Michelle Watkins has built a reputation for defending complex litigation throughout California for the government and entities in the construction, transportation, and manufacturing sectors. Her experience in high-exposure cases spans catastrophic injuries and fatalities to construction defects, premises liability, and environmental issues.
- Negotiated favorable settlements and multiple motions for summary judgment granted on behalf of public entities in civil rights and catastrophic injury disputes arising from alleged common carrier liability, police misconduct, and premises liability claims.
- Motion for summary judgment upheld on appeal on behalf of a crowd management entity defending against negligence and premises liability claims in connection with an alleged physical altercation at a sporting event by demonstrating that no admissible evidence existed in favor of plaintiffs.
- Successfully secured dismissals and waiver of claims for a crowd management company in hotly contested wrongful death actions involving alleged drug overdoses at concert venues despite extensive testimony from various witnesses.
- Motion for summary judgment granted in connection with a vehicle collision in a hospital parking lot on the grounds that the claims were barred by the statute of limitations and equitable tolling arguments did not apply.
- Motion for summary judgment granted on behalf of a public entity in a premises liability action upon successfully demonstrating the assumption of risk inherent in operating a motorized scooter on an allegedly uneven surface.
- Part of a team that successfully secured a dismissal for a grout manufacturer in a high exposure arbitration involving claims of product failure in thousands of tract homes.
- Speaker, For the Love of Ethics, CMCP Annual Business Conference, 2022
Admissions
- California
- Supreme Court of California
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
Memberships
- Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
- DRI Association of Lawyers Defending Business
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- State Bar of California
Education
- J.D., Golden Gate University School of Law
- Legal Merit Scholarship Recipient
- Teaching Assistant, Legal Writing & Research, Appellate Advocacy, and Real Property I
- M.F.A., Creative Writing, Columbia University,
- B.A., Political Science and Government, University of California Berkeley
- Quilici Merit Scholarship Recipient