Daniel S. Rodman

Bar Admissions

• California
• Nevada

Court Admissions

• Supreme Court of California
• Supreme Court of Nevada
• United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
• United States District Court, All Districts of California
• United States District Court, District of Nevada

Education

• Loyola Law School (J.D.)
• University of Southern California (B.S.)

Awards & Recognition

• The Best Lawyers in America®, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants (2024-2025)
  • Orange County Lawyer of the Year, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants (2025)
• Top 10 Most Impressive Defense Verdicts of 2023 for McDowell v. Ford Motor Company, Courtroom View Network
• Top 10 Defense Verdicts, Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals (2005)
• Top Lawyers: The Best of the Best in Southern Nevada, VEGAS INC. (2013)
• AV Preeminent^® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell^®

Representative Experience

Extensive Trial & Litigation Experience Areas

• Automotive/Motor Vehicle Litigation – defense of claims against motor vehicle manufacturers and suppliers involving rollover, crashworthiness, asbestos, and post-collision fire.
• Aviation – defense of aircraft products and components, and airline mass torts actions.
• Commercial Litigation – defense of contract and fraud claims and insurance class actions.
• Consumer/Industrial Products – defense of various products including pharmaceutical products and medical devices, motorcycle and bicycle helmets, industrial saws and machinery, electrical heaters, escalators, and amusement park attractions.
• Food Safety – defense of food and beverage manufacturers and distributors in foodborne illness claims.
• Labor/Employment – defense of management in wrongful termination, discrimination, and sexual harassment claims.

Recent Trial Experience

• McDowell v. Ford Motor Company – 6-week trial involving claims that carbon monoxide from a Ford Explorer police vehicle entered the cabin, rendered the driver unconscious, and caused a crash.
• Mendoza v. Ford Motor Company – 3-week trial involving claims that a wheel detached from a Ford Focus resulting in an accident and the death of the driver of another vehicle.
• Thabet v. Yamaha Motor Corporation USA – 4-week trial involving a fatal crash of a personal watercraft with claims that the watercraft failed to have off-throttle/off-power steering.
• Defries v. Yamaha Motor Corporation USA – 3-week trial involving the crash of a dirt motorcycle with a claim that a defect or negligence caused the throttle to detach from the handlebars and cause the crash.
• Fancher v. Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA– 2-week trial involving rollover of a Yamaha Rhino off-road utility vehicle with claims of defective handling/stability and crashworthiness.
• Edwards v. Ford Motor Company – 2-week trial involving claims of defective roof and airbags in a Ford Explorer Sport Trac resulting in the death of a belted driver.
• Troya v. Ford Motor Company – 3-week trial involving rollover of a Ford Expedition resulting in the death of the belted driver with claims of defective roof.
• Hightower-Brown v. Ford Motor Company – 3-week employment trial involving claims of disability discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination.
• Niemeyer v. Ford Motor Company – 2-week trial involving claim of airbag defects in a Ford Focus resulting in a death of driver.
• Cuevas v. Ford Motor Company –1-week trial involving a rollover of a Ford F-150 pickup truck with claim of defective steering components.
• Mauro v. Ford Motor Company – 9-week trial involving rollover of a 15 passenger van, with claims of defects in vehicle handling and negligent failure to recall.
• Lee v. Ford Motor Company – 7-week trial involving rollover of a 15 passenger van, with claims of defective roof structure resulting in quadriplegia to belted driver.
• Sorci v. Ford Motor Company & Mazda – 3-week trial involving a rear-end collision and rollover resulting in paraplegia to belted occupant, with claim of defective seat in Ford Probe.
• Mansur v. Ford Motor Company –10-week trial involving a rollover resulting in death to belted occupant with claims of defective stability, roof and seatbelts in Ford Explorer.
• Pillado v. Ford Motor Company – 5-month trial involving a rollover resulting in spinal cord injuries with claims of defective suspension and roof in Ford Aerostar van.
• Belen v. Ford Motor Company – Defense at trial of claims of defective seatbelts and sliding door in a rollover of Ford Aerostar van resulting in ejections and deaths of four belted occupants.
• Pansacola v. Malaysian Airlines – 2-week trial for wrongful termination and sexual harassment claims against airline supervisor.
• Cory v. Ford Motor Company – 3-month trial against a claim of a defective roof in a rollover of the Ford LTD resulting in quadriplegia to faultless, belted occupant.
• Gambill v. Ford Motor Company – 2-week trial involving a claim of a defective seat in Ford Explorer.
• Gozukara v. Ford Motor Company – 3-month trial against claims of defective vehicle handling and stability in rollover of Ford Explorer resulting in paraplegia.
• Deluca v. Ford Motor Company –1-week trial against claim of defective brakes in Mercury Mountaineer.
• Kocinski v. Bell Motorcycle Europe – 4-week trial against claim of breach of sponsorship contract brought by professional racer.

Professional Memberships and Activities

• Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow (2023-Present)
• American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow (2017-Present)
• American Bar Foundation, Fellow (2018-Present)
• Defense Research Institute (2005-Present)
• Orange County Bar Association (1991-Present)