Professional Background and Accomplishments

Mr. Caplan is an experienced attorney who has represented individual, corporate, institutional, and public entity clients in both litigation and transactional matters. He has litigated civil actions in state and federal courts in the areas of corporate and partnership disputes, trade secret and intellectual property disputes, complex contract and indemnity disputes, real property and land use litigation, including inverse condemnation claims, as well as landlord-tenant disputes including habitability and premises liability. A significant portion of Mr. Caplan’s practice involves public utilities and public utility law, including tort litigation regarding electrical personal injuries, property damage, and vegetation management issues. Mr. Caplan is well versed in both environmental and industrial exposure toxic tort litigation, as well as product liability claims, complex construction defect litigation, and general personal injury matters including catastrophic personal injury.

Mr. Caplan is also a successful trial attorney. In November 2021, Mr. Caplan served as 1st chair in a complex contract dispute involving the enforceability of a large promissory note, obtaining a 12-0 verdict after a 3-day jury trial. Mr. Caplan was a key member of the defense team that won a 12-0 defense verdict for a large public utility company in March 2022. The utility was accused by more than 450 plaintiffs of starting a huge, explosive, and toxic industrial fire in Maywood, California. Mr. Caplan was a member of the trial team, and was instrumental in eliminating the plaintiffs’ Inverse Condemnation claim in a motion for summary adjudication, as well as defending the trial court’s decision in response to the Plaintiffs’ writ application.

Mr. Caplan is also well versed in regulatory law and litigation, particularly as related to energy and environmental regulatory matters. Mr. Caplan has begun working with Firm Counsel Marilyn Wade and Paula Bailey regarding litigation and regulatory matters in the Oil & Gas industry, including PMPA matters. Mr. Caplan has also advocated for clients as counsel of record before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Mr. Caplan is also an accomplished appellate attorney.