Episode Details

This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Taylor Rayfield of Manly Stewart Finaldi (https://www.manlystewart.com/) and Tobin Lanzetta of Greene, Broillet & Wheeler, LLP (https://www.gbw.law/). 

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Episode Details:

California trial lawyers Taylor Rayfield of Manly Stewart Finaldi and Tobin Lanzetta of Greene, Broillet & Wheeler, LLP explain how they successfully represented their client Delia Flores after she was injured in a head-on collision caused by a driver whose employer was ultimately held responsible for his reckless driving. On a clear October afternoon in 2016, Delia was driving a Toyota Camry when she was hit head-on by an Audi attempting and failing to pass an 18-wheeler going 50 mph on a two-lane road. The Audi was driven by ConvergeOne, Inc. IT engineer Lewis Rocchetti, who was on his way home from work at 5:30 p.m. Because Lewis was a salaried employee who never officially clocked out and was expected to use his personal vehicle to respond to service calls, trial lawyers Taylor Rayfield and Tobin Lanzetta were able to utilize the vehicle-use exception to the Coming and Going Rule, holding Lewis's employer ConvergeOne, Inc. liable for Delia's traumatic brain injury and numerous orthopedic injuries. The defense countered that Lewis was not working or providing a benefit to ConvergeOne, Inc. at the time of the crash. In March 2019, a San Bernardino, California jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff, awarding Delia $2.6 million in damages, resulting in one of the top 50 personal injury verdicts in California in 2019.

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Guest Bios:

Taylor Rayfield

Taylor Rayfield is a seasoned trial lawyer who has dedicated her practice to championing the rights of survivors, obtaining substantial trial verdicts and settlements in the process. Before joining Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, Taylor made a name for herself by obtaining incredible results on behalf of victims across a wide range of areas, including sexual assault, many times in difficult cases against considerable adversaries. Her practice is focused on representation of victims sexual abuse across a broad range of areas, including those abused by coaches, teachers, family members, mentors, and religious personnel.

Never one to back down from a confrontation, Taylor obtained a $2,600,000.00 jury verdict for a woman who was severely injured after being involved in a head-on collision, after successfully convincing the jury that the employer was responsible for the acts of its employee under an exception to the “going and coming rule”.

Taylor also demonstrated incredible tenacity and negotiation acumen by obtaining a $1,650,000.00 settlement, on the verge of trial, for a student-athlete who was sexually abused by his Torrance High School wrestling coach. This resolution secured an important benchmark for nearly 30 other sex abuse victims who had lawsuits slated for trial against the same defendants. Taylor represented the high school wrestler, who was molested by his coach—Thomas Snider—despite prior allegations that Snider had sexually assaulted an 11-year-old boy on a camping trip. The Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) awarded Ms. Rayfield with the 2018 “Street Fighter of the Year Award” for her achievements in this matter—an award given to attorneys who achieve significant results in a difficult case.

Playing a pivotal role on the trial team, Taylor won a hard-fought verdict against a California ski resort on behalf of a woman paralyzed in a catastrophic ski accident. The jury awarded the plaintiff a gross