with trial counsel in major matters, to assist in strategy, issue selection and preserving the record for appeal.

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

• Voted by her peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America, 2012 and 2011 editions.
• Named one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Los Angeles Law,” Los Angeles Business Journal.
• Voted by her peers, 2004 – date, as a “Southern California Super Lawyer,” Los Angeles Magazine.  
• Elected fellow, California Academy of Appellate Lawyers.
• Named in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, National Registry of Who’s Who.

Representative Appeals and Post-trial Motions

• Howell v. Hamilton Meats & Provisions, Inc. .  The California Supreme Court relied on her analysis in this watershed opinion, limiting tort personal injury plaintiffs’ recovery of medical special damages, a decision that will save defendants an estimated $3 billion per year.
• Martin v. PacifiCare of Calif..  Secured a published opinion holding healthcare service plans are not vicariously liable for the acts of those to whom they delegate duties, abrogating the common law non-delegable duty rule.
• Served as appellate counsel for Northern California Catholic Church in the clergy/abuse cases and for several other schools and church entities sued for failing to prevent abuse.
• Benson v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Bd. Court of Appeal adopted her arguments, abolishing a 40-year line of case law -concerning the apportionment of causation of an employee’s permanent disabilities — as inconsistent with legislative reforms to the California Labor Code.
• Watanabe v. California Physicians' Service. Secured the first California opinion holding that a healthcare service plan is not liable to enrollees for the performance of duties delegated to others.
• Six Flags v. Magic Mountain.  Secured a published opinion declaring a Labor Code statute unconstitutional.
• Hill v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., Court of Appeal affirmed summary judgment for mutual insurer against plaintiffs lawsuit, demanding the insurer disgorge its "excess" surplus to policyholders.
• Brodie v. Workers’ Comp. Appeals Bd., Coordinated and spearheaded statewide briefing leading to California Supreme Court victory on a $1 billion issue for employers concerning how to calculate an employee’s permanent disability under apportionment rules.
• Doe v. City of Los Angeles. Prevailed before the California Supreme Court in a unanimous opinion narrowly interpreting the scope of a statute reviving time-barred claims of child abuse against employers and supervisors of the actual molesters.
• Anderson v. Allstate. Eliminated entire $18 million punitive judgment against Allstate Insurance Company in the first “toxic mold” case tried to a jury in California in an unpublished 9th Circuit opinion.
• Goodrich v. Aetna.  Served as lead appellate counsel on appeal from $120 million bad faith judgment — the largest ever rendered nationwide in an HMO bad faith case, posturing for favorable settlement.
• Notrica v. State Fund. $20 million punitive damage judgment reduced to $5 million.
• Mosier v. SCPIE. $19 million punitive damages reversed with directions on appeal.
• Unpublished opinion. $25 million punitive damage award reduced to $5 million on appeal for 7 plaintiffs.
• $25 million punitive damage award reduced to $3 million, resulting in favorable settlement without the need to appeal.
• $18 million punitive verdict reduced to $2.5 million on new trial motion; remaining punitive award eliminated on appeal.
• $69 million punitive damage award reduced $50 million by new trial motion (balance eliminated on appeal).
• $60 million judgment vacated in its entirety and new trial granted.

Recent Representative Publications & Presentations

• Co-author of the Rutter Group’s 3-volume treatise on California Insurance Litigation.
• Yearly panelist at the Association of California Insurance Companies’ Annual General Counsel Seminar on the California Supreme Court and Litigation Trends.
• Panelist, "Update: Insurance Litigation," The Rutter Group, Los Angeles & San Francisco, since 2004.
• Moderator/panelist  “CEB's Annual Torts Practice Recent Developments Program,” since 1999.
• Panelist, “Shernoff Insurance Bad Faith Seminar,” Los Angeles, October 29, 2010.
• Speaker, “Litigation Inn of Court April 2010: Preserving Appellate Rights at Trial – Or Not?: When the Roles of Trial Advocates and Appellate Advocates Conflict,” Los Angeles County Bar Association, April 7, 2010.
• Author, 3 chapters of two-volume treatise, California Civil Appellate Practice (Cal. Continuing Ed. of the Bar)
• Presenter, Annual Legal Writing Seminars: 2002-date.
• Author of “Supreme Court Watch,” a monthly column for CEB Civil Litigation Reporter: 2000-2009.
• Presenter, “Writs: Taking Cuts To The Head Of The Line,” Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL) Seminar, Los Angeles, CA, May 16, 2007.
• Presenter, “The Litigation Gamble: How to Increase Your Odds,” Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West 15th Annual Palm Springs Getaway Seminar, Palm Springs, CA, January 26-27, 2007.
• Author “Taking the Initiative: Unfair Competition After Proposition 64,” CEB Civil Litigation Reporter, October 2006.
• Author “Divination California Style: 2006 Bodes to be Record Year for High Court Employment Decisions,” CEB Civil Litigation Reporter, February 2006.
• “When Is My Business None of Your Business?” CEB Civil Litigation Reporter, December 2005.
• “Checkmate In Two? California Supreme Court Issues Major Punitive Damages Opinions,” CEB Civil Litigation Reporter, August 2005.
• “Is Seaman’s Rising From the Ashes? The Ever-Changing Line Between Contract and Tort Remedies,” CEB Civil Litigation Reporter, June 2005.
•  “Blurring the Distinction Between Contract and Tort: the Resurrection of Seaman’s?” CEB Civil Litigation Reporter, February 2005.
• “With Malice of Afterthought: High Court Expands Malicious Prosecution Tort Against Lawyers,” CEB Civil Litigation Reporter, December 2004.
• Co-author, “Lawyers Beware: State High Court Ruling Expands Tort of Malicious Prosecution,” Washington Legal Foundation, Vol. 14, No. 14 (July 2004).
• Authored a 100-page Monograph on Punitive Damages After State Farm v. Campbell, published by the Washington Legal Foundation.
•  “Defending And Appealing The Punitive Damages Case,” Hartford, CT, September, 2004.
• Editorial consultant to Rutter Group and CEB on several publications; editor of six chapters for The Rutter Group treatise, Insurance Litigation, 2004-2005.
• “Tentative Opinions and the Right to Oral Argument on Appeal,” CEB Civil Litigation Reporter, April 2004.
• “Duty is in the Eye of the Beholder: Supreme Court to Wrestle With Thorny Landowner Liability Issues,” CEB Civil Litigation Reporter, February 2004.
• “Using Campbell at Trial and on Appeal,” Bermuda, October, 2004.
• CEB, “Punitive Damages: Maximizing Your Client’s Success or Minimizing Your Client’s Exposure,” August 7, 2004.
• Presenter, Insurance Brokers & Agents, West, Hawaii Blue Ribbon Conference, May 2004.
• Presenter, American Conference Institute, San Francisco, 2005, 2004, 2002.

Noteworthy Recent Published Opinions

• Howell v. Hamilton Meats & Provisions, Inc. (2011) 52 Cal.4th 541, 129 Cal. Rptr. 3d 325
• Martin v. PacifiCare, Inc.  (2011) 198 Cal.App.4th 1390, __ Cal.Rptr.3d ___
• Minkler v. Safeco Ins. Co. of America  (2010) 49 Cal. 4th 315; 232 P.3d 612; 110 Cal. Rptr. 3d 612
• Benson v. Workers' Comp. Appeals Bd. (2009) 170 Cal. App. 4th 1535; 89 Cal. Rptr. 3d 166
• Benson v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Bd. (2009) 170 Cal.App.4th 1535
• Watanabe v. California Physicians' Service (2008) 169 Cal. App. 4th 56
• Hill v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. (2008) 166 Cal.App.4th 1438
• Brodie v. Workers' Comp. Appeals Bd. (2007) 40 Cal. 4th 1313
• Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland, (2005) 128 Cal. App. 4th 1155
• Jonathan Neil & Associates v. Jones (2004) 33 Cal.4th 917
• Newell v. State Farm (2004)118 Cal.App.4th 1094
• State Farm v. Superior Court (2003) 114 Cal.App.4th 434
• Korea Supply v. Lockheed (2003) 20 Cal. 4th 1134