Greg Bentley

Results Matter

Greg continues to fight for individuals and families whose lives have been forever changed by catastrophic harm. His cases have forced public agencies to redesign dangerous roads, corporations to recall unsafe products, medical groups to restore patient rights, and insurance companies to honor the promises they make.

His work has changed policies, changed systems, and changed lives.

CATASROPHIC INJURY & TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

$31,500,000 Jury Verdict — Dangerous Roadway / Traumatic Brain & Spinal Injury (2012)

Evans v. Caltrans, Los Angeles Superior Court
Greg represented a Los Angeles County prosecutor who suffered catastrophic traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries after a collision at a skewed intersection on SR-138. Greg uncovered internal Caltrans documents showing the agency had long known the intersection geometry caused drivers to cut across oncoming lanes, drastically increasing the likelihood of head-on crashes. Despite this, the agency did nothing to correct the dangerous configuration, even though feasible redesign options existed. During trial, Greg presented roadway design experts, human factors analysts, accident reconstruction modeling, and eyewitness testimony to demonstrate how the intersection itself created the hazard. The jury returned a $31,500,000 verdict, ensuring lifelong care for the client and sending a clear message that public entities must act when they know of roadway dangers.

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$26,075,000 Settlement — Construction Zone Traffic Re-Routing / Traumatic Brain Injury (2023)

Confidential Case
Greg represented a client who suffered a life-changing traumatic brain injury when a driver, confused by temporary lane striping and poorly marked detours, made a U-turn to access a convenience store. Greg’s investigation revealed that traffic control plans violated Caltrans and MUTCD safety standards, and site supervisors had been warned repeatedly about driver confusion in the area. Over 33 depositions, Greg established multi-party negligence involving the construction contractor, traffic engineering firm, site safety supervisors, and project managers. He retained 11 experts in traffic design, human factors, neuropsychology, life-care planning, and economics, proving causation, foreseeability, and long-term medical need. The matter resolved for $26,075,000 on the eve of trial, providing lifelong therapy, neurorehabilitation, and guaranteed structured financial support.

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$30,000,000 Settlement — Commercial Truck Driveshaft Failure / Traumatic Brain Injury (2018)

Dominguez v. Doe, San Bernardino Superior Court
Greg represented a 32-year-old mother struck in the face when a commercial truck’s driveshaft fractured, launched into oncoming traffic, and pierced her windshield. Through extensive discovery, Greg proved the trucking company ignored repeated mechanical vibration warnings, skipped required inspections, and knowingly operated a vehicle in unsafe condition. He retained mechanical engineering, trucking safety, and fleet maintenance experts who testified the failure was predictable and preventable under federal and state regulations. Greg also demonstrated profound cognitive and neurological harm through neuropsychological analysis, ophthalmological injury proof, and life care planning. The $30,000,000 settlement provided lifelong medical care, home support, and financial stability to the client and her family.

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$7,900,000 Settlement — Transit Authority Bus Collision / Traumatic Brain & Orthopedic Injuries (2023)

Chinchilla, et al. v. LA Metro, Case No. 20STCV16510 (Los Angeles Superior Court)
Greg represented multiple clients who suffered catastrophic injuries when an LA Metro bus driver fell asleep at the wheel and veered into pedestrians and parked vehicles near a sidewalk food stand. Greg proved that driver fatigue warnings were ignored, Metro had inadequate operator monitoring, and route staffing practices encouraged overwork. Medical imaging, orthopedic reconstruction records, and neurocognitive evaluation established long-term deficits and need for future care. After three years of litigation, Metro agreed to settle for $7,900,000, compensating medical needs, wage loss, psychological trauma, and future care.

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$2,548,400 Jury Verdict — Motorcycle Collision / TBI, Shoulder Injury, and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (2022)

Confidential Case, Orange County Superior Court
Greg represented a motorcyclist struck when a commercial truck improperly exited the HOV lane directly into the client’s travel path. The defense argued minor-impact biomechanics and disputed brain injury. Greg retained neuropsychology, orthopedics, and thoracic outlet specialists to demonstrate the injury mechanism and resulting permanent impairment. The defense offered $550,000 before trial. Greg obtained a $2,548,400 jury verdict, and with CCP § 998 interest and costs, the total judgment exceeded $3,300,000.

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CLASS ACTION

$720+ Million Class Action Settlement — CalPERS Long-Term Care Premium Increases (2024)

Holly Wedding, et al. v. California Public Employees’ Retirement System, et al., Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC517444
Greg served as co-lead trial counsel in a long-running class action on behalf of approximately 80,000 CalPERS Long-Term Care policyholders who faced a targeted 85% premium increase after years of assurances that premiums would remain stable and predictable. Over ten years of litigation, Greg and the trial team conducted dozens of depositions, defeated multiple dispositive motions, completed full expert discovery, and tried the case through two phases of trial. The matter resolved in 2024 for more than $720 million, providing refunds and payments to policyholders and securing a moratorium on future premium increases, along with attorneys’ fees, costs, and administrative expenses. The result delivered meaningful financial recovery and long-term security to retirees who depended on the benefits promised to them.

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WRONGFUL DEATH

$26,000,000 Settlement — Rear-End Freeway Collision / Wrongful Death & Catastrophic Injuries (2018)

Munoz v. Doe, Los Angeles County Superior Court
Greg represented a family traveling together on the freeway when they were violently rear-ended by a truck traveling over 75 mph, driven by a summer intern employed by a major construction company. The collision caused the wrongful death of a rear-seat passenger and catastrophic injuries to the surviving family members, including traumatic brain injury, facial fractures requiring reconstruction, spinal injuries necessitating surgical intervention, and permanent neurological and psychological deficits. Greg’s litigation efforts revealed that the company had no meaningful driver supervision protocols, no fleet safety training, and no verification of the intern’s driving competence or hours-of-service compliance. Fleet managers and supervisors admitted during deposition that they relied on informal trust rather than safety policy enforcement. Through life-care planning, vocational loss analysis, and structured settlement design, Greg demonstrated the long-term economic and medical impact on the surviving family. The matter resolved for $26,000,000, providing financial stability, medical care, and a measure of justice for the profound loss suffered.

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$16,000,000 Policy Limits Settlement — Construction Worksite Crane Incident / Wrongful Death (2025)

L.A. & E.A. v. Ontario Montclair School District, et al., Case No. CIVSB2209587 (San Bernardino County Superior Court)
Greg represented the minor children of Jorge Amador, who was killed while welding steel beams at a school construction project when a crane operator negligently moved and upended a suspended beam, causing it to swing and impact the scissor lift Mr. Amador was working from. Greg established that the crane crew and site supervisors failed to communicate lift sequencing, violated basic rigging safety protocols, and allowed unqualified personnel to operate heavy lift equipment. Through 21 depositions, extensive site documentation review, and download analysis of the crane’s onboard load movement system, Greg proved the beam movement was entirely preventable. After defeating a motion for summary judgment, defendants tendered full combined policy limits totaling $16,000,000, securing long-term financial care and educational support for Mr. Amador’s children.

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$12,000,000 Settlement — Public Entity Liability / Venice Beach Boardwalk Wrongful Death

Gruppioni v. City of Los Angeles, Case No. BC553109 / consolidated BC537145; Court of Appeal Case No. B280429
Greg represented the family of Alice Gruppioni, an Italian newlywed killed while walking with her husband along the Venice Beach Boardwalk, when a driver gained vehicle access to the pedestrian area and drove into the crowd. Greg uncovered evidence that the City of Los Angeles had long known the Boardwalk was vulnerable to vehicle intrusion and had repeatedly ignored internal recommendations to install protective bollards and traffic barriers. The City attempted to assert recreational trail immunity, arguing the Boardwalk functioned as a “trail” under the Government Code. Greg successfully defeated the immunity defense at the Court of Appeal, resulting in a published decision clarifying that public entities maintaining high-volume commercial pedestrian zones cannot evade responsibility through trail immunity. The $12,000,000 settlement remains one of the largest wrongful death recoveries against the City and led to physical safety redesign measures, including permanent protective barriers and a memorial placed at the site.

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$6,000,000 Settlement — Dangerous Roadway / Guardrail Failure Leading to Fatal Crash (2020)

Parks v. County of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Superior Court
Greg represented a mother whose 19-year-old daughter died when her vehicle left the travel lane on Bouquet Canyon Road and crashed into a ravine where no guardrail had been installed, despite the roadway’s documented collision history and known elevation hazards. The team conducted 39 depositions, gathered declarations from community members and law enforcement, and used topographic accident reconstruction modeling to show that a standard guardrail would have prevented the fatality entirely. Facing trial, the County agreed to a $6,000,000 settlement and subsequently installed guardrails along the stretch of roadway — a direct safety improvement driven by the case.

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PRODUCT LIABILITY & LITHIUM-ION BATTERY LITIGATION

$1,885,000 Jury Verdict — First E-Cigarette Lithium-Ion Battery Explosion Case Tried to Verdict in the United States (2015)

Jennifer Ries v. VAPCIGS, Riverside County Superior Court
Greg tried the first lithium-ion e-cigarette battery explosion case to a jury in the United States, representing Jennifer Ries, who suffered third-degree burns when her e-cigarette battery exploded while charging in her car. Through litigation, Greg established that unregulated imported lithium-ion cells were being sold with no safety circuitry, no manufacturing uniformity, and no thermal runaway containment features, despite manufacturers knowing these batteries were prone to catastrophic vent-with-flame failures. The defense offered only $15,000 to settle the case before trial. The jury awarded $1,885,000, the first verdict of its kind, which helped launch national awareness and litigation into e-cigarette and lithium-ion battery product failures. The case was later profiled by the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed News, and Greg appeared on The Dr. Oz Show to discuss consumer safety implications.

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More Than $60,000,000 Recovered Nationwide for Battery Explosion & Thermal Runaway Victims (2015–2025)

Following the Ries verdict, Greg became one of the nation’s leading attorneys handling lithium-ion battery explosion cases, representing clients across California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Texas, New Jersey, Minnesota and additional jurisdictions. Greg’s litigation efforts uncovered evidence that certain battery manufacturers and distributors knew their cylindrical lithium-ion cells were not designed for consumer vape products, yet allowed them to flow through gray-market supply channels into e-cigarette retail. The explosions caused severe burns, facial and oral trauma, blindness, nerve damage, and genital injuries, many requiring reconstructive surgery and long-term neurological care. Greg litigated dozens of coordinated actions, defeated multiple dispositive motions, and confronted international manufacturers who attempted to avoid U.S. jurisdiction. His work resulted in multiple confidential eight-figure settlements, regulatory pressure, and widespread public warnings about lithium-ion battery hazards. To date, Greg has recovered more than $60 million for explosion victims and continues to serve as a national resource to other lawyers litigating these injuries.

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$1,450,000 Settlement — Medical Device / Permanent Nerve Damage (2023)

Greg represented a client who suffered permanent nerve injury following treatment with the MiraDry System, a device marketed as using microwave energy to eliminate underarm sweat glands with “minimal, temporary side effects.” Over three years of litigation, Greg filed 10 motions to compel, forcing disclosure of internal testing data and adverse event reports that revealed the manufacturer had known for years that the procedure could cause long-term brachial plexus and peripheral nerve damage. Despite this knowledge, the companies failed to update warnings and even promoted application techniques that increased nerve-injury risk. The case resolved for $1,450,000, securing resources for ongoing neurological care, therapy, and long-term pain management.

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Confidential Eight-Figure Policy Limits Settlement — Defective Product Causing Paralysis (2022)

Confidential Case, Orange County Superior Court
Greg represented a client who fell 22 feet through a skylight opening concealed beneath equipment installed by a product developer and building owner. Greg proved that the fall opening was left unsecured, unlabeled, and unprotected, despite industry-standard fall-hazard requirements. After depositions of the general contractor, premises owner, site supervisors, and retained engineering experts, defendants tendered full combined policy limits in the eight-figure range, ensuring lifelong care for the client, who was rendered paraplegic.

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DANGEROUS ROAD / PUBLIC ENTITY ACCOUNTABILITY

$16,500,000 Settlement — Intersection Sightline Failure / Quadriplegia (2021)

Confidential Case, Pasadena; Los Angeles Superior Court
Greg represented a motorcyclist who was rendered quadriplegic after a collision at an intersection where the City failed to maintain adequate corner sight distance, preventing drivers from seeing one another until the moment of impact. Greg’s investigation uncovered city engineering documents, vegetation maintenance logs, and prior complaints confirming the City was aware that visibility at the intersection did not meet minimum national and state roadway standards. The City attempted to argue that drivers should simply “use caution;” however, Greg’s human factors and traffic engineering experts demonstrated that even the most attentive driver would have had no opportunity to perceive or react. Greg constructed a life-care plan and economic model documenting the client’s comprehensive lifetime medical needs, specialized housing, attendant care, adaptive technology support, and projected cost of living adjustments. The case resolved for $16,500,000, allowing the client to leave a Medi-Cal sub-acute facility and return home to receive the care he deserves.

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Highway 395 Head-On Collision — Global Resolution in Excess of $20,000,000

Confidential Global Settlement, Multiple Defendants
Greg represented 11 individuals — including two adult youth leaders and nine high school students — injured and killed in a catastrophic head-on collision on Highway 395. During discovery, Greg obtained Caltrans memoranda dating back to 1965, documenting agency awareness that the 6-inch Type A asphalt dike along the highway caused errant vehicles to “launch” back into opposing traffic at high speed. Despite acknowledging the defect internally, Caltrans chose not to correct it. Greg conducted more than 60 depositions across multiple agencies and contractors, retained roadway design engineers, crash reconstructionists, and biomechanical injury experts, and proved that the roadway’s design amplified rather than mitigated danger. The matter resolved for more than $20,000,000, holding public and private defendants accountable and bringing long-suppressed safety evidence to light.

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$31,500,000 Jury Verdict — Skewed Intersection / Traumatic Brain Injury (2012)

Evans v. Caltrans, Los Angeles Superior Court
Greg proved Caltrans knowingly maintained an intersection geometry that forced drivers into oncoming lanes, causing catastrophic injury. The $31,500,000 verdict remains one of the defining dangerous-roadway accountability decisions in the state.

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CONSTRUCTION & WORKPLACE INJURIES

$10,500,000 Settlement — Unsafe Worksite Walkway / Spinal Cord Injury (2025)

Confidential Case, San Bernardino County Superior Court
Greg represented a worker who suffered a devastating spinal cord injury when he tripped on an unpermitted, makeshift walkway constructed by his employer and overlooked for years by the building owner. The fall was captured on surveillance video, confirming no warnings, no fall protection, and no compliance with basic OSHA or Cal/OSHA standards. Greg filed both a civil third-party premises liability action against the building owner and coordinated a workers’ compensation action against the employer. Through depositions of property managers, safety supervisors, and corporate representatives, Greg established that internal safety complaints had been ignored repeatedly. The case resolved for $8,000,000 in the civil action and an additional $2,500,000 workers’ compensation settlement, resulting in a total recovery of $10,500,000, with the work comp lien fully waived — maximizing the client’s net recovery and long-term medical care resources.

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$5,000,000 Settlement — Concealed Roof Opening Fall / Traumatic Brain & Orthopedic Injuries (2022)

Confidential Case
Greg represented a subcontractor who fell 16 feet through a concealed hole in the roof of a school gymnasium construction project. A contractor had cut the opening weeks earlier and covered it with a duct cart, leaving it unmarked, unsecured, and invisible to workers. Greg’s site inspection and expert evaluation confirmed that standard fall-protection practices required the opening to be covered with a load-bearing safety plate and clearly marked as a hazard. Greg retained experts in construction practices, OSHA compliance, orthopedic trauma, neurology, vocational rehabilitation, and life-care planning, demonstrating permanent injury impact. The matter settled for $5,000,000, providing care resources and restoring financial stability for the client and family.

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$67,000,000 Judgment — Removal of Fall Protection / Catastrophic Injury (2017)

Confidential Judgment, California
Greg secured a $67,000,000 judgment on behalf of a construction worker who suffered catastrophic injuries after fall protection equipment was removed from a roofing project. Greg proved that the general contractor knowingly took down guardrails, exposing workers to severe fall hazards while attempting to accelerate project timelines. Internal emails, photographed jobsite conditions, and subcontractor communications confirmed that decision-making prioritized speed over basic safety protections. Greg established the lifetime medical, neurological, psychological, and economic needs of the client through comprehensive life-care planning. The judgment stands as a definitive statement that jobsite safety shortcuts carry enormous accountability.

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INSURANCE BAD FAITH & PATIENT RIGHTS

Confidential Eight-Figure Settlement — Underinsured Wildfire Homeowners (2020)

Confidential Case, Northern California
Greg represented multiple homeowners who lost their homes in the 2017 Northern California wildfires, only to discover that their insurance companies had dramatically underinsured their properties despite years of collecting premiums and promising comprehensive coverage. Greg proved that insurers used outdated software, intentionally low replacement-cost estimates, and misleading policy representations, resulting in systemic underinsurance across entire neighborhoods. After extensive litigation, including expert testimony from construction cost estimators, insurance industry standards experts, forensic accountants, and market valuation analysts, Greg secured a confidential eight-figure global settlement. In addition to financial recovery, Greg’s litigation efforts forced policy review reforms and contributed to broader industry scrutiny regarding chronic underinsurance.

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$6,196,175 Judgment — Failure to Defend and Settle Within Policy Limits (Bad Faith)

American States Insurance Co. v. H.L.C.D., Inc., Judgment Entered in California
Greg represented an insured defendant whose insurance company refused to defend and settle a wrongful death claim within policy limits, exposing the insured to catastrophic personal liability. Greg executed a strategic assignment of rights and covenant not to execute, then pursued the insurer directly for breach of the duty to defend and indemnify, as well as bad faith refusal to settle. The result was a $6,196,175 judgment against the insurer — a clear reminder that insurance companies must protect their insureds or face major exposure.

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$17,000,000+ Global Recovery — HMO Patient Transplant Interference

Confidential Resolution, California
Greg represented over 90 patients who were denied timely kidney transplants after their HMO transferred transplant services to a lower-cost provider without ensuring continuity of care or transplant program readiness. Many patients were removed from transplant lists, resulting in life-threatening medical consequences. Greg built the case using treating nephrologists, transplant program administrators, medical policy experts, and public health data, proving that the HMO’s cost-driven decision violated patient rights and standard medical practice. The litigation resulted in a settlement exceeding $17 million and compelled restoration of patient access to qualified transplant care — a system-level patient rights victory.

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$820,000 Jury Verdict — Wrongful Denial of MRI Leading to Brain Tumor Progression (Medical Benefits Interference)

Medeiros v. Beaver Medical Group, Jury Verdict, San Bernardino County
Greg represented a patient who suffered prolonged and severe headaches for months, yet her HMO repeatedly denied authorization for diagnostic imaging, including a brain MRI. When finally performed, the MRI revealed a massive brain tumor requiring emergency neurosurgical intervention. Greg demonstrated that the medical group interfered with the patient’s contractual right to benefits under her HMO policy, prioritizing cost-containment over medical need. A jury awarded $820,000, sending a clear message that patient care delays caused by bureaucratic denial carry consequences.

Additional Insurance Bad Faith Recoveries

Greg has secured additional multi-million-dollar confidential resolutions in cases involving wrongful claim denials after catastrophic injury, delays in authorizing medically necessary treatment, failure to tender policy limits despite clear liability and coverage rescission attempts following serious injury claims.

These results reflect Greg’s long-standing expertise in forcing insurance companies to honor the promises they make when issuing policies.

COMMUNITY & PRO BONO IMPACT

$3,773,150 Combined Settlement & Building Rehabilitation — Habitability & Tenant Rights

Villegas, et al. v. Vista Cahuenga, Los Angeles Superior Court
Greg teamed with Inner City Law Center to represent 28 tenants, including families and elderly residents, who were living in dangerous and unsanitary conditions in a multi-unit apartment building in Los Angeles. The case revealed long-term landlord neglect, including significant structural damage, rodent infestation, mold contamination, and repeated failures to correct known habitability violations. Greg’s litigation strategy focused not only on securing monetary compensation, but also on leveraging the lawsuit to force meaningful change. The case settled on the eve of trial for:

• $680,000 in direct compensation to tenants,
• $93,150 in relocation benefits, and
• a $3,000,000 building-wide renovation and rehabilitation, resulting in more than 100 units of safe, restored affordable housing.

Greg donated his attorney’s fee to Inner City Law Center to support ongoing advocacy for housing justice — reflecting his belief that trial lawyers should not only win cases, but strengthen communities.

Mentorship, Access, and Strengthening the Plaintiff Bar

Greg is deeply committed to mentorship and professional development, working to ensure the next generation of plaintiff trial lawyers are prepared, principled, and capable of trying cases to verdict. He frequently presents on legal topics at various trial lawyer seminars, hosted a large-scale mentorship gathering focused on building community within the plaintiff’s bar and served for more than a decade as Chair of the Palm Springs Trial Lawyer Seminar.

Greg’s mentorship philosophy is grounded in a simple belief:

The civil justice system is strongest when trial lawyers teach and lift each other.

Leadership in Protecting the Civil Justice System

Greg has served as:

• Past President of the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)
• Past President of the Consumer Attorneys of the Inland Empire (CAOIE)
• Past President of ABOTA Inland Empire
• Member, CAOC PAC Board
• Appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom as Vice Chair of the Judicial Selection Advisory Committee for Orange County
• OCTLA Hall of Fame Inductee

His leadership emphasizes preserving the right to jury trial, accountability for corporations and public entities, and ensuring injured people have access to real justice.

Greg is a Real Trial Lawyer. Give him a call to discuss your case.