Carmen Santana is recognized as one of America’s Top 100 Civil Defense Litigators in Southern California. Since 2017, she has also been recognized by Super Lawyers in Southern California and as a top civil litigator by Pasadena Magazine. She speaks regularly at conferences, including with the Emerging Environmental Claims Managers Association, Defense Research Institute, and Pincus Professional Education.
Carmen handles complex multi-party and multi-district insurance and liability litigation at the state and federal levels in the fields of toxic torts, product liability, construction defect and personal injury cases involving catastrophic injuries. Her product liability and toxic torts practice involves the defense of mesothelioma cases, as well as silica, benzene, and mixed dust cases. In her construction defect practice, she has particular experience in the defense of subcontractors.
Carmen manages, defends, and negotiates products liability and personal injury cases involving toxic torts, construction defect, premises, automobile accident, and breach of contract claims. She has tried cases to verdict involving product liability, toxic tort, breach of contract, personal injury, and premises liability. She has started many other trials before successfully obtaining dismissal or favorable resolution for her clients. She also has experience trying remote video trials.
Carmen has drafted and argued demurrers related to punitive damages, striking causes of action based on component parts defense; summary judgment and adjudication motions based on lack of exposure, lack of medical causation, inconsistent prior testimony, component parts defense, and punitive damages; pre-trial motions, including motions in limine to limit or preclude evidence related to causation, exposure, expert opinions, corporate information, and witnesses; evidentiary hearings prior to jury empanelment for court to determine whether certain evidence and/or witnesses can be permitted, such as whether the plaintiff can claim certain damages or injuries.
Carmen has experience with deposing, presenting, and cross-examining medical and non-medical experts. Medical expert specialties include pathology, pulmonology, cardiology, oncology, and radiology. Non-medical expert areas include industrial hygiene, epidemiology, accident reconstruction, construction sequencing, and forensic economics. Carmen has prepared, presented, and cross-examined experts for various issues, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, colo-rectal cancer, esophageal cancer, pharyngeal cancer, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, silicosis, life expectancy, orthopedic issues, psychological and emotional issues, medical causation, accident causation, toxic exposure levels, business valuations, lost business profits, and forensic economics.