Christian Green is an experienced litigator with an impressive record of courtroom successes throughout Northern and Central California. Christian has successfully resolved many cases through jury trials, bench trials, binding arbitrations, trials by judicial reference, summary judgment and mediated settlement. In his nearly 30 years of practice his clients have ranged from individuals with modest personal policies to Fortune 500 companies with multiple layers of excess coverage, and nearly everything in between.
Regardless of the size of the case, or notoriety of the client, Christian holds the clients’ interests paramount and works hard to deliver results that achieve and exceed their business goals. Christian recognizes the value, even necessity, of a client who is both well informed and engaged, and to that end partners with his clients, understanding what is most important to them, while providing attentive and responsive service. He is well versed in personal injury defense, premises liability, commercial litigation, transportation claims and professional liability matters.
Christian’s deep experience within the insurance defense industry allows him to identify impediments to resolution early on in a case, accurately determine and evaluate exposures, and develop action plans in cost-sensible ways. With that focus, Christian works efficiently to address those areas in dispute by marshaling evidence, leveraging tactical advantages and effectively preparing a case for resolution on terms favorable to his client, or trial if warranted.
Before joining Wilson, Elser, Christian worked for more than 25 years as Senior Litigation Counsel for a large insurance company, and later as that company’s Managing Trial Attorney/Director supervising its offices in San Francisco and Sacramento, California; Seattle, Washington; and Scottsdale, Arizona. Having managed both litigation and litigators, he has a perspective particularly beneficial to corporate clients in their efforts to achieve favorable cost-controlled outcomes. And, having spent the entirety of his career in insurance defense or as Litigation Counsel, he is highly familiar with and sensitive to those factors inherent in the insurer-insured-attorney tripartite relationship.
View Christian's exemplar trial experience.
Areas of Focus
Complex Tort & General Casualty
Christian has successfully defended hundreds of companies with CGL policies from high-exposure personal injury claims arising from premises liability, motor vehicle and construction site accidents.
Medical Malpractice & Health Care
Christian has represented health care professionals and surgery centers in a variety of medical malpractice claims, including those arising from alleged elder abuse. Additionally, he has represented health care professionals in administrative and disciplinary proceedings before their respective boards.
Product Liability
Christian has many years of experience defending manufacturers and distributors of products implicated in catastrophic personal injury matters.
Professional Liability
Christian was the designated trial attorney for a large insurance company, handling their Northern California claims involving allegations of malpractice against insured nurses, dentists, therapists and other health care providers. Christian successfully defended these practitioners in both legal and administrative forums.
Transportation
Personal injury suits arising from motor vehicle accidents of all varieties have been a staple of Christian's litigation practice for the bulk of his career.
Representative Matters
Construction
Obtained unanimous jury defense verdict on behalf of one client and a jury verdict below our CCP 998 offer as to another client in construction site accident; iron worker plaintiff claimed need for surgery and vocational rehabilitation with substantial demand for settlement.
Obtained verdict below pre-trial offer in suit for property damage resulting in loss of use after plaintiff’s heavy equipment was damaged.
Land Use
Obtained defense award and judgment following 14-day bench trial (trial by reference) in land use dispute; awarded costs and attorney’s fees. Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal upheld the decision but reversed the award of attorney’s fees.
Obtained unanimous jury defense verdict in high-stakes two-month trial involving issues of prescriptive rights of easement on hundreds of estate acres in wine country.
Medical Malpractice & Health Care
Secured motion for defense judgment at close of plaintiff’s case in medical malpractice action arising from foot surgery that allegedly caused disabling back injuries.
Obtained ruling dismissing Nursing Board’s accusation in administrative law proceeding against nurse practitioner whose injections for epicondylar fractures allegedly resulted in plaintiff’s radial nerve palsy.
Obtained unanimous jury defense verdict in medical negligence claim by elderly plaintiff who fell and broke her hip while being assisted by a home health aide.
Obtained dismissal with $0 contribution from client pharmacy during trial for alleged mislabeling of prescription bottle resulting in mismedication.
Obtained defense verdict in $1 million physical therapy malpractice action in which patient alleged serious injuries and ongoing disability stemming from negligent physical therapy treatment.
Obtained unanimous jury defense verdict in lawsuit for personal injuries and breach of contract claims arising from physical therapy treatment.
Auto Liability
Obtained jury verdict below pre-trial offer in suit for personal injuries and damages arising from disputed liability motor vehicle accident.
Obtained jury verdict below pre-trial offer in suit for personal injuries in admitted liability suit following motor vehicle accident after tire fell off after having been replaced by client.
Obtained unanimous jury defense verdict in suit for personal injuries arising from motor vehicle accident, with injuries alleged to include traumatic brain injury.
General & Premises Liability
Obtained defense jury verdict in personal injury suit arising from alleged negligent service on plaintiff’s power chair; plaintiff suffered a fractured shoulder and alleged ongoing loss of earning capacity.
Obtained unanimous defense jury verdict in premises liability matter where state inspector working at client’s facility alleged injuries including CRPS with damages demand at $4.5 million and a life care plan.
Obtained unanimous jury defense verdict in premises liability matter where plaintiff slipped on freshly mopped floor alleging traumatic brain injury; experts included neuropsychologists, orthopedic surgeons and life care planners.
Obtained unanimous jury defense verdict in premises liability lawsuit for personal injuries, with medical expenses in excess of $100,000.