Products Liability

Michael Rogers primarily represents national and regional automotive dealership clients in a wide variety of legal matters including consumer actions and complex litigation, federal and state regulatory matters, unfair competition claims, commercial and consumer litigation, labor and employment issues and franchise disputes. He has significant experience in effectively resolving high-stakes litigation and providing counsel for litigation avoidance and regulatory compliance. In addition to automotive dealerships, his clients include automotive affiliated businesses such as finance companies, flooring lenders, automobile service centers, and surety bonding companies. In addition to his extensive understanding of the complexities of the automotive industry, Michael’s particular experience includes successfully representing individuals and business entities in complex, catastrophic personal injury matters including products and premises liability litigation; representing employers on a wide range of employment issues including discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and wage and hour violations; and representing clients involved in breach of contract, unfair business practices, trade secret violations, and UCC litigation. Known for his straightforward, sensible and strategic approach, Michael also works hand-in-hand with clients in business transactions including corporate, partnership and limited liability company formations as well as business stock and asset sales, real property acquisitions, and commercial leases. While in college, Michael spent his summers working for the U.S. Forest Service as a wildland firefighter, including as a Hotshot and Smokejumper, parachuting into remote wilderness fires. Now he fights battles in the legal arena instead of the forests. His clients and courtroom adversaries find that the “in the trenches” work ethic Michael acquired as a firefighter makes him an exceptional advocate. Michael earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of San Diego and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. He is active in the automotive industry and in San Diego’s legal community and is a member of the California Independent Auto Dealers Association, the Defense Research Institute, the National Association of Dealership Counsel, the National Independent Auto Dealers Association, the San Diego County Bar Association and the San Diego New Car Dealers Association.

Jelena Tiemann prides herself on being warm and easy to talk to. She strongly believes in getting to know her clients and all the issues they may be facing, whether related to their personal injury case or not. Jelena has extensive knowledge of insurance companies and how to prevent them from limiting a client from a just and fair settlement, and she will spare no expense or effort to ensure that her clients receive maximum recovery. People from around Sacramento and Northern California come to Jelena not just for her expertise, but for her personality. Jelena Tiemann has been working in law firms for close to 15 years and has been licensed as an attorney for over 10 years. Ms. Tiemann completed her undergraduate degree in political science at Sacramento State University. Upon graduation, Jelena attended Lincoln Law School in Sacramento. Jelena has been a member of the California State Bar since 2003. Jelena was born and raised in Serbia. She immigrated to America when she was 17. She began her legal career working as a prosecutor for El Dorado County. After leaving the District Attorney’s Office, Jelena focused her career on representing plaintiffs in personal injury matters, which is now her sole practice area. Her efforts in 2013 alone include a $1.8 million dollar settlement in a wrongful death case, a $1 million dollar settlement in a fractured hip case, an $800,000 settlement in a back injury case and numerous maximum insurance policy limit recoveries on behalf of injured clients. She has helped clients in all types of accident and injury cases, including wrongful death, automobile collisions, slip and falls, and product liability cases.

The Law Firm of Leipow & Associates, P.C. was formed in the spirit of service and is dedicated to the representation of individuals and businesses that have been harmed by the actions of others. The firm is focused on representation of businesses and injured individuals in all state and federal trial and appellate courts. Licensed to practice law in Georgia, New Jersey and New York, my practice is focused on the Atlanta Metropolitan area, but I practice through-out Georgia and out-of-state where warranted. My experiences in business litigation include a variety of contract disputes between business entities, including asset purchase, distribution, service, and sales agreements. Every business dispute is unique and involves a different set of problems to solve for each business entity involved. Therefore I provide a comprehensive approach with each business client to achieve the most appropriate possible results. I also provide consultation to small and medium-sized businesses regarding general contracts, employment, and entity formation/transition issues. My experiences in personal injury litigation are diverse, including medical malpractice/ medical negligence, premises liability, products liability, and defamation litigation. I understand that individuals that have been injured as a result of the actions of another are often faced with great, and time-sensitive challenges. With the background of working as a defense attorney for many years with a large insurance defense firm, I use my insight into how defendants, insurance companies, and defense attorneys run cases to bring an advantage to my clients. My focus is on zealous representation to obtain the justice and compensation sought in a timely and efficient manner.

Gene Riddle is a founding member and managing partner of Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers, a law firm that employs 9 attorneys with over 160 years of combined legal experience. Gene is quick to stress his family’s deep North Carolina ties. A Stanly County native, he grew up in Aberdeen after moving from Albemarle. He has practiced law in North Carolina since September 1985. Gene’s parents were both educators. His father, a longtime superintendent of Moore County Schools, encouraged him to go to law school after college. Today, Gene believes honesty, integrity and willingness to work hard are the bedrock principles of a good attorney. That is what he and the other lawyers at Riddle & Riddle provide to their injured clients. Gene spends much of his time reviewing cases as well as instructing and supervising attorneys and paralegals. However, he also continues to directly handle cases as the lead attorney and he touches most of the personal injury cases that come into the firm. Gene takes on cases that involve serious personal injury in car accidents, truck accidents, dog bites, premises liability, wrongful death and violations of Constitutional Rights. In every case, Gene’s objective is obtaining an outcome that his client believes is fair. Riddle & Riddle Injury Lawyers serve in surrounding areas of North Carolina, including Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, Charlotte, and more. “The client’s goals are most important,” he says. “That has to be measured by what’s reasonable and what’s fair. Our guiding star is fairness. We’re about fairness. Justice counts.” Gene’s legal accomplishments have earned him several professional honors from his legal peers, including the 2014 Litigator Award. He also has a high AV Rating from Martindale-Hubbell as well as designation among the Best Attorneys of America and the American Trial Lawyers Association’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers. Additionally, he earned membership in the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums, based on verdicts won and settlements reached. Gene and his wife have two daughters and several pets, including a Westie named "Otis” who has been featured in several videos for the firm. Church activities are also an important part of their lives. In his free time, Gene enjoys several sports, including tennis, golf and skiing. *** Disclaimer: An attorney must meet certain requirements to join these organizations or receive these awards. For more information on Membership Criteria for Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, visit our Membership Criteria page. These awards and memberships should not be construed as a promise or guarantee of a similar result. Each case is different and must be evaluated separately.

Mr. Zucker earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1976. After gaining experience as a personal injury lawyer and an assistant district attorney, he founded our personal injury law firm in 1984. Mr. Zucker has since earned several notable awards, including a selection to the 2015 and 2016 editions of New York Super Lawyers and the New York Law Journal Motor Vehicle Verdicts and Settlements Hall of Fame.

Nicholas I. Timko is the managing partner of the firm of Kahn, Gordon, Timko & Rodriques, P.C. having joined the firm of Kahn & Gordon in 1998 to create the current firm. Mr. Timko has been practicing law since 1983. and is licensed to practice in New York and Pennsylvania. He is dedicated to promoting public safety through the civil justice system by holding corporations, businesses, government agencies, hospitals, doctors, manufacturers, and individuals accountable when their conduct causes harm and loss to members of the public. Mr. Timko has spent his entire career representing clients injured in all types of accidents resulting from unsafe conditions of sidewalks, roadways, subways, buildings, construction sites, defective products, vehicle accidents and those injured by medical malpractice. He has earned a reputation for fighting on behalf of his clients and always putting the clients' interests first. He is a highly skilled trial lawyer having tried many cases to verdict and resulting in multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients. He has also lead the fight to hold the City of New York accountable for unsafe sidewalks and roadways and its failure to comply with the prior written notice “pothole” law. Mr. Timko is past President of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) and currently serves on the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice and is a Dean of the New York State Trial Lawyers Institute, which is the educational arm of NYSTLA. He has received the highest professional and ethical rating, AV, from Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, and has been named to New York Super Lawyers®. Mr. Timko writes and lectures on various legal topics, working to educate other trial lawyers on how to better represent their clients.

Litigation attorney since 1983 specializing in all facets of trial work with over 125 jury verdicts in that time period representing both defendants and plaintiffs.

Mr. Bottar is one of upstate New York's most experienced and accomplished trial lawyers, with a track record of extraordinary recoveries for his clients. As the founder and managing member of Bottar Law, PLLC, he brings nearly 45 years of experience to the pursuit of cases involving birth injuries, brain and nerve injuries, amputation, paralysis, and wrongful death due to medical negligence, complex accidents, workplace injuries and defective products. Mr. Bottar has been continuously listed in The Best Lawyers In America® since 2003, and received its 2020 Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year award for Syracuse. Previously, he was recognized three times by Best Lawyers® as Syracuse's Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year (2018, 2014-15, 2009). Mr. Bottar has attained an AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating available for legal ability and professional ethics, is a fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America - Trial Lawyer Honorary Society™, and is a charter member and past-president of the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers (2010-2011). In 2001, Mr. Bottar was appointed by the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department to serve as a member of the Character and Fitness Committee for the Fifth Judicial District. The Character and Fitness Committee is responsible for screening and interviewing all Central New York applicants who are seeking admission to the Bar. In 2018, Mr. Bottar was appointed by the Presiding Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department to serve as a member of the Grievance Committee of the Fifth Judicial District. In 2021, Mr. Bottar was appointed Chair of the Grievance Committee. The Grievance Committee is responsible for the investigation, review and prosecution of complaints of attorney misconduct in Onondaga, Oneida, Oswego, Herkimer, Jefferson and Lewis Counties. Mr. Bottar has been listed in Upstate New York Super Lawyers® for plaintiff's medical malpractice and personal injury since the inaugural edition in 2007, and was named to its "Top 50" list for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Since 2011, he has been recognized annually by The National Trial Lawyers as one of the "Top 100" trial lawyers in New York State. He has also been honored by Lawdragon as one of the top 3,000 attorneys in the United States, and has earned life memberships in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum® and the Multi Million Dollar Advocates Forum®. Mr. Bottar regularly speaks or guest lectures at legal and non-legal functions, including ethics, tort and practice management classes at Syracuse University College of Law, and at annual updates on behalf of the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers. He is a past member of the Dean's Advisory Council at the University at Buffalo School of Law, a has been elected a Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation. Mr. Bottar has a long record of public service and is deeply invested in New York State's education system. He served as a Trustee of the North Syracuse Central School District Board of Education from 1988 through 1989, and as the President of the Board from 1989 through 1996. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Onondaga Madison School Boards Association from 1994 through 1996. In 1996, 2001, 2006 and again in 2011, the New York State Legislature elected Mr. Bottar to serve as a Regent of the University of the State of New York, the most comprehensive and unified education system in the nation. Over his tenure as a Regent, Mr. Bottar was Chair of the College and Career Preparation Work Group, Chair of the P-12 Education Committee, and was a member of the Higher Education and Professional Practice Committees. He was also Vice Chancellor of the Board from 2012-2016. In 2016, after 20 years and more than 10,000 hours of pro bono service to the State of New York, Mr. Bottar retired from the Board. Mr. Bottar resides in Manlius, New York, with his wife, Nancy, a registered nurse.

Sam G. Caras (samcaras@caraslaw.com) was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. After a youth marked by participation in sports, Sam attended Wright State University, from which he graduated cum laude. During his last two years of undergraduate education he worked as a legislative aid for the Honorable C. J. McLin, and as a laborer in several industrial plants. Sam enrolled in the University of Dayton Law School in 1977 and graduated in 1980. During law school he enjoyed the privilege to clerk for the Honorable George J. Gounaris of the Civil Division of the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court for three years, while working part-time for two years with the City of Dayton Prosecutor's Office. Following graduation from law school he entered into private practice as an associate in an insurance defense firm, focusing on civil litigation defense of motor vehicle accidents, products liability, insurance, and professional liability cases. For several years after becoming partner in the insurance defense firm his practice concentration increasingly developed in plaintiff's personal injury and wrongful death. In 1990 he left the insurance defense practice and has since been practicing almost exclusively in the areas of medical and professional malpractice, wrongful death, serious personal injury, insurance litigation, with periodic referrals for business and contract litigation. Sam has practiced before all levels of Ohio courts, including successful arguments before the Ohio Supreme Court. He also has extensive experience in federal practice, particularly including practice before the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, along with pro hac vice admissions in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama and U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

During the course of his career Attorney Aaron Rihn has helped his clients recover in excess of $40 million dollars in verdicts and settlements. He has tried cases to verdict in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and argued before a number of the highest appellate courts including both the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Rihn leads the firm in complex litigation matters, including class actions, wage and hour collection actions, pharmaceutical cases, civil rights cases, and other product liability cases, as well as appellate matters. Mr. Rihn was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the Federal Prempro MDL. He has been selected as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers Association, and is a former Pennsylvania Super Lawyer Rising Star. Aaron is also a member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multimillion Dollar Advocates Forum. Aaron wanted to be an attorney ever since he saw Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch has likely been an inspiration to generations of lawyers who are the conscious of the nation, and, along with the press, the best and last defense against tyranny. Aaron approaches his practice by getting to know his clients and understanding their motivations and expectations. He is dedicated to treating each and every one of his clients with respect, regardless of their background or education, and is very passionate about the law, and about his clients. Attorney Rihn tries to infuse that passion into everything he does - to resonate with a jury. Aaron grew up in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, a mill town just north of Pittsburgh. Like many other working parents, his free time is spent hopping from extracurricular activity to extracurricular activity with his three children, and he loves every second of it.