About Eric B. Johnson

thumbnailEric Johnson has practiced law throughout Washington, California and Minnesota for thirty-seven years specializing in civil litigation. He has tried over fifty cases to jury verdict(s) in civil and criminal cases and is a top rated trial attorney by peer review and leading legal service directories. Eric is a recipient of the Air Force Commendation Medal for career achievement in the defense of clients in felony-level criminal trials and is a twelve-time recipient of the Washington State Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Service Award. He frequently teaches trial and appellate advocacy at the University of Washington School of Law.

Eric began his legal career during law school working with Briggs & Morgan in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon graduating, he clerked for trial court Judge Henry W. McCarr in Minneapolis. Following his clerkship, Eric moved to the West Coast serving as a Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Tacoma/Seattle area. Eric built his practice in civil litigation working with Berger Kahn in Irvine and Los Angeles, California and later with Lane Powell in Seattle and Los Angeles before creating his own firm in 2001.

With an admirable record of winning for clients at trial and on appeal, the firm has always battled in a wide variety of civil actions. For years, Eric defended lawyers against claims of malpractice and these “case within a case” lawsuits visited almost every niche area of legal practice. This experience and a background in criminal law and procedure fostered utility and flexibility. Eric’s caseload today continues to present a broad mix of civil litigation while typically including complex tort and contract issues.  For the past several years, Eric’s practice has focused primarily upon defending and prosecuting complex personal injury cases.  For example, in litigation involving sporting activity, Eric successfully defended a national bicycle racing sanctioning body in a case involving claims of unsafe course design and course component products liability.  He has prevailed in a number of recent cases involving issues of premises liability and entity-defendants such as hotels, bars/restaurants, major league baseball/professional/amateur sports organizations, and commercial retail corporations.  Eric continues to represent manufacturers, designers, sellers, and renters of industrial tools and large construction equipment in numerous cases involving products liability, site safety, and severe personal injury such as loss of limb(s)/hand(s)/finger(s), spine, and traumatic brain injuries.

A representative sampling of jury trials and successful motion practice in the recent past include Jaeger v. Cleaver Construction, Inc., 148 Wn. App. 698, 201 P.3d 1028 (2009), a catastrophic landslide case where Eric’s cross-examination of engineering experts advanced a ‘failure to mitigate damages’ defense that ensured his client’s victory at trial and on appeal. In Aurdal v. Out-R-Way Farm and Sprint Corporation, Eric strategically used livestock law coupled with tailored jury instructions to obtain a defense verdict for his dairy farm clients in this personal injury action which resulted in a multi-million dollar verdict against co-defendants. In Beaver v. Kawasaki Motors Corp, USA and Donald Wright, a products case involving severe injuries caused by an exploding JetSki, Eric succeeded with expert discovery and by patiently isolating products liability issues from alleged negligent maintenance/use of the craft by his client obtaining summary judgment just short of trial. In two recent and memorable construction defect cases, Eric convinced the court to allow a “jury view” of alleged defects (in custom homes) busing jurors to the site(s) and setting the table for victories from the start of trial. In Mapfre Insurance v. Puget Sound Energy, Inc. and the City of Seattle, Eric defeated a motion to dismiss and made his clients whole by successfully linking cause and origin of a large natural gas explosion to a downed electrical line and the failure of the utility providers to properly survey gas leaks. In Werner v. Moore and City of Poulsbo, Eric convinced the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that his client’s claims of police excessive force (Taser, chokehold) required examination by trial allowing him to reach a favorable settlement for his client.

If you believe our firm may be of assistance to you please give us a call so we can talk, ask to speak with Eric, (206) 489-5530 or toll free at (888) 992-7872.