Civil Litigation

M.C. Bruce’s Notable Cases:

In one celebrated case, M.C. Bruce was able to obtain a $402,000 verdict for a client who had been slandered by a hospital administrator, resulting in the loss of his job. The pre-trial offer to settle had been $5000.

In another case, M.C. Bruce successfully defended a businessman who had been wrongly accused of fraud. The plaintiff had requested $1 million. The jury came back with a complete exoneration of M.C. Bruce’s client, and the court awarded the client costs of the suit.

When he worked for a major Los Angeles law firm, M.C. Bruce was able to obtain a dismissal of a spurious lawsuit against his client. The client was a widow raising an autistic child. The plaintiff had alleged that the late husband, before he died, had promised the life insurance proceeds to his brother. The case was dismissed after a vigorous deposition by M.C. Bruce and a summary judgment motion which the court granted.

If you are in a Civil lawsuit:

1. Consult a lawyer immediately if you think you have a suit that needs to be filed. The law only gives you a limited period of time to file a suit.
2. If you are the defendant in a lawsuit, an answer must be filed within 30 days of when you were personally served.
3. Do not talk to anyone but your lawyer about the suit.
4. Do not allow the opposition to talk to your employees or family about the facts of the suit.
5. Do not deal with the opposition lawyer yourself. He/she will use whatever you say against you in court.
6. Immediately preserve all documents and evidence which is important to your case. This includes emails, faxes, telephone call notes.