Similar personal injury attorneys in Seattle
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.
About James Hertz
James Hertz joined Friedman Rubin in 2001, focusing on insurance bad faith litigation. He served as Managing Partner from 2007 to 2026. Prior to joining the firm, Jim practiced in South Dakota litigating civil trials and appeals in matters involving intellectual property, business torts, insurance, and personal injury law. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Dakota in 1983 and his J.D. from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 1985. Jim is licensed in Washington and South Dakota and is admitted to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Eighth and Ninth Circuits.
Proven verdicts and settlements at Friedman Rubin
These results are credited to Friedman Rubin. A result appears under an attorney's own name only when a published source names them as counsel on the case.
A King County jury awarded $857 million in December 2023 to seven people, five former students and two parent volunteers, who said they were sickened by PCBs leaking from light fixtures at the Sky Valley Education Center in Monroe, Washington. The verdict included $73 million in compensatory damages and $784 million in punitive damages against Monsanto and its successor Pharmacia. In April 2024 a King County judge cut the punitive award to $365 million under Missouri's statutory cap on punitive damages, reducing the total to $438 million. Monsanto appealed, and Bayer said in February 2026 that Monsanto had settled the remaining Sky Valley jury verdicts on confidential terms, so what was ultimately paid is not public.
A King County jury awarded $275 million to thirteen Sky Valley Education Center students and families who suffered neurological injuries from PCB-contaminated light fixtures manufactured by Monsanto.
A King County jury awarded three Monroe, Washington teachers $185 million after finding that PCBs manufactured by Monsanto leached from fluorescent light ballasts at their school and caused permanent neurological injuries.
A Clark County jury awarded retired Air Force veteran Michael Washington and his wife Josephine $104 million after finding that propofol manufacturers Teva Parenteral Medicines and Baxter Healthcare knowingly supplied oversized anesthetic vials that clinics routinely reused, spreading hepatitis C to patients.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.
Practice areas
Education
Bar admissions & credentials
Other attorneys at Friedman Rubin
View firm →
Proven verdicts and settlements from other Seattle firms
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.