Fish & Richardson Recognized by Top Verdict for Obtaining One of California's Top 50 Settlements in 2017

Top Verdict has named the $3.2 million award in a housing discrimination class action lawsuit filed by Fish & Richardson and the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley as one of the top 50 settlements in California for 2017.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 180 disabled individuals against the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara(HACSC), also resulted in an award of $712,500 in attorneys' fees and costs. Fish represented the disabled individuals pro bono and donated its share of the fee award to the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley.

The case, which landed at number 33 on Top Verdict's list of 50, set an important legal precedent stating that housing authorities cannot adopt a blanket policy considering a living room as a bedroom when reviewing a reasonable accommodation request for an extra bedroom for a disabled household member.

Jon Lamberson, a principal in Fish's Silicon Valley office, served as lead counsel for Fish. Other Fish team members included principal Michael Headley and associates Bryan Basso and Alana Mannigé.

The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley team was led by Kyra Kazantzis, who was joined by Nadia Aziz, Kara Brodfuehrer, Annette Kirkham, Melissa Morris, Thomas Zito, Judy Wong, and Matthew Warren.

The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley advances the rights of under-represented individuals and families in its diverse community through legal services, strategic advocacy and educational outreach.

Top Verdict recognizes attorneys and law firms based on factual achievements. Top Verdict lists are generated based on extensive research. Sources include court records, electronic submissions by attorneys and major legal publications.