Education

• J.D., McGeorge School of Law, 1994
• B.A., University of San Francisco, 1991 (with Honors)

Admitted

• California, 1995

Work History

• Partner – Daniels, Fine, Israel, Schonbuch & Lebovits, LLP (2003 to present)
• Associate – Daniels, Baratta & Fine (1995 to 2003)

Memberships, Awards & Honors

• State Bar of California
• Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
• Southern California’s “Super Lawyers” (by Law & Politics and the publishers of Los Angeles Magazine and Orange Coast Magazine) in 2013 and 2014
• Super Lawyers Southern California Rising Stars in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008
• DFIS&L was identified as one of Los Angeles’ “Go-To” Litigation Firms in Corporate Counsel Magazine in 2009

Areas of Practice:

General liability, Premises Liability, Personal and Commercial Vehicular Liability, Insurance Bad Faith Litigation, Insurance Coverage, Business Litigation, Complex Litigation and Appellate Work.

Summary:

Erin has over twenty-five (25) years of experience as a civil defense trial lawyer. Erin also handles appellate matters having argued before the California Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal and California First, Second and Fourth District Courts of Appeal. Erin has successfully written and argued numerous appeals including Bouton v. USAA Casualty Insurance Company (2008) 43 Cal.4th 1190 which was favorably decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008.

Her current pending cases involve representing individuals in large exposure and complex PI cases. Erin has significant trial experience representing both insurers in bad faith cases and insureds in liability matters. She has been busy in the courtroom for the last several years. In October 2019, Erin successfully represented high profile defendants in a mold case that resulted in a defense verdict in Orange County. Immediately following that case, Erin obtained a directed verdict in a wrongful death case in San Diego where her client’s caregiver murdered her client’s best friend in a planned retirement community. In February and March 2020, Erin tried a TBI case in the central coast where her client rear-ended Plaintiff while intoxicated and driving more than 102 mph. Plaintiff’s counsel asked the jury for approximately 25 million.

Erin admitted liability for the driver and the Judge granted a nonsuit for Defendant’s father on a negligent entrustment cause of action. Erin recommended that the jury reach a verdict for the driver between $650,000 and 1.8 million. The jury came back with a verdict just under 1.7 million. Recently, Erin got back into the courtroom in March of 2021 and prevailed in a neighbor property line dispute.

Erin has worked with insurers such as USAA, Travelers, State Farm, Crusader, California Insurance Group, Magna Carta, Public Service Mutual, Business Alliance, Nationwide, and Wausau.

Cases & Articles

Erin’s noteworthy California Supreme Court and appellate cases include without limitation:

• Graves v. United Services Automobile Association (2002) Cal.App. Unpub. LEXIS 6665;
• Lapekas v. United Services Automobile Association 217 Fed.Appx. 676 (2007);
• Bouton v. USAA Casualty Insurance Company (2008) 43 Cal. 4th 1190.