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Clay Arnold

Founder and Of Counsel

Clay Arnold has built a successful law practice aggressively representing Californians injured by the negligent or careless actions of others. For forty years, Mr. Arnold has fought for full compensation for losses as a result of injuries or the death of a loved one.

Born in Sacramento on Feb. 13, 1947, Mr. Arnold attended Christian Brothers High School. In 1966, Mr. Arnold joined the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam in 1967-68 with the 589th Combat Engineers. Mr. Arnold received the Army Commendation medal for his meritorious service. He was discharged as a sergeant in January 1969, having served as a drill instructor and motor pool sergeant.

Mr. Arnold returned to his hometown and attended college and law school on the G.I. Bill while working full-time. He received his law degree from Lincoln University in 1975 and was admitted to the bar the same year.

The Arnold Law Firm was founded in 1975 with a secretary and a law clerk. From the beginning Mr. Arnold made a commitment to work for people rather than corporations. He began representing accident victims and also handled Workers Compensation claims. He soon discovered that he found satisfaction and fulfilment in the civil jury system and representing those who had been hurt through no fault of their own. Consequently, he began in 1980 to practice solely personal injury law.

As a trial lawyer, Mr. Arnold sees those he represents very much as individuals who might be friends or neighbors. Today, Mr. Arnold is a trial attorney who has limited his practice to Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Products Liability, Professional Liability and Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists cases. He loves trial preparation, working with the best experts in the world in areas of accident reconstruction, machinery design, manufacturing and medical causation. This has provided extraordinary challenges and rewards every day over his long career.

Mr.. Arnold was admitted to practice before the California Supreme Court in 1975, the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, in 1976, the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York in 1994, the U.S. Supreme Court in 1995 and the U.S. District Court, District of California, in 2008. He has served as Judge Pro Tem for Sacramento and Placer Superior Courts off and on since 1985.

Mr. Arnold has helped the continuing education of his fellow trial lawyers over the years. He has been a guest speaker and lecturer. He hosts the monthly Problem Solving Clinics for the Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association, a continuing education opportunity for plaintiffs lawyers in the Sacramento Valley. Mr. Arnold has taught Winning Your First Civil Trial sponsored by National Business Institute; Trying the Wrongful Death Case In California sponsored by National Business Institute (1999, 2000, and 2003);  Handling an Automobile Case From the Day the Client Walks Into Your Office Up Through Trial sponsored by CCTLA; Winning the Million Dollar Verdict sponsored by CCTLA; Auto Insurance Law and Accident Litigation in California sponsored by Lorman Education Services; MRI Problem Solving Clinic sponsored by CCTLA; California Mock Trial Judge sponsored by Constitutional Rights Foundation.

A past president of the Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association, Mr. Arnold has served on the CCTLA board in excess of 20 years. He is also an active member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, American Association for Justice, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Consumer Attorneys of California, and National Brain Institute. Mr. Arnold and his firm are active in supporting legislation to protect and advance the rights of injured persons. He also has worked over the years to knit together a national network of consumer attorney firms to handle major and complex injury cases.

After 25 years of practicing from his office on University Avenue, Mr. Arnold moved his law firm to a landmark building at the corner of Howe and Northrop avenues. The three-story structure is designed to handle the growth of the firm and to provide his ever-increasing list of clients with expanded service.  This new location has a fully operational private courtroom in the Sacramento area.

Outside his practice, Mr. Arnold has made significant community contributions. In 1992, he co-founded the Roseville Community School, which continues to serve the Sacramento area with an innovative hands-on approach to youth education. He has twice been appointed to serve on a Sacramento County advisory board where he helped to supervise building permits and reduce zoning violations. While serving with the board, he also helped craft a no-cost trash removal service that helps to eliminate the accumulation of unsightly and potentially dangerous waste. The Sacramento County Master Plan also benefited from two years of service by Mr. Arnold, including his successful efforts to secure federal funding for the Rio Linda Water Company expansion.

In 2009, the Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association awarded the Friedman Humanitarian Award to Mr. Arnold as a great example of a trial lawyer working for his community under the radar, donating time, expertise, and money according to the CCTLA. The Friedman Humanitarian Award honors exceptional public service, recognizing trial lawyers who have shown an outstanding commitment to their community.

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Educational Background

  • 1975 Lincoln Law School, Sacramento, California
  • 1975 Admitted to Bar

Military Background

  • Sergeant E-5, Drill Instructor, Motor Pool Chief
  • 589th Combat Engineering Company
  • Deployment to Quy Nhon, Pleiku and An Khe, Vietnam 1967-1968
  • Received Army Commendation Medal serving in Vietnam, 1967-1968
  • Soldier of the Month in March, 1968
  • Discharged in January, 1969

Practice Areas

  • Trial Practice
  • Personal Injury
  • Wrongful Death
  • Products Liability
  • Professional Liability
  • Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists
  • Class Actions
  • Multi-district Litigation
  • Accredited in Veterans Benefits

Reported Cases

  • Susanne Jacobs v. Fire Insurance Exchange (1995) 36 Cal.App.4th 1258
  • Mid-Century Insurance Company v. Ron Gardner (1992) 9 Cal.App.4th 1205

Instructor / Lecturer

  • Continuing Education on Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Claims
  • National Business Institute-Trying the Wrongful Death Case 1999
  • National Business Institute-Trying the Wrongful Death Case 2000
  • C.T.L.A.-Winning the Million Dollar Verdict1992
  • C.T.L.A.-Handling The Automobile Case…1994
  • Sacramento Consumer Attorneys (SCA):
  • Anatomy of a Civil Jury Trial(1992
  • Premises Liability(1992)
  • Handling an Automobile Case…(1994)
  • Uninsured Motorist Law-An Update(1996)
  • Uninsured Motorist Cases Part I and Part II(1998)
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution(1998)
  • Voir Dire-Picking the Unbiased Jury(1998)
  • Opening Statements(1998)
  • New and Old Treatment of Disk Injuries(1999)
  • Uninsured Motorist Cases Part I and II(1999)
  • Closing Arguments2000
  • Lincoln Law School Guest Speaker and Lecturer

Contact

Admitted to Practice

  • California Supreme Court System, December 15,1975
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, June 24, 1976
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1994
  • U.S. Supreme Court, August 11, 1995
  • U.S. District Court, Colorado December 21, 2011
  • U.S. District Court, Central District Court of California, November 18, 2008
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District Court of California, May 7, 2015

Memberships

  • Sacramento County and American Bar Associations
  • State Bar of California
  • Consumer Attorneys of California(C.T.L.A.)
  • Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association (CCTLA – Past President and Board of Directors for 21 years)
  • American Board of Trial Advocates(ABOTA) Advocate
  • Super Lawyers
  • The Million Dollar Advocates Forum
  • American Trial Lawyers Association
  • American Association for Justice
  • Sacramento County Bar Association

Awards

  • Trial Advocate of the Year (1997)
  • American Board of Trial Advocates (1999) Advocate Rank
  • Mort Friedman Humanitarian Award (2009)

SETTLEMENT

$60,000,000

Data Breach

The Arnold Law Firm reached a settlement in the Morgan Stanley data breach class action lawsuit.

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SETTLEMENT

$18,276,000

Qui Tam / Whistleblower

A whistleblower case exposing fraudulent practices in the state of California resulted…
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SETTLEMENT

$17,000,000

Data Breach

The Arnold Law Firm reached a settlement in the Kemper and Infinity data breach…
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VERDICT

$10,200,000

Motorcycle Accident

The Arnold Law Firm is pleased to report that our attorneys received a $10.2 million…
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SETTLEMENT

$8,000,000

Truck Accident

Late one spring afternoon, the Arnold Law Firm received a call from Angela, a young…
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JUDGEMENT

$3,900,000

Car Accident

The fatal collision between plaintiff’s Jeep Liberty and defendant’s Volvo truck…
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Settlement - $3,900,000

Car Accident

The fatal collision between plaintiff’s Jeep Liberty and defendant’s Volvo truck left Ryan Eisenbrandt’s surviving wife and parents with a judgment of $3.9 million, but the defendant’s insurance company refused to pay. This resulted in a second, intense legal battle between Plaintiffs and Defendant’s insurance company.

During the pendency of the wrongful death case, Defendant’s insurance company had filed a federal court action to rescind the defendants $1,000,000 insurance policy, claiming that defendant had made misrepresentations when applying for that policy. Initially, the federal court agreed with the insurance company, granting summary judgment that effectively denied recovery to the Eisenbrandts given the defendant was otherwise insolvent. The Arnold firm and the Eisenbrandts refused to accept this unfair outcome. They appealed the federal judge’s ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Ninth Circuit reversed the lower court and sent the case back to the same federal judge for a trial on the merits.

Christine Doyle of the Arnold Firm tried the case in February 2011 in front of the same judge who had previously thrown out the Eisenbrandt’s case. A unanimous advisory jury and the trial judge, after hearing the true facts about the insurance company’s effort to avoid responsibility, found in the Eisenbrandts favor. After four years of fighting for what is right, the insurance company was ordered to pay up.

Settlement - $8,000,000

Truck Accident

Morgan Stanley Class Action Data Breach Settlement Attained by the Arnold Law Firm

Late one spring afternoon, the Arnold Law Firm received a call from Angela, a young mother of three. She was calling from the hospital where her husband Christopher had been air-lifted for treatment of severe injuries from a tragic motor vehicle accident earlier that day. Angela’s mother, a past client of our firm, had encouraged her to give us a call.

As it turns out, Angela’s prompt contact with us was a very important decision for their family. Immediate representation allowed our team to secure critical evidence right away — appropriate storage and analysis of the vehicle to avoid tampering, timely professional photography of the scene, and interviews of involved parties — which ended up being imperative to the details of Christopher’s case.

A commercial vehicle had failed to stop at a rural stop-sign intersection, colliding with the compact sedan driven by Christopher, an active 33-year-old father. The impact caused extensive damage to his spinal cord in the cervical area. Despite multiple surgeries, rehabilitation programs for physical and psychological therapy, and in-home care, his injuries rendered him a paraplegic, paralyzed from the mid-chest. In an instant, life as he had known it was gone forever.

At the time of the accident, the at-fault driver of the commercial vehicle was acting within the scope of his employment with a large corporation. With the employer being directly liable, as such, defense counsel fought hard to minimize Christopher’s damages, claiming that his being unemployed at that time devalued his losses. Our legal team made sure Christopher’s true losses were represented, including his potential income, his options and mobility, his ability to provide for and support his family, and the lifetime of care he now needed. Christopher’s injuries also dramatically affected his spouse’s daily life, resulting in a claim on her behalf.

Furthermore, the extent of Christopher’s injuries were, in part, due to defects involving the dual-restraint system in his own vehicle. Despite the manufacturer’s efforts to deny any responsibility, the Arnold Law Firm established negligence relevant to his case.

The result was a settlement of $8 million — the largest pre-trial settlement for this type of case in the region. Christopher now has the resources to receive the ongoing care he now requires, improve the quality of his life and take care of his young family.

Verdict - $10,200,000

Motorcycle Accident

The Arnold Law Firm is pleased to report that our attorneys received a $10.2 million verdict handed down in Modesto. Defense counsel was Kevin Cholakian of San Francisco. The defense rejected a 998 within the $1 million policy limits three years ago. The highest defense offer was $350k.

The case involved a blind corner dirt fire road collision between a truck driven by the defendant and a motorcycle driven by the plaintiff Dan Nixon. THe plaintiff had no recollection of the collision. The defendant claimed that the plaintiff had too much speed for the corner and lost control. The plaintiff’s son (who identified the wrong curve in discovery) claimed that the defendant was on the wrong side of the curve, causing his dad to make an unsuccessful emergency maneuver. The jury assessed 70% fault to the defendant and 30% to plaintiff.

The plaintiff, now 50-years-old, suffered a dislocated right knee with popliteal artery rupture which has left him with an unstable knee, and permanently damaged lower leg. Because of vascular damage he is not a candidate for knee reconstruction or replacement. The plaintiff’s treating doctors testified that he will require an above knee amputation within 20 years. Past lost wages were $78,000 and past medicals were $570,000. The jury awarded $7.5 million in general damages (3 m. past and 4.5 m. future) as well as all future economic damages asked for by the plaintiff. The jury deliberated for 3 and a half hours.

Settlement - $17,000,000

Data Breach

Infinity/Kemper Class Action Data Breach Settlement Attained by the Arnold Law Firm

The Arnold Law Firm, along with co-counsel at Morgan & Morgan, and Mason, Lietz, & Klinger, and Wolf, Haldenstein, Adler, Freeman, & Herz LLP, reached a settlement in the Kemper and Infinity data breach class action lawsuit, also known as Irma Carrera et al. v. Kemper Corporation and Infinity Insurance Company, filed in the United States District Court Northern District of Illinois, Case No. 1:20-cv-01883. The settlement is valued at over $17 million.

The Honorable Judge Martha M. Pacold granted Preliminary Approval of the settlement on October 27, 2021.

In addition to substantial injunctive relief, the class members will receive access to Aura’s Financial Shield Services for a period of 18 months, up to $10,000 for reimbursement of documented out-of-pocket losses reasonably traceable to the Data Breach, up to 3 hours of time spent remedying issues related to the breach at $18 per hour, and $50 for Class Members who are California residents.

History of the data breach: On April 8, 2021, the Arnold Law Firm and Wolf, Haldenstein, Adler, Freeman, & Herz LLP filed the first class action complaint against Kemper and Infinity in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois entitled Irma Carrera Aguallo et al. v. Kemper Corporation and Infinity Insurance Company, Case No. 1:21-cv-01883. The complaint asserted claims against Defendants for: (1) negligence; (2) negligence per se, (3) violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200, et seq. – Unlawful Business Practices, (4) violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200, et seq. – Unfair Business Practices, (5) violation of the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.100, et seq., (6) violation of California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act, Cal. Civ. Code § 1750, et seq., (7) violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, Florida Statute § 501.201, et seq., (8) breach of implied contract, (9) declaratory judgment, and (10) unjust enrichment arising from the data breach.

Settlement - $18,276,000

Qui Tam / Whistleblower

Whistleblowers Represented by Arnold Law Firm Expose Fraudulent Practices by the Pill Club, Case Settled With California DOJ

The Arnold Law Firm and the Hirst Law Group represented two whistleblowers who helped expose fraudulent practices by a start-up online pharmacy company called The Pill Club.

The company allegedly used fraudulent practices to bill California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, for their services. The Pill Club is also alleged to have violated state laws by allowing nurse practitioners to prescribe contraceptive products to women without proper supervision or training from a licensed medical doctor.

For their part in blowing the whistle on the company they worked for, and as part of California Qui Tam laws, the whistleblowers and their attorneys recovered $4.9 million from the $18.275 million settlement paid to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the California Department of Insurance (CDI).

Settlement - $60,000,000

Data Breach

Morgan Stanley Class Action Data Breach Settlement Attained by the Arnold Law Firm

The Arnold Law Firm, along with co-counsel at Morgan & Morgan, Nussbaum Law Group, P.C. and others, reached a settlement in the Morgan Stanley data breach class action lawsuit, also known as In re Morgan Stanley Data Security Litigation, filed in the United States District Court Southern District of New York, Case No. 1:20-cv-05914-AT. The settlement resulted in a $60 million settlement fund to benefit class members.

The Motion for Preliminary Approval was filed on December 31, 2021 with the Honorable Judge Analisa Torres.

In addition to substantial injunctive relief, the 15 million class members will be provided access to Aura’s Financial Shield services for at least two years, which includes a $1 million insurance policy protecting each subscriber, credit monitoring, identity freezing, dark web monitoring, income tax protection and more services. The fund will also provide payments to people who submit valid claims for out-of-pocket expenses and/or up to four hours of lost-time incurred as a result of the data breach. Lost time allows victims of the data breach to be paid at $25 per hour for up to four hours of attested time spent dealing with the data breach. Out-of-pocket expenses can be claimed up to $10,000 if the costs or expenditures are fairly traceable to the data breach.

History of the data breach: On July 29, 2020, the Arnold Law Firm and Morgan & Morgan filed the first class action lawsuit against Morgan Stanley in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York entitled Sylvia Tillman et al. v. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC., Case No. 1:20-cv-05914. The complaint asserted claims against Defendants for: (1) negligence; (2) invasion of privacy; (3) negligence per se; (4) unjust enrichment; (5) violation of the California Unfair Competition Law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200, et seq. – Unlawful Business Practices; and (6) violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200, et seq. – Unfair Business Practices.

Settlement - $3,767,000

Truck Accident

A 20-year-old man who had been married for just 12 days left home on his way to work. He was driving on Pleasant Grove Road in Sutter County in the early morning when he came upon a slow-moving truck. As he pulled out to pass the truck, the truck driver turned left in front of him. The young man attempted to steer back into his lane but his vehicle struck an un-flagged piece of metal extending from the back of the truck. He died in the resulting crash.

Expert witnesses brought in by the Arnold Law Firm proved that the truck, owned and operated by a hauling firm, should never have been on the highway that morning. Specifically, the rear and side turn signals did not work and the rear-view mirror was in a poor state of adjustment at the time of the collision. As a result, the driver, who had failed to properly inspect the vehicle before setting out that morning, couldn’t see the young man’s vehicle as it attempted to pass.

The poor condition of the truck, its lack of maintenance and the manner in which it was operated were found to be substantial factors in causing the collision that killed the young man. The testimony also established that the man had been making a lawful pass at the lawful speed limit and acted reasonably when he attempted to avoid the collision.

The man’s 20-year-old widow was awarded $3,767,000.77, his parents were awarded $185,131 and the family was reimbursed $11,899 in funeral expenses. Though money is a poor substitute for a young man’s life, this verdict demonstrates that drivers who endanger the lives of others will be held accountable for their actions.